The Bone Motif and Lambs in the Turkish Folktale "The Reed Door"

Date

2000

Author

Ruhi, S.

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The Aarne-Thompson Tale Type 123, "The Wolf and the Kids," is present in Turkish folklore in a number of variants. This study examines an oral version of the tale in which the plot diverges from other variants. In the tale, the wolf threatens to eat the parents, while the offspring function as protectors of the household. Both parents and offspring are eaten by the wolf. This study analyzes the divergence and the significance of the lamb, the lamb's bones, and the door in the tale through a semantic comparison of these elements with their communicative value in Turkish folklore material and discourse. The underlying semantic coherence of these elements reveals that they represent children as protectors of the family. Based on the premise that narratives are forms of communication, the study argues that the main communicative value of the tale is its function as a metaphor for family patterns in Turkish culture, where children are perceived as being essential to the well-being of the family.

Subject Keywords

Cultural Studies, Visual Arts and Performing Arts, Anthropology, Bone motif, Comparative folktale discourse, Lamb, Tale Type 123 in Turkish folktales

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/50885

Collections

Department of Foreign Language Education, Article