Legends Told by Oruç Bey and Their Place in Turkish Legends

Abstract

Legends are oral culture products that exist for centuries, and their classification includes "historical legends" which is an evidence showing the relationship between historical sources and legends. In almost every historical source, legends of war and conquests are encountered. The purpose of this study is to determine legends which were told by Oruç Bey, a historian of Ottoman Empire in the 15th century, in his work entitled Tevârih-i Âl-i Osman. Oruç Bey has not only confined himself to writing a history book, but also has wrote down proverbs, idioms, curses, legends, folk beliefs, traditions, customs, and many other cultural information like stories of naming a place as well. That work is an important source for those who want to investigate the first two centuries' history of the Ottoman Empire as well as Turkish culture of the era.