The Discussion of Zoroastrianism and Yezidisim Belief Systems in Novels / Zerdüştilik ve Yezîdîlik İnançlarının Romanlarda Ele Alınışı

Abstract

Along with individuals lives, literary works address shared mental worlds of societies, historical milestones, beliefs, and cultures. The concept of belief is also one of the factors that shape societies’ identities and art-literary works. Turkish authors have discussed both the societies they were born into and the beliefs of the “other” societies, as well as the cultural characteristics arising from their beliefs, in their works from the past to the present. When these beliefs are examined, it is clear that the religions of the Zoroastrians and Yazidis, both of whom are considered minorities, are at the forefront. In novels, these two beliefs were compared with Islam, Christianism, and Judaism, and their underlying philosophies, their effects on rituals in ceremonies such as weddings and funerals, and how the belief and “national” identities became an entrenched structure were discussed. Furthermore, the novels discussed how these societies perceived minorities maintained their value judgments in the Middle East, where dominant cultures and religions are present, as well as their conflicts with strong states in the region. In this study, the reflections of Yezidism and Zoroastrianism in Turkish novel has been discussed.

Keywords

• zoroastrianism
• yezidisim
• religion
• society
• novel