From Odin to Batraz: a study on the comparison of Germen mythology and the Ossetian Folk Epic

Without doubt, literature feeds from life itself, from life’s core. Any kind of event which takes place in the life cycle can constitute the main theme of a literary work. This study serves to a deeper area which has been coded in human soul like mythology and epic. Myths are the identity of a nation and all of the aspects which are a part of the narrations give information about a nation’s past, culture and folklore. Myths have a hereditary quality in the sense that they follow a nation throughout its history and have a structure which sustains its vitality until the new generations. Epics are focused on heroes and they are in general about events which involve the nation in which the hero comes from. Both myths and epics are the sources of literature. Throughout history, writers, poets and theorists have been drawing inspiration from myths, epics and legends while creating their works. The most important reason behind this is that myths, epics and legends act as a mirror to society. The symbols, attributes and themes in myths and epics have some common features for all humankind. The main framework of the study is made up of Germen Mythology and the Ossetian Folk Epic which belongs to North Caucasus. The purpose of the study is to give place to the gods and narrations related to Germen Mythology and the Ossetian Folk Epic and determine their similarities or differences. In parallel to this objective, the study aims at reaching a general evaluation about both of the narrations. In this study, both works will be analysed to use work-immanent method with comparative method