An assesment on the leader perception of Turks in Oghuz Khagan epic

Epics, generally reflects the worldview, beliefs, values and social structure of the nation in which it was brought to existance. All of these are put forward by the idealised characters whom are brought to maturity in the imagination of the society. Turks -by adopting nomadic life and becoming a part of the steppe civilization- reflected their perceptions, ideals and expectations by the leader Oghuz Khagan who is a hero created in oral-cultural poetry. In this context, the aim of this paper is to determine the social status of Oghuz Khagan, who is an idealised hero of a nomadic culture, with reference to Oghuz Khagan Epic and so that put forward the features of ideal leader perception of a nomadic society. In this paper we will benefit from Oghuz Khagan Epic -written with Uighur alphabet- which is published by R. Rahmeti and W. Bang; and “Tarih-i O？uzan ve Türkan” which is considered as the post-Islamisation version of the Oghuz Khagan Epic and also a chapter in Rashiduddin’s “Cami Al-Tevarih” published by Z. Velidi Togan