IMPORTANCE OF CELESTIAL ELEMENTS IN PRE-ISLAMIC PERIOD TURKISH COSMOLOGY CONCEPT

Abstract

Heavens which is one of the layers of cosmic thought, and whose design was defined in the human mind, contained the only God, the creator, and the sacred beings, the good spirits and even the evil spirits that belonged to the underworld. According to thought of people, heavens has all means to meet their requirements and necessities which are crucial to survive on earth. The heavens is a place where people seek help throughout their entire lives, that is why, they has called it as illuminated world. Human curiosity has been dense for heavens which is believed to be God's residence. Besides, people's curiosity about heavens has increased since the visible heavens has harbored the Sun, Moon and stars. Light and heat of the sun and the moon's light are examples of these. Celestial bodies have their own function and these functions are used when describing the characteristics of heroes in the epics.
In this article, the cosmological meanings of the heavens and its elements will be presented within the framework of the pre-Islamic period Turkish cosmology concept. After these presentations, we will focus on the value of these elements and their function in the cosmological sense