Tepegöz

Tepegöz is a significant character mentioned in Dede Korkut Kitabı, one of the foundational works of Turkish literature. His name appears 62 times in the eighth saga, titled “The Saga of Basat Killing Tepegöz.” The central theme of this saga revolves around a hero who defeats an extraordinary being threatening his homeland, thereby saving the Oghuz lands. The archetype of Tepegöz has mythological origins.

Personality and Physical Characteristics

Tepegöz is defined by his physical appearance; his name means “one whose eye is on his forehead.” He is a giant creature with a single eye located in the center of his forehead. This single eye is regarded as one of the primary symbols of demonic nature in Turkish folkloric thought, representing the mythological motif of a single organ replacing a pair. Because of these traits, Tepegöz is classified within the Greek mythological category of Cyclops and is frequently compared to Polyphemus from Homer’s Odyssey.

In various Turkish dialects and regions, Tepegöz is also known by names such as Kellegöz, Tepegözler, Gözü Tepede, Tek Göz, Yekegöz, Birgözdi Deu, Jalgızgöz, Jalgızgözdi Doo, and Egegöz.

Tepegöz also represents social disorder, chaos, and opposing values. According to some interpretations, he symbolizes Basat’s own uncontrollable ego and passions, manifesting as a physical embodiment of the soul’s darker impulses.

Origin

Tepegöz’s birth forms the narrative’s beginning and stems from a moral transgression. One day, as the Oghuz were migrating to summer pastures to escape enemies, Konur Koca Sarı Çoban, the shepherd of Aruz Koca, took his flock to graze near a sacred spring called Uzunpınar. There he saw fairy maidens flying with wings tied to their arms. The shepherd threw his cloak over them and captured one, then forcibly engaged in sexual intercourse with her out of greed and lust. The fairy maiden later told the shepherd to return in a year to collect his pledge, warning him that this act would bring disaster upon the Oghuz.

This act constitutes a sin against nature and sacred space. When the shepherd returned to the spring a year later, he found a luminous, shapeless mass on the ground, resembling a pile with no discernible beginning or end. Frightened, he struck it with a slingshot stone, but each blow caused the mass to grow larger, prompting him to flee. At that moment, Bayındır Han and his lords passed by. The lords prodded the pile with their lances, and from within emerged a boy with a single eye on his forehead. Aruz Koca adopted the child and intended to raise him alongside his own son, Basat.

Life

Even after being brought into Aruz’s household, Tepegöz retained his wild nature. While nursing from wet nurses, he killed them; eventually, he had to be fed with vats of milk. As he grew, he began devouring the noses and ears of children who played with him. Upon this, Aruz Koca expelled him. His fairy mother placed a magical ring on him that rendered him immune to arrows and swords. Tepegöz, separated from the Oghuz, settled on a mountain called Salahana Kayası, became a bandit, and blocked the roads. Because he could not be harmed by arrows, swords, or spears, the Oghuz lords could not defeat him; Tepegöz killed many people, including heroes such as Alp Rüstem, Kara Göne, and Basat’s brother Kıyan Selçuk. Desperate, the Oghuz sent Dede Korkut as a mediator to negotiate with Tepegöz. An agreement was reached: every day, two men and five hundred sheep would be offered as tribute to Tepegöz, and two cooks—Yünlü Koca and Yapağılı Koca—would be assigned to prepare his meals.

Struggle with Basat

Basat put an end to this oppression. The mother of a child chosen to be sacrificed to Tepegöz approached Basat—Tepegöz’s stepbrother—upon his return from battle and pleaded for help. Basat went to Salahana Kayası and shot an arrow at Tepegöz, but due to the ring, the arrow could not penetrate him. Tepegöz captured Basat and threw him into his cave. Basat escaped using a dagger and learned from the two cooks (Yünlü Koca and Yapağılı Koca) the secret of Tepegöz’s death: only his eye could be harmed. Basat heated a skewer in fire, drove it into Tepegöz’s eye, and blinded him. The blinded Tepegöz grabbed the entrance of the cave to catch Basat. Basat escaped by hiding among the sheep, wearing a ram’s skin. Tepegöz tried to deceive Basat with false promises of giving him the ring and his treasure, but Basat escaped each trap by invoking the Kalima-i Tawhid and using his wit. Finally, Tepegöz told Basat that only the bladeless sword inside the cave could kill him. Basat seized this sword and, using Tepegöz’s own weapon, severed his neck, killing him. Basat saved the Oghuz lands from this calamity, and Dede Korkut offered him a prayer.

Mythological Dimension

“The Saga of Basat Killing Tepegöz” possesses mythological and historical layers. Its roots lie in ancient Turkic shamanic myths, beliefs, and legends describing the struggle of shamans against evil spirits. Tepegöz’s origin motif—the union of human and spirit—is connected to ancient Turkic religion and tradition. The narrative reflects the transition of Turkic ancestors from hunting and gathering to pastoralism. Over time, the story merged with the ancient Turkic legend of the child raised by a lion (the Arslan Çocuk Hikâyesi). This fusion brought together Basat’s extraordinary upbringing—being dropped by a lion and raised by it—with the figure of Tepegöz. Basat’s self-identification as “If you call me mother, I am the Khan-lion” points to this relationship. The tale has roots extending back to the 3rd millennium BCE, and possibly earlier. The Tepegöz archetype, resembling the one-eyed Arimaspians described by Herodotus in the 5th century BCE (a tribe related to the Scythians), was widespread in Central Asia. Additionally, the giant man described by Ibn Fadlan in his 10th-century travelogue, associated with the Visu tribe, represents an earlier variant of the Tepegöz narrative. Tepegöz shares motifs with Polyphemus from Homer’s Odyssey: single eye, cannibalism, cave-dwelling, and defeat through cunning. This supports the view that these narratives stem from a common proto-myth or reflect cultural interactions. Tepegöz’s story, in these aspects, is not merely a saga but a layered reflection of the Turkish people’s cultural and moral values and their stance toward nature and civilization.

“The Saga of Basat Killing Tepegöz” is considered one of the oldest narratives in the Dede Korkut Kitabı; its origins are legendary and mythological. Alongside “The Saga of Duha Koca’s Son Deli Dumrul,” it forms part of epic legends whose roots extend deep into history, possibly to the 3rd and 2nd millennia BCE. The earliest core of the tale is rooted in ancient Turkic shamanic myths and beliefs describing the struggle against evil spirits (Tepegöz). Dede Korkut himself, besides being a bard, transmitted these sagas as a shaman.

Tepegöz’s birth from the union of a fairy maiden and a human is closely linked to ancient Turkic beliefs and Shamanism; he was thought to be either a spirit or a giant. His dwelling in caves and atop lofty mountains may reflect primitive reverence for mountains and rock caves (mountain cult), a significant theme in shamanism. The narrative also mirrors the transition of Turkic ancestors from hunting and gathering to pastoralism. The current form of the saga emerged through the fusion of different narratives over time. The Tepegöz myth merged with the ancient Turkic “Child Raised by a Lion” (Arslan Çocuk Hikâyesi) legend, explaining Basat’s supernatural upbringing and semi-human, semi-animal appearance. Due to incomplete integration of these elements, inconsistencies appear in the tale—such as the lack of detail about Basat’s childhood or the implausible act of Tepegöz giving Basat the magical ring.

The narrative carries traces of stages experienced by Turkic communities throughout history. The motif of daily tribute of two men and five hundred sheep to Tepegöz recalls Scythian rituals of offering animals and humans to their war god Ares. Moreover, the name of Basat’s father, Aruz, has been suggested to be linked to the war god Ares/Arus. The bladeless sword in the cave is also associated with Ares’s sacred weapon. A sub-layer of the tale relates to the Göktürk-Türgish period. The figure of Kapak Kan, whose son was killed by Tepegöz, is thought to be a memory of Kapgan Kağan (d. 716), ruler of the Second Göktürk Khaganate, while Basat may represent the legendary memory of Köl Tigin (d. 731), who placed Bilge Kağan (Bayındır Han) on the throne after Kapgan Kağan. This symbolizes the transition from chaos (Tepegöz) to order (Basat). The Tepegöz character has also been interpreted as a legendary rendering of the historical event in which the Oghuz Turks of the Seljuks were plagued by Shah Melik Bozgunu, defeated around 1043 in Khurasan by Tuğrul Bey (Basat).

The Tepegöz archetype is classified as a Cyclops; due to its physical appearance (one-eyed giant) and actions (cannibalism, cave-dwelling, defeat through cunning), it is an international archetype. Tepegöz shares numerous motifs with Polyphemus from Homer’s Odyssey. Both are one-eyed giants who live in caves, eat humans, and have mythological parentage. Polyphemus is the son of the sea god Poseidon. Both heroes blind the giant using a heated object and escape from the cave by hiding among animals (ram or sheep skin). The Tepegöz narrative is widespread throughout the entire Turkish world, from the west (Chuvash, Gagauz) to the east (Saka-Yakut, Tunguz, Altai). In different regions, he is known as Tepegöz, Kellegöz, Gözü Tepede, Tek Göz in Anatolia; Kellegöz in Azerbaijan; Yekegöz, Birgözdi Deu, Jalgızgöz in Central Asia; and Yekegöz, Egegöz in Turkmenistan. Eleven distinct variants have been collected among the Gagauz Turks. These variants are generally folklorized, omitting Tepegöz’s birth and the character of Basat, and feature ordinary heroes.

Variants of the Narrative

The Tepegöz (Cyclops) narrative is widespread throughout the entire Turkish world and among other peoples, from the west (Gagauz) to the east (Altai, Saka-Yakut, Tunguz). Eleven distinct variants have been collected among the Gagauz Turks. Common motifs in this widely distributed myth include:

• A one-eyed giant/monster, cannibalism (eating human flesh), dwelling in a cave (sheep pen),
• The hero blinding the giant with a heated object,
• The hero escaping the cave by wearing animal skin (ram or sheep hide),
• The giant possessing magical items (ring, sword, etc.).

There are profound similarities between the Tepegöz (Depegöz) of Dede Korkut and Polyphemus from Homer’s Odyssey in terms of origin and plot structure. However, unlike Polyphemus, whose death is not described, Basat kills Tepegöz. Moreover, Tepegöz’s story—from birth to death—is more extensive. Tepegöz giving Basat the magical ring during their battle creates a logical inconsistency with the rest of the narrative. This has been explained in various ways: as a narrative flaw, a trick of the ego, a context of guest gift, or as a symbol of authority and legitimacy.

^{Basat Defeating Tepegöz} (MEB Anatolian Folk Tales)

Cultural and Geographic Spread

The Tepegöz archetype is not limited to the Dede Korkut narrative. Similar tales of one-eyed giants are frequently found throughout the Turkish world and among other peoples. This indicates that the character’s origins date back to very ancient times and that it acquired diverse meanings across different social layers. Tepegöz narratives continue to exist in various forms in folk tales, legends, and oral traditions, particularly in Anatolia and Central Asia.

While Tepegöz is positioned in Turkish mythological narratives and epic tradition as an enemy, chaotic, and threatening figure, he also serves as a symbolic warning. As the embodiment of themes such as inner struggle, personal transformation, and social balance, Tepegöz is regarded as a multi-layered figure within the cultural structure of Dede Korkut.