HONORING THE WOLF

Simin Uysal

Life can become confusing from time to time and one can feel lost at times. That's how I have been feeling for some time...until last week when I decided to take an afternoon nap. As soon as I closed my eyes in my bed, I found myself in a dream where I was surrounded by a crowded pack of wolves. I have never thought a pack could be so crowded with almost a hundred wolves or so. The pack leader came closer, sniffed me carefully and she was as friendly as a dog. The cubs playing around with each other were really cute. It was a healthy, happy and a friendly pack of wolves. 

When I woke from this dream with a smile on my face and in my heart. I wasn't feeling lost or confused anymore.   

Sitting in my study and watching the wonderful misty view and thinking the snow is getting closer, I suddenly recalled my dream with the wolves and the Turkish saying "Wolf likes misty weather." 

I am feeling deeply grateful to the wolves. The Wolf is considered as the great teacher, the pathfinder and the guide for the Turks both in Anatolia and Central Asia. She is considered as the ancestor and appears as a sacred guide in Turkic mythology. Here is a short version from the very looong Oghuz Khagan myth. 

Oghuz was born in Central Asia as the son of Qara (Black) Khan, leader of the Turks. He stopped drinking his mother's milk after the first time and asked for meat. During the name giving ceremony where the elders are gathered to find the most suitable name for the newborn, he started speaking and said he was choosing his name as Oghuz. After that, he grew up miraculously and only in forty days he became a young adult. At the time of his birth, the lands of the Turks were preyed upon by a dragon named Kıyant. Oghuz armed himself and went to kill the dragon. He set a trap and killed the great dragon with his bronze lance and cut off his head with his iron sword.

He becomes a hero after killing the dragon. He forms a special warrior band from the forty sons of forty Turk beys (clan chiefs) thus gathering the clans together under his rule.

Upon becoming the Khan, he goes to steppes by himself to give thanks to Tengri (Sky-God). While praying he sees a heavenly blue light coming down from the sky, a light brighter than the sun and the moon, with a beautiful girl sitting in it. Oghuz falls in love with the girl and they get married. He has three sons named Gün (Sun), Ay (Moon) and Yıldız (Star). Later, Oghuz goes hunting one day and sees another beautiful girl inside a tree hollow on an island on a lake . He marries her as well and has three sons named Gök (Sky), Dağ (Mountain) and Deniz (Sea). 

To celebrate the birth of his sons, Oghuz organizes a great feast, gathers the forty clan chiefs and gives his orders: 

I became your Khan;
Let's take our swords and shields;
May Kut (Spirit) will be our guide;
May the Sun be our flag and the sky our tent.

He sends letters to the Kings of the Four Directions, saying: "I am the Khan of the Turks. And I will be Khan of the Four Corners of the Earth. I want your obedience."

Altun Khan (Golden Khan), on the right corner of earth, submits his obedience but Urum (Roman) Khan of the left corner, does not. Oghuz declares war on Urum Khan and marches his army to the west. One night, a large wolf with sky colored fur (blue being the color of Tengri and wolf as the sacred animal) comes to his tent in a heavenly light. He says, "Oghuz, you want to march against Urum, I want to march before you and guide your army." So, the sky-wolf marched before the Turks' army and guided them. The two armies fought near the river İtil (Volga). Oghuz Khan won. Then, Oghuz and his six sons carried out campaigns in all directions with the wolf as their guide. He became the Khan of the Four Corners of the Earth.

The elderly wise advisor of Oghuz saw a dream one day where he saw one bow made of gold and three arrows. The bow was extending all the way from sunrise to sunset . In the morning, he told the dream to Oghuz Khagan, saying "Oghuz Khagan, may you have a long and happy life, may all the things the Sky God showed in the dream become true." Upon hearing the dream, Oghuz Khagan calls his six sons and sends three of them them to the east and three of them to the west. His elder sons find a golden bow in the east. His younger sons find three silver arrows in the west. Oghuz Khan breaks the golden bow into three pieces and gives each to his three older sons Gün (Sun), Ay (Moon) and Yıldız (Star). He says: "My older sons, take this bow and shoot your arrows to the sky like this bow." He gives three silver arrows to his three younger sons Gök (Sky), Dağ (Mountain) and Deniz (Sea) and says: "My younger sons, take these silver arrows. A bow shoots arrows and may you be like arrows." Then, he passes his lands onto his sons, Bozoks (Gray Arrows - elder sons) and Üçoks (Three Arrows - younger sons) at a final banquet. Then he says:

"My sons, I walked a lot on the Earth;
I saw many battles;
I threw so many arrows and spears;
I rode many horses;
I made my enemies cry;
I made my friends smile;
I paid my debt to Tengri;
Now I am passing my land over to you."

The story is actually very long and only put into writing during the 13th century. The stories known today in Anatolia as Dede Korkut (Grandfather Korkut's stories) are parts of this legend. The surviving part of the script is now in Paris in Bibliotheque Nationale in the Turkish section. 

The Oghuzes were a historical Turkic tribal confederation conventionally named Oghuz Yabgu State in Central Asia during the early medieval period.The Oguz confederation migrated westard from the Jeti-su area after a conflict with Karluk branch of Uigurs. The founders of the Ottoman Empire were descendants of the Oguz Yabgu State.The term 'Oghuz' was gradually supplanted among the Turks themselves by 'Turcoman', from the mid tenth century onwards. The Ottoman dynasty, who gradually took over Anatolia after the fall of the Seljuks, toward the end of the thirteenth century, led an army that was also predominantly Oghuz.   

I have no intention to fight with anyone in any direction or to rule any place on earth but I do follow my dreams and having the Wolf as a guide and a teacher in all directions is a great gift I am deeply grateful for. 

My version of Oghuz Khagan's prayer is: 

May the Spirit be my guide
The Light my flag, 
The Sky my tent and 
The Wolf my teacher in all directions