POSTA PULLARINDA TÜRK MİTOLOJİSİNİN İZLERİ
TRACES OF TURKISH MYTHOLOGY ON POSTAGE STAMPS

Summary/Abstract: Postage stamps, which were products of visual culture on a global scale as of 1840, were also an integral part of letters. Stamp printing was performed by Official Postal Administrations in every country as an important communication tool reflecting the country’s political stance, economic power, cultural, social, artistic and historical values. Stamps, which undertook the task of carrying messages to the masses, played many roles in the field of communication. In this context, 4773 stamps printed from 1863 to October 2023 were examined and more than 200 stamps containing 22 mythological elements were identified within the scope of this study, in which answers to the questions were sought. “Did Turkish mythology find a place for application on stamps? If yes, what mythological elements were used? How was the relationship between power and mythology reflected on stamps?” The study was limited to 11 most used mythological elements on stamps, which were “Tree of Life”, “Horse”, “Fire”, “Grey Wolf”, “Eagle”, “Deer”, “Dove”, “Snake”, “Crescent-Star”, “Tulip”, “Dede Korkut Tales”. The meaning of these symbols in Turkish mythology was examined from the perspective of applied folklore. It is considered that among these mythological elements, except for “Grey Wolf” and “Iron Forging”, they were not used very consciously. However, it can be argued that these symbols were a product of the mythology understanding of the period. Today, when applied folklore studies have against momentum, it has been determined that mythology cannot be fully reflected on stamps. It is also considered that applying the smart stamp technology used in the UK today to the stamps in Turkey, via the existing symbols of Turkish mythology or newly produced images, will enable the stamps to acquire a more functional appearance. This article was written to raise awareness for the re-application of Turkish mythology on stamps with new technological methods.

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