FREUDYEN SEMBOLİZMİN İZİNDE: NAR TANESİ MASALINA PSİKANALİTİK BİR BAKIŞ
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF FREUDIAN SYMBOLISM: A PSYCHOANALYTIC PERSPECTIVE ON THE TALE OF NAR TANESİ

Summary/Abstract: Psychoanalytic theory is an approach that aims to understand the dynamic interactions of the human mind through concepts such as the conscious, the subconscious, and the unconscious. Founded by Sigmund Freud, this theory suggests that individuals' emotions, thoughts, and behaviors are shaped by childhood experiences and unconscious desires. It analyzes personality structure and internal conflicts through the concepts of psychosexual development stages, as well as the id, ego, and superego. As one of the foundations of modern psychotherapy, this approach offers a significant tool for individuals to understand themselves and resolve emotional issues. According to Freud, conflicts and repressed emotions experienced during childhood are stored in the unconscious and are expressed through symbolic narratives such as dreams, myths, and fairy tales. In Freud's approach, such narratives are seen as tools through which unconscious desires—especially those of a sexual nature—are expressed through symbols. Therefore, folkloric narratives are treated as reflections of sexual symbolism. Fairy tales, in particular, represent a rich field for the applicability of this theory, as they express unconscious sexual desires, conflicts, and resolution efforts through symbolic language. The tale Nar Tanesi (The Pomegranate Seed) is a folk narrative that sheds light on the individual’s inner world through the unique symbolic language and extraordinary motifs of Turkish fairy tales. In this story, the challenges a young girl faces during her development and her efforts to overcome them form the main theme. The tale contains rich symbolism that allows for the analysis of unconscious desires, conflicts, and taboos from a psychoanalytic perspective. Motifs such as transformation into a flower, a foal, a needle, and a cloud represent the search for identity and the emergence of repressed feelings from the unconscious. In this study, based on Freud and his followers, the Nar Tanesi tale is examined within the framework of psychoanalytic theory, focusing on the aspects of the tale that reflect the unconscious. The obstacles the heroine encounters during her maturation process and her efforts to overcome them are evaluated in light of Freud’s psychosexual development stages and the elements shaping personality structure. Additionally, the symbolic meanings of elements in the tale such as the stepmother, the gypsy, the foal, and the soap are analyzed. Throughout the tale, the protagonist's shapeshifting motifs are interpreted as indications of pre-Oedipal and Oedipal conflicts, as well as efforts to complete the journey of individuation. Through this analysis, it is concluded that Nar Tanesi offers significant insights into Turkish fairy tales from the perspective of psychoanalytic theory and serves as a powerful tool for understanding the fundamental issues of human psychology.

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