A FAVOURITE TURKISH TALE HERO: KELOĞLAN ERASMUS + PROJECTS 2015-2017 ‘TO BE OR NOT TO BE A HERO’

Keloglan(Baldboy) Keloglan which means "bald boy" in English is a well known Turkish folk tale character. He stands for an Anatolian boy who has big dreams but he is honoured, helpful and romantic. He is fatherless and lives with his old mother. He is a sympathetic, stupid, naive peasant boy but he always wins at the end and succeeds by ruses or cunning. .Also he is a hero who finds practical solutions to the problems and who achieves his goal in the end. There are lots of children stories about keloglan in Turkey. Keloglan makes intellegent jokes and makes children laugh. Keloglan lives with his mother in a small hut in the forest.They are so poor and keloglan always wants to be rich and noble one day. But his mother does not like that kind of ideas and tells him to do his work and that he should not dream.

At the beginning he seems clumsy and lazy but the events he experienced shows that he is brave, talented and cunning and then he becomes happy. He is also known for his standing against the cruel, unfair people with his cunning and intelligent behaviours. In some of his tales the fantastic or extraordinary powers of the people or animals that he helped enable him to have good fortune. In most of his tales he becomes powerful and wealthy person and lives happily with his mother. This characteristic of Keloglan and his tales represents people’s wish to get rid of poorness, to become wealthy and to get revenge of the cruelty or unfairness. Keloğlan is a clever public hero who has big dreams. Keloglan is not only seen in Turkish folk tales but also he is seen in Arabian, Iranian, Russian and West European tales though with different names , phsyical appearence and personalities. Each country has its tale character like Keloglan.

KELOĞLAN AND SOME OTHER CHARACTERS FROM THE TALES

PADISHAH , THE EMPEROR THE WOLVES THE BAD MAN THE GIANT

THE PRINCESS THE WITCH

AKSARAY KAMBER GÜLÜZAR DEMİR PRIMARY SCHOOL 4th GRADE STUDENTS READ A KELOĞLAN TALE AND DREW PICTURES FOR ILLUSTRATION ‘ KELOĞLAN AND ALİ CENGİZ trıcks’

KELOĞLAN AND ALİ CENGİZ TRICKS

Keloğlan wants to get married the Sultan’s daugther in this fairy tale Keloğlan wants to get married the Sultan’s daugther in this fairy tale. But Keloğlan’s mother says no. At last she accepts to go to the king and asks him to marry his daughter with her son. His mother says: OK. I will go to the King’s palace and I will want his daughter. She goes to the palace and talks to the king. The King says: (laughs) He’s a brave boy. I can give my daughter to this brave young boy, but I will want something. He will come here to get my daughter after learning Ali Cengiz tricks.

Keloğlan goes to the village of magician Ali Cengiz to learn his tricks.When he arrives his home , Ali Cengiz’s wife warns Keloğlan about the danger . After forty days , Ali Cengiz will ask him if he learnt the whole tricks or not . If he says ‘yes’ , he will be killed. So he shouldn’t tell him that he learnt all the tricks. Keloğlan says: I want to learn Ali Cengiz tricks. Ali Cengiz says: OK, but lessons last forty days and I get a gold coin for each day. Do you have forty gold coins? Keloğlan says: -thinks “I can give the coins after the lessons, when I get married with the princess, I will pay.”- Yes, I have, but I will give the coins after finishing the lessons. Ali Cengiz says: OK, I accept. You will stay at my home.

After forty days Keloğlan goes back to his hometown After forty days Keloğlan goes back to his hometown .But magician follows Keloğlan because he wants to take his Money. At Home-  His mother says: Oh my son, you have come back. Did you learn Ali Cengiz tricks? Keloğlan says: Yes. I can fly like a bird, I can run fast like a horse. Ohh you can’t guess, what I know. His mother says: OK, we can g oto the King’s palace, then.

When Keloğlan and his mother set out, Ali Cengiz understands that because Keloğlan doesn’t want to be killed, he said “I didn’t learn”. Ali Cengiz learns that they went to the palace. And he reached them. When Keloğlan sees Ali Cengiz, he becomes a small bird and flies away. Ali Cengiz becomes an eagle and follows him. While the eagle catches the bird, the bird comes into the window of the princess’s room. When the bird sees her, it becomes a bunch of roses in her hands. Mean while Ali Cengiz enters the palace and goes near the King with guards. 

Ali Cengiz says: A bird has taken my roses and left them on one of the windows. My dear King may I take my roses please?

The roses bocome wheat, Ali Cengiz becomes a hen and starts to eat the wheat. Keloğlan becomes a fox and eats the hen . Then the fox becomes Keloğlan again.  King sees that Keloğlan learnt the tricks and princess and Keloğlan get married and live happily.

NOW QUIZ TIME NOW IT IS THE QUIZ TIME

2- Keloğlan has got ….. A- black hair B- red hair C- no hair

3- Keloğlan loves the …… A- princess B- witch C- Rapunzel

4- Who is Ali Cengiz? A- a doctor B- a magician C- a photographer

5- At the beginning of the game, Keloğlan becomes a ………and wins the game. A- a bird B- a lion C- a snake