BİR HALK ANLATISI KARŞILAŞTIRMASI: ŞAHMERAN İLE ХОЗЯЙКА МЕДНОЙ ГОРЫ- (BAKIR DAĞININ SAHİBESİ).

Folklore narratives, which are used as a guide when examining the language, history and culture of a society, play an important role in the representation of a nation’s identity. In this respect, folklore studies lead not only to the field of language and literature, but also to the studies of sociology, history and cultural science. While the reconciliation between dream and real life is conveyed in fairy tales; every nation expresses its struggle to achieve the standard of living, prosperity and happiness with their own unique symbols. The symbols, which have great meaning for the public, can consist of original animals or some mythological beings. Undoubtedly, one of these symbols is the symbol of the snake, and for centuries the snake symbol has taken an important place in many cultures and beliefs. The snake which is considered to have a mysterious power, mostly carried symbolic meanings such as good luck, health, guardian spirit, vitality, youth, immortality, eternity, healing, revival, and the soul that drives people to evil. The snake, which had an important place in the life of mankind from the primitive period, was seen as an important metaphor at the present time. The concept of snake has been associated with gods, goddesses and rulers in Mesopotamian, Anatolian and Egyptian cultures. In ancient Greece, the snake was associated with health. It was portrayed as a cunning and double-headed creature in Scandinavian and Celtic culture. In this case; in some religions and cultures, the snake was considered sacred, and in some cultures, it was considered a cursed being. This concept will continue to live in science, literature, mythology, faith and art due to the subconscious brought by its historical adventure and the mysterious residue left in the memory of history. The main purpose of our study is to examine the fairytales “Shahmaran” and “The Mistress of the Copper Mountain”, which belong to two different cultures; based on the works taken from the oral cultures of both societies and contributed to literature, the content, subject, plot, purpose and end of the tale belonging to these cultures are discussed from different perspectives. To examine the content, purpose and result of both fairy tales in detail and identify the common and different characteristics of the protagonist (snake woman) in both tales, and make inferences about their culture as a result of the comparison. Basically, besides intercultural exchange and historical ties; beliefs play a major role in shaping these similarities in the livelihoods of the society, climate and geographical conditions. In this context, our study aims to open new discussion topics by shedding light to guide new research in the field of comparative folklore in the future. Although the study is similar to Hippolyte Taine's theory of environment, race, and time, it is a different attempt at comparison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]