THE EVOLUTION OF EPIC TRADITIONS AMONG TURKIC PEOPLES: HISTORICAL CONTINUITY, ORAL POETICS, AND CULTURAL IDENTITY

The epic traditions of Turkic peoples constitute one of the most extensive and historically layered bodies of oral literature in Eurasia. Emerging within the socio-cultural framework of steppe nomadism, these traditions developed through successive stages shaped by mythological cosmology, tribal consolidation, Islamization, imperial expansion, and modern nation-building. This article investigates the historical evolution, narrative poetics, performance mechanisms, and ideological transformations of Turkic epic traditions. Drawing upon representative corpora such as the Book of Dede Korkut, the Kyrgyz Manas, the Uzbek Alpomish, and the Kazakh epic cycle of Koblandy Batyr, the study synthesizes comparative literary analysis with oral-formulaic theory and cultural memory studies. The findings demonstrate that Turkic epics preserve stable compositional schemes and archetypal motifs while simultaneously adapting to shifting religious, political, and social contexts. The research argues that Turkic epic tradition functions as a dynamic cultural system that mediates between mythic past and contemporary identity, ensuring continuity across centuries of transformation.