Were the Trojans Turkish

Answer 1

The Trojans were Turks. This claim is based on four factors: 1. Information of Old European authors, who write about the Turkic origins of the Trojans. The Fredegar Chronicle of the 7th century, Gesta Francorum of the 12th century, Tyreli William of the 12th century, Andrea Dandalo of the 14th century and many others considered the Turks to have descended from the Turcos of the Trojan origin. Felik Fabri, a German author, referred the Turkic history of Troy to the older period - to the time of Teucros.

Giovanni Mario Filelfo informs in his work "Amyris" that Sultan Mehmed the 2nd presented his victory over Greeks as a triumph of justice. According to him, with the conquest of Istanbul the Turks revenged the Greeks who had once occupied it.

Sultan Mehmed, the Turkish sultan, who was well-informed about the Turkic origins of Troy, was right to consider the conquest of Istanbul as vengeance for Troy. Later in the 20th century Mustafa Kemal Ataturk considered his victory on foreign invaders as vengeance for Ektor, a Trojan hero, the son of the last Trojan king - Priam.

In fact these Turkish victories were not at all invasion, but liberation of old motherland and vengeance for Troy of which evidence the European sources of 7th-15th centuries.

After Troy was destroyed by the Greeks, its population migrated in different directions, among which two of them are of particular interest: those who migrated to Italy founded the Etruscan civilization and those who settled in the north of Europe were dealt with in old Germanic sagas as the Turkic kings of Sweden and Norway.

The second factor to prove the Turkic origins of the Trojans is the Etruscan writings that has been deciphered by Ch.Garasharli through Old Turkic languages. The Etruscans are known to have descended from the Trojans who had migrated to Italy after the collapse of Troy.

Some European researchers yet in the previous centuries having found Turkic words in the Etruscan language, considered it to be of Turkic origin. They could not however go further on into the texts, as their translation needed a deeper knowledge of Old Turkic languages which could serve as key to the Etruscan writings. It was done by Garasharli in his researches.

Garasharli is right to say that the old European sources had no reason to fabricate false stories about Troy. He presents numerous facts of the Old Turkic names of the Trojans that prove the information of the Old European authors. It is the third factor to prove the Turkic origins of the Trojans:

Priam, the name of the last Trojan king, is obviously the same Priyam, the name of a Turanian commander, described in an old Turkic (Kazakh) epic. It should be mentioned that the Kazakh anthroponomy is particularly distinguished among Turkic languages for containing evident early Mediterranean (Trojan, Pelasgian) names. Even the name of the Ionian (Pelasgian) folk singer and poet, Homer, turns out to have its counterpart in the Kazakh epic: Gumar, a mythological Turanian folk singer

Garasharli discovers in the anthoponomy of the Trojans a whole group of Turkic names, which have evident counterparts in the old Turkic, Kazakh, Kirghizian, Chuvash and other Turkic languages.

Dardan, an ancestor of Priam's generation, is the same Kirghizian Dardan - a personal name. And the interpretation is reasonable:

Turkic Dardan stems from the Kirghizian appellative dardan, which forms the personal name meaning "healthy", "enormous", "clumsy".

Alber, the name of a Trojan commander, is the same old Turkic Alper, denoting "hero", "brave" (O.Turk. alp, alb, "hero", "brave" - er "man") which was widely used as a component of Old Turkic personal names, and in the name of Alper Tonga, a Turanian ruler.

Garasharli discovers this name in old Germanic sagas. "The saga about Nibelungs" tells us about the albs ("heroes") and their king Alberikh - Trojan by origin, who were the leaders of the Trojans..

Askan, the name of a Trojan hero, is completely consonant with an Old Turkic personal name - Askan, used by the Huns. Today it is observed in the anthroponomy of the Turkic Altays. Ch.Garasharli derives its origin from the appellative askan ("violent", "naughty") used in Turkic languages.

Paris, the name of Priam's son, is found to coincide with the Turkic (Khakas) Paris, a variant of the personal names Baris/Barys/Barysh/Bars, used in other Turkic languages. It is derived from the Turkic parys/pars/bars ("ounce", "snow leopard") and used as the symbol of strength in Turkic anthroponomy. It is also observed in such compound personal names as Barsbeg, Barskan, Barısbek (Kazakh), Barisbi (Karachay - Balkar), etc.

The onomastic analogies found by the author are more and more. He finds that Aytilla, Priam's sister, to be the same as the Kirghizian Aytilla, a male name.

Batiya, a female personal name, referred to the daughter of Teucros, the first king of Troy, is the same Batiya used in the Kazakh anthroponomy as female name.

Thus, the author finds the names of both Priam and his generation in Turkic anthroponomy.

Garasharli finds out analogies between Turkic-Trojan gods. For instance, Bayana, Athorodita's epithet in Troy. In Greek mythology Athorodita was known as the goddess of marriage, birth and nursing". The same function belonged to the Turkic Goddess, Bayana, which has obvious Turkic roots. Composed of the Turkic bay ("protectress", "great", "sacred") and ana ("mother"), the theonym denotes "the protectress of the tribe", "the great mother of the tribe".

Finally, the fourth factor is the Old Turkic (Trojan) lexicon borrowed into the Scandinavian languages from the Trojan language, brought here by the Trojans after the collapse of Troy.

The existance of Turkic Trojans in Scandinavia was dealt by prof. Sven Lagerbring (1707-1787) in his book "The Turkic fathers of the Scandinavians". In his book he demonstrates a lot of Turkic words used in the Swedish language with the same meaning as in Turkic.

Answer 2

The attempt to build a bridge between ancient Troy and Turks fails on several occasions:

1. The author doesn't define in the first place what he means by "Turks". Does it mean Göktürk, does it mean Seljuk, does it mean nowadays Turks? While the Trojans were a part of ancient Anatolian civilization, associating them with modern Turkish identity would be an anachronism, as modern nation-states and national identities did not exist in ancient times. It is essential to distinguish between ancient civilizations and modern nations when discussing historical events and identities. In any case outdated the Trojan civilisation any turkish defined civilisation by far. There wasn’t simply even any group with turkish identity around the time of the Trojans. Furthermore, there is no historical evidence to suggest that the Trojans were part of the ancient Göktürk ethnicity. The Göktürks were a nomadic Turkic people who lived in Central Asia during the 6th and 7th centuries AD. They were a significant political and military force in the region and established a powerful Turkic Khaganate. However, there were several waves of Turkic migrations into Anatolia over several centuries, and it is challenging to pinpoint specific dates for each group's arrival.

One significant wave of Turkic migration into Anatolia occurred during the 11th century. The Seljuk Turks, a prominent Turkic dynasty, migrated from Central Asia and gradually expanded their territory into Persia and Anatolia. The Seljuk Sultanate of Rum was established in Anatolia, and they played a crucial role in shaping the region's history.

On the other hand, the Trojan civilization predates the existence of the Göktürk Khaganate by many centuries. The Trojan War, as described in Greek mythology and the works of Homer, is believed to have taken place around the 12th or 13th century BCE, while the Göktürk Khaganate emerged much later in the history of the Turkic people. It is essential to recognize that historical periods and ethnic identities were distinct and separate from one another. The Trojans were part of an ancient civilization in Anatolia, while the Göktürks were a nomadic Turkic group that appeared centuries later in a different region of Central Asia.

2. The Nibelungenlied tells the story of the hero Siegfried. Alberich is the opposite of a hero and not portrayed as a good person. He is depicted as a cunning and greedy dwarf who guards the Nibelung treasure, which includes the Ring of the Nibelung. Alberich's character is driven by a strong desire for wealth and power, and he is willing to use his skills as a blacksmith to create magical objects to achieve his goals. His actions contribute to the conflicts and tragedies that unfold throughout the epic poem.

3. Drawing a parallel between the Trojan Athorodita (which doesn’t exist: maybe the Greek Aphrodite is meant) and the Turkic Goddess Bayana on grounds of representing the same function is highly flawed. Following that logic litterally all the goddesses of „marriage, birth and nursing“ would be linked to Bayana, including: the Assyrian Ishtar, the Norse Freyia, the Egyptian Hathor, the canaanitian Qetesh and many more. There should be further indications support such a claim.

4. The theory proposed in "The Turkic Fathers of the Scandinavians" by Sven Lagerbring, suggesting a Turkic origin for the Scandinavians, faces several counterevidence and criticisms from scholars and experts in the fields of history, linguistics, and Archaeology. Some of the key counterevidence against this theory includes:

• The languages of the Turkic and Scandinavian groups belong to different language families. Turkic languages are part of the Altaic language family, while Scandinavian languages are part of the Germanic language family. Linguistic studies show significant differences between these language families, making a direct connection between the two less likely.

• Archaeological findings and studies of early Scandinavian cultures show distinct material cultures and practices that are not consistent with those of the ancient Turkic peoples. The material remains, artifacts, and burial customs in Scandinavia are more closely aligned with the broader Germanic and Nordic cultural sphere.

• Genetic studies and analyses of ancient DNA have provided insights into the origins and migrations of various populations. While genetic evidence can be complex and subject to interpretation, the available data does not support a direct Turkic ancestry for the Scandinavian populations.

• Historical records and accounts of early Scandinavian societies, such as those found in sagas and other sources, do not mention a Turkic origin for the Scandinavian people. Instead, they portray connections to other neighboring cultures and regions, such as Germanic and Nordic influences.

5. There is more inconsistency to talk about. But that would exceed the scope!