Basat
Azerbaijani · mortal · Azerbaijani traditional religion; continuing · Recorded classification
Basat is a hero of the Oghuz epic Kitabi-Dədə Qorqud, son of the chieftain Aruz Qoca. Lost as an infant during a Qıpçaq raid, he is found and suckled by a lioness and grows up wild and mighty before being reclaimed by his people. His great deed is the killing of Təpəgöz: unable to overcome the giant by force, he seizes on the one vulnerable spot, driving a red-hot spit into the single eye to blind him and then striking off his head with the monster's own blade, so delivering the Oghuz from the tribute of flesh Təpəgöz had exacted. In the epic tradition he stands among the heroes named and praised by the sage Dədə Qorqud.
Domains
- heroic deliverance
Powers
- outwits and kills the invulnerable giant
Epithets
- Aruz oğlu Basat — Basat son of AruzThe Book of Dede Korkut, trans. Geoffrey Lewis, 1974 (primary)
Relations
- enemy: TəpəgözBasat avenges the Oghuz by slaying the giant who devoured his kin.The Book of Dede Korkut, 'How Basat Killed Tepegoz', trans. Geoffrey Lewis, 1974 (primary)
- companion: Dədə QorqudBasat is one of the Oghuz heroes counselled and celebrated by the elder Dədə Qorqud.The Book of Dede Korkut, trans. Geoffrey Lewis, 1974 (primary)
Sources
- Basat, son of Aruz Qoca and suckled by a lioness, is the Oghuz hero of the Book of Dede Korkut who blinds and slays the one-eyed giant Təpəgöz.: The Book of Dede Korkut, 'How Basat Killed Tepegoz', trans. Geoffrey Lewis, Penguin Classics, 1974 (primary)