Keçəl
Azerbaijani · mortal · Azerbaijani traditional religion; continuing · mortal
Keçəl, the bald-headed one, is a beloved figure of Azerbaijani folk narrative in two linked guises. In the wonder-tales he is the underestimated bald youth who, mocked for his appearance, triumphs over divs, kings and the rich through sheer cleverness, a cousin of the Anatolian Keloğlan. In seasonal ritual he is the companion and comic foil of Kosa, the two forming the paired leads of the Kosa-kosa play performed before Novruz, where their banter and horseplay frame the drama of winter's death and spring's return.
Domains
- trickery and wit
Powers
- overcomes giants and lords by cunning
Relations
- companion: Kosa
Sources
- Celal Beydili, Türk Mitolojisi Ansiklopedik Sözlük, Ankara, 2005, s.v. 'Keçel'
- Azərbaycan nağılları, ed. Ə. Axundov, Baku, 1960s