Venerated in Alevism, Dersim, Tunceli | ||
Bava Duzgı (Kırmanckî) or Dızgun Bava (Kurmancî) is a popular mythological character in Dersim Province. He symbolizes also a mountain in Nazımiye, nearby the village Qıl. The people believe that he has been disappeared on the top of this mountain which is known Kemerê Duzgınî (the rock of Duzgı), Bımbarek (holy) or Kemerê Bımbarekî (holy rock) in Kırmanckî (Zazakî). According to local narrations he is the son of sayyid Kures/Kureş who is a mythological ancestor of Kureşan community and according to the myth his real name is not Duzgı/Dızgun, it is Haydar or Shah Haydar. But some researches suggest the opposite of this view.
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The Basic Narration about Duzgı/Dızgun
Duzgı/Dızgun is known as a wali in Dersim and he has capable to show keramat ('miracle'). One winter the weather is very bad, bringing on a drought and the people are struggling to feed themselves let alone their animals. However, Duzgı's goats seem healthy. His father is curious about how can Duzgı/Duzgın do that. One day he follows him and he see that whenever Duzgı/Dızgun shakes his staff over the dry earth plants begin to grow there and the goats then feed on them. His father is about to leave unnoticed when one of the goats sneezes a few times and Duzgı/Dızgun says; "What's the matter? Did you see Kuresu Khur and that's what made you sneeze?" At the same time, he turns round and catches sight of his father and than he runs to the top of the mountain. He disappear there. Because he is so ashamed to call the name of his father.
The Name of Duzgı/Dızgun
The Alevi Kurds of Dersim call him as Duzgı in Kırmanckî (Zazakî) and Dızgun in Kurmancî (Kırdaşkî). Although the name Duzgı/Dızgun is like a Turkish word, it doesn't come from originally Turkish düzgün which means smooth and correct. The Turkification process of Alevi myths and beliefs in Dersim has begun especially with some leaders of Bektashi order who have tried to get contact with local leaders of Alevi Kurds in the 19th century. Thus it is possible that in this time they added some new motifs to local myths to explain them with Turkish terms. Ağuçan, the name of another sayyid community may be an brilliant example. Because the most of people in the region still believe that it means 'someone who drink poison' (Turkish ağu içen) in Turkish, although it is a popular etymological view. The name Duzgı and Dızgun are transformation of the name of another mythological figure in the region. He is Tujik/Tuzik which means sharp in Kurdish and it symbolizes also a mountain. Like Duzgı, he is a personification of a mountain, originally of an ancient god (Vahagn). According some songs of aşıks (ashik) he is the strongst veli (saint) in Dersim. He is the head of 366 saints. Some scholars think that the name of Tujik comes from Armenian duzakh which means the hell among Zoroastrian Armenians. It may be a harmonized form to pronounces of new local languages. Tujik was originally a volcanic mountain. Therefore, the people gave this name. The Turks who live nearby the mountain, have same motivation to give name Cehennem dağı (the mountain Hell) to the mountain Tendürek. Because it is also a volcanic mountain and therefore sometimes the people heard roar from the mountain. Moreover, the etymological origin of the name of Tendürek indirectly refers to 'hell' as a metaphor. It is associated with the word of tandoor which means a kind of oven.
The Origins of the Cult of Duzgı/Dızgun
Some scholars thought that there is a continutional association between Armenian Mithra (Mehr or Mihr) and Bava Duzgı/Dızgun Bava. Because the mountains of Dersim was a shelter for Zoroastrian Armenian who have resistanted against the process of Christianisation in ancient times and there were cult places of the Zoroastrian divinities in the borderland of ancient 'Dersim' . For example, Bagayaric (now Pekeriç, in Erzincan) was the cult place of Armenian Mithra. Kemah (Turkey) was for Ahuramazda (Armenian Ohrmazd). Therefore, it can be traced from some placenames in Dersim. The most clear example is about the name of Mercan mountains which etymologically is connected with Mehr.
Not only placenames, also mythological elements point to this continuity. First of all, Mithra was a god of the contracts and friendship. He protector of truth. Duzgı can resolve individual conflicts among Alevi Kurds of Dersim and he is also a protector of truth. If anyone has a problem (dava) with someone else and if he/she couldn't solve this problem with him/her, than he/she is going to the top of the mountain of Duzgı and he/she wish his help.
According to Alevi Kurds of Dersim, if a pious person doesn't have any son and if he/she go to the mountain of Bava Duzgı, Duzgı will give a chance to the person to get a son. Mithra is known as 'sons-giver' (putro-da) in Avesta. The people pray to Duzgı in the time of first lights of the rising sun, like Mithra's followers. Mithra has been turned a sun god in late times, although he was god of the sunlight.
Mithra and Duzgı are shepherds. Mithra is symbolized by an eagle. Duzgı has also such a symbol. It is Heliyo Chal. Both of them are cavalry and they are dressed in red. Moreover, Mithra has a sister (Anahita), Duzgı too (Xaskar). Anahita is a goddess of the water and she symbolizes the purity. Xaskar has a holy water source on the mountain of Duzgı. It is called by her name; Xaskarê. If someone drink the water who has good heart, than the water source can't be dried. This belief refers to Anahita who means spotless in Avesta (An-ahit). The name of Xaskar probably comes from Armenian oskrhat which means 'made of the gold' in Armenian. Because Anahid is mostly described with the golden dressing. Consequently, Xaskar and Duzgı/Dızgun is a personifications of Armenian Anahita and Mithra in this mountainous region, Dersim.
A View about the Myth of Duzgı/Dızgun
Not only Turkish writers, also some writers from Dersim who have been influenced by Turks, suggested that Düzgün is a Turkish name and Düzgün Baba is a successor of Haji Bektash Veli. But it couldn't be explain why is Düzgün so popular name only in this Kurdish region (Dersim), although it is accepted as a Turkish name. This view has no any serious evidence and it is completely fictitious and speculative. Because there is no any historical person and Haji Bektash doesn't have any successor who is called Düzgün.