The latest episode of “The Voice of the Folklorist” project has been released. The guest of the episode was Elchin Galiboglu, the leading researcher at the Department of Mythology of the Institute of Folklore of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), PhD in Philology and Associate Professor.

In his presentation called “Nature as the Source of Mythological Thought” Elchin Galiboglu discussed the formation of Turkic mythological thought and its contemporary scholarly significance. He mentioned that the unity between human beings and nature constitutes the foundation of the Turkic mythological worldview. According to the scholar’s thoughts, the ancient people did not merely observe nature, but regarded themselves as an inseparable part of it and this perception laid the groundwork for the emergence of mythological thinking.

Elchin Galiboglu also noted that although scientific and technological progress continues to advance rapidly in the modern era, the study of mythology and folklore remained highly relevant for preserving national and cultural memory. In his view, folklore researches provided deeper insight into the people’s spiritual world, creative imagination and historical consciousness.

It should be noted that the video was produced by the Folklore Studio of the ANAS Institute of Folklore.