Humor and Justice in Folklore as a Universal Phenomenon: Kazakh Aldar Kose and German Till Eulenspiegel

Summary

Justice is a central theme in many folk traditions and often appears in humorous forms, such as fables, fairy tales, and songs. This theme is prevalent in the humorous stories of Aldar Kose, a prankster and trickster similar to the German Till Eulenspiegel or the Turkish Nasreddin Hodja. The stories about the ‘Beardless Deceiver’, which is the meaning of Aldar Kose’s name, reflect the nomadic life of the Kazakhs from the Middle Ages to the end of the 19th century through humor and justice. Based on the concept of humor as an exteriorization of justice, this article classifies tales about Aldar Kose as expressions of universal morality and social injustice, as well as the idea that “everything must have its measure, including good.” Through humor, stories about Aldar Kose reveal the incredible power of adapting to unjust conditions by cutting through these three ideas. These stories can be compared to those about Till Eulenspiegel, a famous trickster deeply rooted in German culture and history. Aldar Kose is a trickster who acts for justice, whereas Till Eulenspiegel is a trickster who pranks for his own sake. Overall, the article demonstrates that humor and justice are universal phenomena related to the concept of justice, encompassing spiritual experiences, contemplation, cognition, purification, belonging, and ethnic memory.