Folklor/Edebiyat

Abstract

In this article, the relation between fear of the uncertainty and misogyny, the roots of which are rooted over thousands of years and continue to exist today as in every age, are discussed. The history of culture and civilization is the history of humankind controlling uncertainties by setting down boundaries and rules for themselves. Since the oldest states, where potency became abstract and institutional, potency and man have become identical. It is seen in myths and rituals, which are circulated as the instruments of legitimization of power, man is related with potency and social order whereas woman is encoded as a threat to the order, thus a potential danger. The representation of woman as disorderly and eerie in mythical and religious speeches reveals that misogyny has deeper roots, rather than being just a sexist and a moralistic reaction. Misogyny that we face today is the socio-psychological remnant of the primordial fear of uncertainty and the patriarchal domination that has lasted for thousands of years with its historical, imaginary and logical ties. These relationships can be shown via metaphoric, allegoric or symbolic items in the myths, fairy tales, practices of name giving. Water is often associated with women as the main metaphor of uncertainty due to its fluidity. Snakes, saying and some other symbols, which are occasionally encountered as metaphors for the woman, are the words that symbolize the danger, the fear of uncertainty.