Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Folklor/Edebiyat, cilt.30, sa.120, ss.867-890, 2024 (ESCI, Scopus, TRDizin)
The phenomena arising from humanity’s need to communicate with superior powers constitute a significant focus of cultural, religious, and folkloric studies. Sacrifice, one of the oldest forms of communication with the sacred, shaped by the belief systems and cultural norms of societies, is also a key subject. Throughout human history, various types of sacrifices -human, animal, bloody, and bloodless- have played a central role in shaping the cultural evolution of sacrifice. The functions of sacrifice, as basic determinants of its role in human history and culture, are a noteworthy subject for many disciplines, including cultural studies. This study, addressing the need for comprehensive theoretical research on the manifestations and functions of sacrifice in cultural history, evaluates its primary functions by focusing on the origins and types of sacrifice. I first assess the main features of sacrifice as a means of communication with the sacred, then explore its theoretical framework as developed in various studies and theories. I focus on the primary functions of sacrifice from an anthropological and psychosociocultural perspective. The functions are categorized under detailed subheadings and analyzed with examples. This study aims to create a comprehensive theoretical and functional framework for understanding the cultural role of sacrifice by examining its primary functions and historical manifestations.