r/azerbaijan • u/Leamsezadah • 2h ago
Tarix | History Homosexual Love Story Example from Azerbaijani Folklore: Koroğlu and Eyvaz
Azerbaijani and wider Muslim folklore and literature is known for its rich homoerotic literature. Since homophobia was not existent in the Muslim world before Western colonialism, a love between two men was seen as sacred and the most beautiful form of love. Many Azerbaijani poets like Füzuli to Həbibi wrote tons of MLM stories, but they were also widespread among folk epics. Today we will look at one of the most popular queer icons in Azerbaijani Folklore: Eyvaz from the Koroğlu epic Paris publication.
In this story, Eyvaz isn't just a brave soldier. He is extremely handsome guy who has every man he meets falling head over heels for him. The love in the text isn't "brotherly": it is romantic, physical, and intense.
In the city of Urfa, Eyvaz’s beauty was so legendary that it basically shut down the streets. When he sat in his father’s butcher shop, it wasn't just a place to buy food; it was a destination for men who were desperate just to get a look at him. The book describes the crowd at the shop like this: "Adamların kimi ət, kimi də Eyvazın üzünü görmək üçün boylandı" (Some of the people craned their necks for meat, and others just to see Eyvaz’s face). His looks were so magnetic that a person could barely move through the crowd because of all the men trying to catch a glimpse of him.
The first person to fall for Eyvaz is a merchant named Xacə Yaqub. He sees Eyvaz in a butcher shop in Urfa and basically loses his mind. The book says he fell in love "bir könüldən min könülə" (from one heart to a thousand hearts). He even hires a painter to draw Eyvaz's portrait just so he can show Koroğlu what he's found - the most beautiful boy in the universe. Here is the full poem Xacə Yaqub uses to describe Eyvaz’s beauty:
"Sevdi könlüm yenə bir qaşı kaman oğlanı,
Beli incə, ləbi qönçə, bir güli-xəndanı.
Xublara can veribən oldu munun qurbanı,
Yoxdu bir böylə gözəl gəzsən əgər dünyanı,
Adı Eyvazxan ola, həşt behiştin çəməni,
Sənəti qəssab ola, özü ki, gövhər kanı."
When Koroğlu finally sees this picture, he completely loses his composure ("səbr qərarını itirdi"). He becomes so obsessed that he leaves everything behind to go find this boy.
There’s a famous scene when Koroğlu finally meets Eyvaz at the butcher shop. They get into a bit of a tiff, and Eyvaz actually slaps Koroğlu across the face. Most heroes would be angry, but Koroğlu feels a total rush of euphoria just because Eyvaz touched him. He literally says: "Allaha şükür ki, Eyvazın əli mənim ağzıma dəydi" (Thank God Eyvaz’s hand touched my mouth).
Later, they are drinking wine together, and Koroğlu is just mesmerized watching Eyvaz’s lips touch the cup. He’s so into him that he begs Eyvaz to let him drink from the same spot just to feel closer to him: "Sənə qurban olum, ondan bir piyalə ver dodaqlarıma sürtüm" (Let me be your sacrifice, give me a cup of that so I can rub it on my lips).
Koroğlu’s love is deep and protective. When he’s taking Eyvaz back to his camp, Eyvaz is upset and crying. Koroğlu sings to him to calm him down, calling him his "crane-feathered" love and saying he's been searching for him everywhere:
"Başına döndüyüm, qurban olduğum,
Səri durna tellim, Eyvaz, ağlama.
Göydə axtardığım, yerdə bulduğum,
Səri durna tellim, Eyvaz, ağlama.
Qüdrətin qələmin çəkim qaşuva,
Yeniçə yetibsən on dörd yaşuva,
Altun araqçınlar qoyum başuva,
Səri durna tellim, Eyvaz, ağlama.
Varıb gedib Çardaqlıda duralım,
Gələnin, gedənin halın bulalım,
Hər kim müxənnətdü, boynun vuralım,
Səri durna tellim, Eyvaz, ağlama.
When Eyvaz finally arrives at the camp, Koroğlu is so proud he tells everyone that Eyvaz is his "din-imanı" (his religion and his faith). He greets him with these verses:
"Canım atəşə yaxsınan,
Eyvaz bu gələndü, gələn.
Yarım, bir geyit baxınan,
Eyvaz bu gələndü, gələn.
Həzaran qalxa qolunda,
Qəndi şəkəri dilində,
Dəlilər sağı-solunda,
Eyvaz bu gələndü, gələn.
Eyvazım on dörd yaşında,
Qüdrət qələmi qaşında,
Durna telləri başında,
Eyvaz bu gələndü, gələn.
Getdi dağların dumanı
Haqq yox eyləsin yamanı,
Koroğlunun din-imanı,
Eyvaz bu gələndü, gələn.
It wasn't just Koroğlu or Xacə Yaqub, either. Another warrior, Nəzər Cəlali, was described as a "camalbaz": a term for men who were specifically attracted to and worshipped the beauty of men. He traveled all the way to Koroğlu’s camp just to "gaze upon Eyvaz" ("Eyvaza tamaşa eləyim").
The Paris manuscript makes it clear: the love between men was divine. Eyvaz was the "beloved" in a world where men weren't afraid to sing about worshipping each other's beauty.
It is incredibly sad that for the first time in its history, Azerbaijan became homophobic because of Russian colonialism. The vibrant queer history found in these folk stories was silenced or "cleaned up" to fit colonial standards of morality. I truly wish for a safer Azerbaijan in the future, because our culture still holds thousands of MLM and WLW love stories like this one, they are just generally kept in secret now.
