This is an interesting question that many people wonder about. Turkey, the country, has a very iconic national symbol that is not actually a turkey, the bird! So why is the national animal of Turkey not a turkey? Let’s explore some quick answers before diving deeper into this topic:
Quick Answers
The national animal of Turkey is the Gray Wolf. Here are some quick facts:
- The Gray Wolf has been a symbol of Turkey for centuries, long before the country was even named Turkey.
- Wolves are seen as strong, proud, and fierce animals that embody the spirit of the nation.
- The gray wolf is a native animal species found throughout Turkey.
- The turkey, the bird, is not native to Turkey and was imported later from its native North America.
- The name “Turkey” for the country does not come from the bird, but may be attributed to earlier Turkic civilizations.
History and Symbolism of the Gray Wolf
The Gray Wolf has been associated with Turkic mythology and culture in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) for centuries. Even before the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, the wolf held symbolic meaning for Turkic peoples in the region.
Wolves were seen as strong, cunning, and fierce – attributes that Turkic warriors wanted to embody. The wolf was a revered creature in Turkic mythology, viewed as an honorable predator and a symbol of leadership and protection. Turkic rulers and warriors would use wolf imagery and symbolism to inspire bravery and ferocity in battle.
So the wolf was firmly established as a meaningful symbol among Turkic people long before the nation of Turkey was established. Even though the turkey bird became associated with the country’s name, the wolf held its place as the nation’s true symbolic animal due to its deep cultural meaning and history.
The Turkey Bird as a New World Import
The turkey bird (Meleagris gallopavo) is indigenous to North America. It was domesticated by Native American cultures like the Aztecs over 2000 years ago. The Spanish explorers who arrived in the Americas in the 16th century then brought turkeys back to Europe.
From Spain, domesticated turkeys spread throughout Europe as an exotic New World import. They began to be bred in Italy, France, England and later in Turkey as well. But they did not arrive to the area we now call Turkey until hundreds of years after Turks established the wolf as their symbolic animal.
Year | Historical Event |
---|---|
700 BCE-550 CE | Turkic tribes use the wolf symbolically and in mythology |
1492 | Christopher Columbus introduces turkeys to Europe upon his return from the Americas |
1523 | The Ottomans bring domesticated turkeys back to Istanbul from Europe |
1923 | Republic of Turkey is established |
As shown in the timeline, turkeys arrived in the area over a thousand years after the wolf became culturally significant to Turks. The turkey bird was simply not part of the culture when wolf mythology and symbolism became established.
How Turkey Got Its Name
The country name “Turkey” does not actually come directly from the name of the bird. Here’s a look at some of the theories of how the country got its name:
- From the Medieval Latin term Turchia – This referred to the lands inhabited by Turkish (or Turkic) peoples in the Middle Ages.
- From the Greek word Tourkia – Similarly referred to lands of Turkic tribes centuries ago.
- Association with the Turkic Seljuq Empire – Anatolian lands were part of this empire before the Ottomans.
- Named by Europeans – Some scholars think European colonizers applied the name Turkey to the Ottoman Empire due to a lack of understanding of the true origins.
In all likelihood, Turkey got its name from medieval and classical terms referring broadly to Turkic lands and people. While the turkey bird may have later played a role in reinforcing the name, it did not originate it.
Why Not Change to a Turkey National Animal?
With the background covered, we can now address the question – why did Turkey not change its national animal to the turkey bird after the country got its name?
It comes back to the deep-rooted cultural meaning of the wolf versus the very recent history of the turkey bird:
- The wolf’s symbolic importance among Turkic people was over a thousand years old when Turkey was established as a republic.
- The turkey bird was newly introduced just a few hundred years ago from a completely foreign continent.
- Choosing the turkey would have elevated a non-native animal at the expense of an ancient Turkic symbol.
For these reasons, there was no compelling impetus to displace the beloved and culturally storied gray wolf with the newly arrived turkey bird as a national symbol. The turkey simply did not hold the same depth of meaning or resonance with Turkish culture and history when the republic was founded.
So while the turkey bird may seem like a more obvious choice to outsiders given the country’s name, the citizens of Turkey have continued embracing the gray wolf as their true national animal representative.
Conclusion
To summarize, the Gray Wolf remains the national animal of Turkey while the turkey bird is not for several key reasons:
- Wolves have deep cultural roots in Turkic mythology and symbolism dating back over a millennium.
- The turkey bird was imported from the New World just a few hundred years ago.
- The name “Turkey” likely comes from older terms for Turkic lands, not the bird.
- Changing national symbols is difficult, so the wolf remained despite the country’s new name.
So while it may seem curious from the outside, the people of Turkey have ample historical reasons for their proud continuation of the Gray Wolf as their official national animal – rather than switching to the turkey!