The Translations of Aesop’s Stories in Letâ’ifü’l-Hikâyât: Correspondences in Aesop Indices and Alternative Reading Recommendations

Abstract

Most of these stories are fables that use the art of personification to give animals a voice, leading to their common designation as Aesop’s fables. Initially written in Greek and Latin, these fables were translated into various languages from the fifteenth century onwards. Researchers have indexed these translations, allowing them to be grouped under the Aesopic tradition. Within this framework, Aesop’s stories are analyzed in two categories: “Aesop’s Life” and “Aesop’s Stories.” Almost all Turkish translations focus on Aesop’s stories, with only one including brief information about Aesop’s life in its introduction. The author of Letâ’ifü’l-Hikâyât, found in the Turkish Language Institution Manuscripts (number A306), is unknown. This work begins with anecdotes about Aesop’s life and continues with stories, primarily fables, narrated in his voice. Although this work has been introduced in previous studies, the indices have not been addressed, and misreadings of words in the text have led to inaccurate evaluations. This article seeks to provide a comprehensive account of Letâ’ifü’l-Hikâyât by describing its manuscript copy, language, and orthographic features, by identifying the counterparts of Aesop’s stories in international indices, and by correcting the misinterpretations found in earlier scholarship.