Soil has had a sacred value throughout human history. It was accepted as the source of life in many cultures and it was believed that it should be protected and respected by people. Among the Turks, the sanctity of the land was preserved with Islam, and its meaning was expanded with the understanding of Sufism. The earth element, along with many religious and mystical meanings, has been used in the minstrelsy poetry tradition for centuries. Âşık Veysel (1894-1973) is among the minstrels who deal with the earth element in their religious and mystical aspects in their poems and represent the tradition. According to Âşık Veysel, who reflects his religious and mystical thoughts to people through motifs by singing poetry, soil is the place where man's roots are located and where he will return after death. It is a sign of submission and loyalty to Allah. It leads to man's search and enables him to return to himself and his creator. He is a mentor who guides the journey towards reunion. As a result of God's mercy and blessings, it establishes the balance of nature, produces crops, provides food and drink. He embraces hard-working people with open arms, treats them generously towards their efforts, and ensures that the earnings earned through hard work are halal. Âşık Veysel calls this mentor, who always stood by him and guided him from birth to death, as his "faithful companion" and "friend". In this study, all of Âşık Veysel's poems that mention the element of soil have been examined. The identified lines or quatrains have been analyzed under the themes of creation, death, ego, divine love, spiritual journey and submission, guide, life, mercy, blessing, hard work, labor, and halal sustenance in order to emphasize the religious and Sufi aspects of soil in their context. Thus, a more in-depth examination of Âşık Veysel's poems regarding the religious and Sufi meanings of the element of soil is presented, setting it apart from other studies. It has been determined that the poems guide people in understanding their relationships with themselves, society, nature, and God.

Minstrel poetry, soil, religion and sufism.