The study examined bird motifs in Van folktales and identified the functions of birds in these tales. Bird motifs are common in fairy tales. The plot of fairy tales can change based on news brought by birds; in some tales, birds help the fairy-tale hero and show them the way. Birds feature in literature as motifs of change. In some folk cultures, it may also be considered a sign of good or bad luck. This situation is used with similar figures and motifs in many tales in Anatolian culture.

When examining the subject specifically in terms of the tales collected from Van, it is seen that some of these animals are referred to only by their bird names. In addition, many bird species such as nightingales, pigeons, hoopoes, kingfishers, crows, pigeons and partridges also feature as motifs in fairy tales. The bird motifs used in this study were examined based on the six-volume work entitled Stith Thompson's Motif Index of Folk-Literature.

In Van folktales, partridges and quails are hunted animals; ravens assist the hero during his journey; geese are cooked animals; the Phoenix lives long and helps the hero; vultures are scavengers; pigeons with their shape-shifting motif, the kingfisher and stork as fairy tale heroes, the nightingale with its beautiful voice, the crow as a messenger, the eagle as an element of deception, and the owl for its seriousness and as an element of metaphor. The functions of these birds correspond to the functions of birds in the world of literature and culture. The fairy tales included in this study were selected from the book Van Fairy Tales, published by Yılmaz Önay and İrfan Polat. The study evaluates the use of birds in Van folktales within the context of folk culture and literary tradition.

Culture, narrative, Van, fairy tale, bird.