The aim of this study is to examine how the discourse of heroism is constructed through discursive components in heroic folk songs from the Sivas region included in the TRT Turkish Folk Music Repertoire. The study was conducted within the framework of a qualitative research approach. Document analysis was employed as the data collection method, whereas text-based discourse analysis was adopted as the data analysis approach. The study group consists of four folk songs—Yiğitler Silkinip Ata Binince, Ben Gidiyom Rüştü Bey’im Ağlama (Mehrali Bey Ağıtı), Karlı Dağlar, and Ağlayalım Atatürk’e—identified through a systematic review of the TRT Turkish Folk Music Repertoire according to predetermined selection criteria. During the analysis, the lyrics were examined through open coding, and the resulting codes were organized under the themes of hero figure, struggle, self-sacrifice, social belonging, and cultural memory. The findings reveal that the discourse of heroism in the examined folk songs is constructed not merely around bravery or military service but through a multilayered discursive structure in which these themes complement one another. Furthermore, although the representation of the hero varies according to different historical and social contexts, all of the examined folk songs share common discursive patterns. The originality of this study lies in its systematic examination of the textual construction of the discourse of heroism through a text-based discourse analysis approach, rather than merely identifying heroic themes. Accordingly, the study contributes to the literature by introducing a methodological and analytical perspective to Turkish folk music studies and provides a framework for future discourse-oriented research.

TRT Turkish Folk Music Repertoire, Sivas region, heroic folk songs, discourse analysis.