Türk halk edebiyatının türleri arasında önemli bir yere sahip olan Âşık edebiyatının öneminin büyük olduğu bilinmektedir. Bu nedenle halk edebiyatı teorileri açısından âşık edebiyatının incelenmesi edebiyat ve Türk halk bilimi açısından ciddi bir önem arz etmektedir. Âşık edebiyatı, toplum yapısını gerek mizahi gerekse ciddi bir üslupla betimleyen ve bazen eleştiren, halkına arzularını, duygu ve düşüncelerini epik ve lirik şekilde dile getiren ve bunu yaparken de halkı düşündüren, yol gösteren Türklere özgü bir yaratıcılık geleneğidir. Ayrıca, âşık edebiyatı âşıkların meydana getirdiği eserlerin oluşturduğu ve halk edebiyatında yer alan bir kol olarak da tanımlanmaktadır. Âşık edebiyatı, halk diliyle ve hece vezniyle meydana getirilmekle birlikte saz eşliğinde söylenen şiirlerden oluşan geleneksel edebiyatımızın adı olarak da bilinmektedir. Başka bir deyişle, anonim ürünlerin haricinde kalan şiirlerin (koşma, destan, semâî, kalenderî vb.) oluşturduğu tür Âşık edebiyatı olarak adlandırılır. Âşık edebiyatının aslı İslamiyet'in kabulünden önceki sözlü edebiyat dönemine dayanmaktadır. Hangi şekilde adlandırılırsa adlandırılsın toplumun istek ve düşüncelerini sazlarıyla sözleriyle dile getiren saz şiiri sanatçıları ve onların ürettikleri insanlık tarihi kadar eskidir. Bu sanatçılar ve yarattıkları, kültürün birer parçası ve aynı zamanda birer taşıyıcısıdır. Türk coğrafyalarında yaratılmış ve varlığını sürdürmüş olan âşık sanatı, Türk coğrafyaları dışında da Ermenistan, Yunanistan gibi birçok coğrafyada da kendisine yaratılma alanı bulmuş ve her coğrafyanın diliyle, kültürüyle, yaşam biçimiyle vs. yaratılıp şekillenmiştir

It is known that among other Turkish folk literature genres, minstrel literature plays a significant role. For this reason, analysis of minstrel literature is important for literature and Turkish folk science. Minstrel literature is defined as a creative tradition that describes the humor of society with both a humorous and serious tone, depicts the wishes, emotions and thoughts epically and lyrically and also encourages people to think and be guided while doing this. Also, minstrel literature is described as a branch of literature created by lovers in minstrel literature and placed in folk literature. Minstrel literature is formed with colloquial language and syllabic meter and also known as the general name of the traditional literature which consists of poems played with a stringed instrument. In other words, minstrel literature is known as a genre of literature excluded from the rest of anonymous literary works. The roots of minstrel literature go back to the oral literature before the acceptance of Islam. No matter what it is called or how it is described, minstrel literature is as old as the minstrels who depicted the wishes and thoughts of society with a stringed instrument. These artists and their works are a part of the culture and also reflector of the culture. Created in the Turkish geography, minstrel literature was also strengthened in Greece and Armenia and recreated with the language and culture of these countries. Every artist created works and picked instruments in accordance with the society he lived in. However, stringed instruments were banned in some societies and only oral tradition was developed. Artists did not only write poems but also healed patients, read the runes, did magic, acted as a man of the cloth and hero. This shows the extent to which the tradition of minstrel and its creators were effective. Minstrel literature, all in all, is one of the most significant inheritances that ranges from mythology to sufism, from rural lifestyles to palaces and from places where laments were practiced to entertainment places and maintains our culture and enlightens our culture PURPASE OF THE STUDY: The primary objective of this study is to help the reader understand what minstrel literature is, what relevant terms and principles are and also create a dictionary in relation to the minstrel literature. Thus, this study aims to teach minstrel literature as well as terms of principles. Before and after beginning the study, extensive research was conducted. Before determining the topic of the study, various studies concerned with folk literature, anonymous folk literature and sufi literature conducted in different countries were examined. Although dictionaries including terms, themes and types of folk literature were examined by various academicians, a dictionary study including terms and themes in anonymous literature, sufi literature and minstrel literature did not exist. Thus, in order to emphasize the importance of minstrel literature, it is required to create a dictionary based on minstrel literature with an educative and entertaining purpose. For this reason, the title of the study was selected as "Explanatory Dictionary of Minstrel Literature." Hence, this kind of study was not studied in Science of Turkish Literature and Turkish Folk Literature. Types and genres of minstrel poem in the Turkish geography and some parts of Turkey, naming these poems differently from past to present, principles of transfer from different geographies, sources, the areas where they were effective (science, history, music, belief, philosophy etc.) and their relation to these areas were examined in this study. Furthermore, common points of minstrel literature with other literary periods, the formal and content features of these genres, places where minstrel literature was developed and the ways how this literature was created in these areas were studied. The first creators of this literature, their features, similarities they shared and how these works were created were also analyzed. In addition to this, how traditions were viewed and named by creators, the skills of creators during the process of naming, the influence of the society in which this art was practiced and the contributions of artists and society to this art were also examined. The effects of tradition on culture and lifestyle are also among other terms that will be studied. Rather than explaining some of the topics and terms mentioned above thoroughly, a superficial explanation of these terms will be included in this study as benefitted from various books, newspapers, articles and sources. As well as terms studied, the places where the creators of this art lived, the effects of these places on oral features of their works, conditions of the period when this art was created, the effects of this art on society, socio-economical, political and artistic advantages and disadvantages for the Turkish minstrel literature are significant. These topics show that minstrel literature has an old history and was created in a rich society and culture. In order to have a more effective and explanatory technique of expression, verses by various minstrel poets were also included in the study. Verses collected from various works help to study the minstrel literature more tangibly and recall the outstanding features of our old master artists. Also, it is aimed to understand the topic more clearly. TECHNIQUES ONEL CONCLUISON: In the study, various newspapers, articles, academic studies and encyclopaedical works were used. After literature review was completed, titles and subtitles of the study were determined, and dictionary was created. These terms, which are more than one thousand, were put in encyclopaedical order. The first letter of terms explained was written in bold capital letter and placed in the center of the page. Also, terms were explained in alphabetical order. Subtitles were placed under main titles and pointed with. Words involving words with similar meaning were shown as (see). As well as using research methods, descriptive, expressive and sampling methods were used in this study. Also, comments referring to the methods used in the study are also available. Furthermore, after necessary information, explanations, comments and examples were provided, contents of the study were completed and references were included at the end of the study. Finally, the study was concluded with the conclusion part where personal thoughts on the techniques used in the study are expressed.