The Heroics are tales based on tradition or real stories involving the times under Ottoman rule, and Karagiozis is presented as a helper and assistant of an important hero. Students of folklore divide Karagiozis' tales in two major categories: the 'Heroics' and the 'Comedies'. The scene is occupied by his cottage in the left, and the Sultan's Palace (Sarayi) on the far right.īecause of his poverty, Karagiozis uses mischievous and crude ways to find money and feed his family. He lives in a poor cottage (Greek: παράγκα) with his wife Aglaia and his three sons, during the times of the Ottoman Empire. Karagiozis is a poor hunchbacked Greek, his right hand is always depicted long, his clothes are ragged and patched, and his feet are always bare. Yet others believe that it originated from real events involving two masonry workers named Karagöz and Haci Ivat working in the construction of a mosque in the city of Bursa, Turkey in early 14th century. Some stories say that Greek merchants brought the art from China and others say that it was a Greek who created the "legend" during Ottoman rule for the entertainment of the sultan. But there are several legends as well as studies surrounding Karagiozis's arrival and subsequent popularity in Greece. The genre became a fully integrated, though adapted, amongst the Greek population. Karagiozis was hellenized in Patras, Greece in the end of 19th century by Dimitrios Sardounis alias Mimaros, who is considered the founder of modern Greek shadow theater. Karagiozis seems to have come to mainland Greece, probably from Asia Minor (Anatolia) at the 19th century, during Ottoman rule. It is still performed in Turkey, especially during Ramadan celebrations, under the same name. Originally, his popular appeal was his scatological language and protruding phallus.
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