By Tabi Slick
We all know the distance technology has brought us. From Google Home Minis to SmartThings, humans have taken the home one step closer to becoming the Smart House of Disney Channel’s 1999 original movie. Sometimes it truly feels like I’m living in that movie. In my house my husband has literally put Google Home Minis in every room except the closets. If you could only hear him broadcasting his laugh to all the minis! It echoes throughout the house.
Now if only he could get Google to mop my floors.
But this idea of the home coming to life is not a new one. In fact, it’s a very old concept that can be traced back even as far as the 10th century. According to Turkic folklore there are many spirits of the home. When first coming home you’d likely be greeted by a mythical bearded spirit knitting on your doorstep known as Abzar İyesi (a.k.a. “Çulan” or “Öğen”), the guardian of the courtyard or anything right in front of your house.
Don’t be shocked to come home and find your courtyard’s guardian dressed like an animal.
He loves pets and has the ability to change his appearance to that of any animal. I wonder if this would allow the guardian to communicate with your pets? Or perhaps if a strange animal came lurking then it could transform into that animal’s natural predator and scare it off?
The next mythical home automation in Turkic folklore is the Ev İyesi, the guardian of the house. He is also bearded. Perhaps I should stop specifying this as it seems most of the guardian spirits are bearded. Anyway, the house guardian is a good protector and housekeeper. According to legend, this fella will clean dishes, sweep floors, and do yard work. Now if only my Google Home Minis could do that 😉
There are many legends within Turkic mythology that we can learn from. One of which is the importance of keeping your home neat and tidy.
When the house is clean, the household is at peace.
I can personally attest to this. When everything is as it should be in the house, my spouse and I get along much better. Maybe it’s scheduling the Roomba to vacuum the house every day at noon, or Home Assistant alerting you to close the back door because you’ve left it open too long, but no matter how your care for your home, there will always be this reminder of the home’s importance throughout history. Guard it, clean it, respect it, then perhaps automate it.
TABI SLICK is an award-winning author of paranormal and historical fantasy. Her works include: “Tompkin’s School: For The Extraordinarily Talented“, “Tompkin’s School: For the Dearly Departed“, the novella “Unforgivables“, and “Timur’s Escape“. When she’s not writing, she’s often found either researching or with her nose stuck in a book.
