This paper discusses the concept of shamanism as an archetype and as coming from the phenomena of poetship and minstrelsy. There is an examination of shamanism as it has been reflected in Turkish cultural history, and the Turkic communities’ belief in shaman or shamans. This study analyzes the issues regarding shamans as religious and worldly guides, addresses the effect of their rituals and ceremonies, and investigates their progressive characteristics and roles in the re-emergence of old-world knowledge. The study emphasizes that the paradigms of poet and minstrel were nourished from a single source and it was concluded that the typological similarities within these paradigms were inspired by an archetypal layer. The study argues that it was a historical necessity to recognize that the phenomenon of shamanism directly affected poetship tradition and hence created the art of minstrelsy, and defines the specific factors which lead to the phase of minstrelsy. Additionally, arguments are made that the concept of travel played a role in both the shamanic world view and the creativity of the minstrel. It is noted that the phenomenon of minstrelsy included some traditional features, and that most of the sources related to the phenomenon in question are based on both a primitive and reconciling idea. While it was observed that the cultural layers shifted during the transition from the tradition of poetship to the tradition of minstrelsy, the study proved that the phenomenon of minstrelsy in Turkic nations appeared under various names and that this transition was connected with Islam. In this context, social welfare stage was also effective in the emergence of the phenomenon of minstrelsy