The origin of the battle of Sam with Ouj Ibn Onogh in Samnameh based on the principle of correspondence in epics

One of the main issues in studying literary movements in Persian national epics is the presence of religious elements within the heroic verse so called correspondence by the scholars. The story of the battle between Sam and ouj Ibn onogh which is considered as a major part of Samnameh lends itself readily to analysis according to the principle of correspondence. Sam is one of the national champions of Iran and his name is included both in Avesta and Pahlavi texts and in Shahnameh he is one of the notable champions during Manuchehr’s reign. Ouj Ibn onogh is a gigantic monster killed by Moses according to the religious texts. Although the story of ouj has Semitic and Hamitic roots, it should be considered that via religious texts it has found its way to epic stories. In this research the story of this battle is analyzed and its origin is investigated. Meanwhile several controversies around the story are included in the final section.