Role of Fertility Myth in Formation of Filicide Tragedy

One of the considerable themes in mythology and epic is filicide. In the present article and according to a mythical reading, filicide is considered as the main factor of tragedy in several stories. Shāhnāmeh and some other mythical epics have carried out this Eastern ritual in their stories. In the stories of 'Rostam and Sohrab', 'Rostam and Esfandiar' and 'Siavash' we see the theme of filicide. Many critics have classified these stories as tragedies. But in this article another factor has been raised which can be the main reason for the formation of a tragedy in these stories. According to the myths of fertility and creation, the original mission of fathers or parents is reproduction. Through killing his own son, the father brings about the extinction of his own offspring and becomes unable to fulfill his original mission. As a result, a tragedy is created. The title of tragedy is less used about the stories with the topic of patricide, because the father has already fulfilled his mythical mission and his death is not much touched upon from a mythical point of view. By using the textual-analytical method, the present article tries to study the common structures that lead to the emergence of the tragedy of filicide, and the connection of filicide with the myth of fertility. Also, the article examines the myth of fertility as the most important factor in the formation of tragedy in these stories.