Investigating and analyzing Shāmārān’s legend of Mokriyān in Mahābād

Our accessibility to myths has been limited for us throughout the history for some reasons. Today, most people has the concept of snake as pest and insidious simply for fear of bite and death. For this reason, human beings have come to reflect the continuation of an old tradition belonging to myths whose phenomena are the experiences and truths of people's lives, hidden in a myriad of stories and fantasies over time. This is certainly a combination of self and animals which has the domesticated role and is considered the symbol of power against animals. In relation to Shāmārān’s myth, the relationship between man and the snake has taken over time a new form to the extent that the snake becomes a part of human existence and forms a hybrid being. Shāmarān (half human - half snake), the myth of Kurdish culture, is one of the motives associated with this culture throughout history. In the motives of Kurdish people of Mokriyān, Shāmārān is the goddess of snakes which is the symbol of treasure and wealth attributed to it- an old metaphor of the knowledge it possesses. The myth, the repetition of animal motifs and their frequency of use, reflect the beliefs of the peoples in this culture. The snake is the most sacred symbol of the Kurds and the shāmār represents the material and immaterial knowledge and the conservation of the secrets for the Kurds. The method used in this study is descriptive-analytical and historical in nature, and it has been attempted to describe and compare the role of this animal in different parts of Mokariyān in Mahābād. The results showed that Shāmārān is the symbol of power, wisdom, blessing, friendship and protection, and its image woven on the crafts of local residents such as the curtain, the handkerchief and the cradle indicates a strong presence.