Mythical Motives and the Significance of Popular Culture in the Qajar Period: A Case Study Shahanshahnameh of Saba Kashani

The Shahanshahnameh is the most famous historical epic of the Qajar period, which was written by Fath Ali Khan Saba Kashani in an imitation of Shahnameh. The final part of this poem is about the Iran-Russia war and the heroic efforts of Abbas Mirza. The report of war and the heroic description are the main themes of this epic, and the myths are crystallized in various ways. Myth, on the other hand, is inextricably linked to popular belief. The present study examines the following mythological and popular themes in the Shahanshahnameh: prediction through sleep, magic, Haft Khan, Royantani, divinity, Ferdowsi, Deceptive Cover, Izad Soroush. The main purpose of the study is to explain the function of myth and popular beliefs in Shahanshahnameh as the historical systems. Hence, it was revealed that the themes used in Shahanshahnameh were influenced by Shahnameh or created to mythologize history. Considering the reflection of these themes in Shahnameh, Saba's method of using them and, in fact, the quality of these themes in Shahanshahnameh were also examined to clarify whether Saba had resorted to repetition and mere imitation or had actually intervened in them. The findings showed that Saba has used these foundations to mythologize history because of its predominant pragmatic approach. He derives from Shahnameh, which is sometimes rooted in popular culture; but he also has developed some elements and reduced some others. This research has been done in a descriptive-analytical method and was based on library studies.