“Beyt” in Kurdish Folk Literature

“Beyt” has a special place among different topics of Kurdish folk literature and researchers have always concentrated on this field. It is a narrative poem with epic and lyrical content in which narration has a more prominent role than in similar texts in Kurdish folk literature. Also, it has some differences with similar poetic forms in other languages; for instance, epic minstrelsy in Persian, Asik songs among the Turks, English ballad, DanishWeiss, Spanish romance and the Russian Bill Nay. Beyt is a document on Kurdish identity which connects them to the past. Behind its motifs and elements there is a meaning which is more spiritual than material and, if interpreted via correct methods, it will display an undeniable value. Beyts have various and vast dimensions. For instance, rich recourses of ancient vocabulary, music and tune, verse and poetry, narration, story, culture, tradition and historiy, geography, social commentary, and so on. The study of each one of these dimensions requires long time and high expenses, and each of them can be written in a book or independent books. However, regarding their variety and richness, little studies have been done on them.