Common Belief of “Wind of Zar” in the Story Collection Fear and Trembling by Gholam-Hossein Saedi

Beliefs are the basic themes of magical realism. Therefore, correct apprehension of these kinds of stories can clarify and analyze the belief/s from which the stories are originated. Fear and Trembling</em>, written by Gholam-Hossein Saedi, is one of the story collections, which is very difficult to understand, authored in magical realism style. One of the reasons for this difficulty is Saedichr('39')s indirect use of this public belief. In this article, the authors want to delve into public beliefs of Zar in this collection in order to have a better understanding of the story. To do so, first, Zar beliefs have been investigated all over the world via library research method, and then the findings are compared against a case study in Hormozgan province through field research. The insiders in that area were interviewed. After that, in a descriptive analytical manner, the elements of beliefs in Zar in the collection story of Fear and Trembling</em> were examined. The research findings show that several elements related to Zar beliefs in this collection have the following pivotal roles: 1) different kinds of Zar wind, the features of its five kinds are evident in the story, 2) the dochr('39')s and donchr('39')ts that those suffering from Zar must observe, 3) Mamazar (the mother of Zar), and Babazar (the father of Zar) are local therapists who treat  patients by music and get help from the supernatural forces and local medicines, 4) Hijab ceremony during which patients are treated, 5) music, that is one of the elements of treatment, and 6) the beliefs in mythical creatures (the cradle baby).