The study of the myth of vegetation god / martyr god in tale of king’s son

Vegetation gods and mythologies connected with them are regarded as part of the mythologies of the following nations Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, and Iran.  Dumuzi or Tammuz, Attis, Adonis, Dionysus, Osiris, Baal, Persephone, and Baldar are among the most significant vegetation gods in mythologies of nations.  In Persian mythology also Siavash is regarded as a vegetation god whose adventures cover a significant part of Shahnameh.  The writer of this article in his field investigation comes across a folk narrative whose main theme is the tale of vegetation god who appears as a King’s son.  This folk narrative is told by Ali Hossein Aalinezhad one of the eldest narrators in the Fars region of Kouhmareh Sorkhi, although his name is not seen in any written sources.  The studies conducted show that this narrative is a mingle of religious, epic, and mythological narratives.  Parts of this narrative in particular the opening of the tale is the repetition of the epic narrative of Siavash and Sudabeh in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh.  Some sections are reminiscent of the tale or Prophet Yousuf and Zulaikha and certain other parts bring to mind other vegetation gods in the world mythologies.  It seems that this narrative had been popular among people in the region and in time upon change and transitions in religion and belief of the people had undergone transformations.  The comparative study of this narrative with other vegetation god narratives shows at least 14 common grounds exist between them.  The study of mourning rites regarding vegetation god in the region show that the commemoration ceremonies of this god was carried out by offering sacrifice every year before the rice plantation..