Analyzing the Roots and Ideas in Three Historical Narratives of "Salman and Dasht Arjaneh

The character of Hazrat Ali is sometimes linked with history, sometimes with myth, with religious narratives and often times with imagination in the culture and folk literature of Iran. One of the folk tales that is a manifestation of the above examples is the story of Salman and Dasht Arjaneh, which was edited by many famous poets such as Seyyed Ali (8th century), Afjangi (9th and 10th centuries), and Atashi Shirazi (10th century). The main aim of this article is the analysis of the story of Salman and Dasht Arjaneh in these three narratives. The significance of the study indicates that we have examined these narratives in three parts: 1. Introducing the literary type of the narratives of Salman and Dasht Arjaneh; 2. Structural analysis and content of narratives; 3. Reluctance to the narrative, and historical and mythological support of these traditions. The result of this research, which was carried out with a descriptive and analytical method, showed that the story of Salman and Dasht Arjneh in all three narratives is written in the form of the literary genre of Velayat Nameh, which is a suitable platform for writing folk tales due to its narrative structure. The whole of this story has no narrative support; but a part of it that is dedicated to the expression of the virtues and miracles of Hazrat Ali is confirmed in the religious-narrative books. Also, parts of the story are connected with myths and folk beliefs. This research showed that the parts that have been added to this story over time have added to its folk and mythological aspect.