The Structure of "the Hero's Trial"; An Analysis Based on the Myth-Ritual Theory

The myth-ritual theory is based on the anthropological perspective and believes that the life of myth is related to the presence of religion. According to the theory, every myth is an interpretation of a religious ritual and an oral narration of a ritual. In the passage of time, rituals are transferred to epic texts and thus represent the function of repeating archetypal values. The findings of the present research show that "the hero's trial", which has been the subject of many epics in the world, is one of the clear examples of representation as well as repetition of myths; it opens a way for man to return to the eternal time and place; and it causes the hero to become strong by knowing "the rituals of learning of secrets". The current research was done with analytical-comparative method and based on the myth-ritual theory. The presence of the ritual of "the hero's trial" in Persian epics (composed in the Islamic period) refers to a religious ritual and tells how the ritual was established in ancient times by gods and heroes. Examining some of the epics makes it possible to clarify how these trials were conducted and, in addition, it also provides the ability to classify them.