Transformation and Metamorphosis of Petrification in Kurdish Folktales

The transfiguration of a person into a corpse is one of the mythological and symbolic elements in Kurdish folktales. In transfiguration, the shape and nature of creatures are changed from one state to another by using supernatural power of person or creature. The current study was carried out in a descriptive-analytical method based on the library sources and field research. In this research, using mythic criticism, the roots of petrification were investigated. Then, the way people faced it, as well as the causes and tools necessary to get rid of this change, were discussed. The results showed that the reflection of mythical beliefs, passing through history and reaching the present age, in Kurdish folktales, shows the immortality and dynamism of these beliefs, by deciphering and analyzing of which, the common root of this mythological view can be discovered and interpreted.