A comparative analytical study of Rostam’s two journeys with Shamanistic Rites

Rostam’s family is very much associated with magic-healing and shamanism in Iranian epics. It is possible that this family belonged to one of the most influential Aryan brotherhood associations in Iran. In these associations, each person performed initiation rituals before entering and in addition to fighting, he acquired the ability to communicate with the underworld to communicate with the spirits and cure diseases. Two stories about Rostam in the national epics of Iran are related to the two concepts of initiation and traveling to the underworld. The first is the story of ''Babr-e Bayan'', which is Rostam's initiation in the shamanic and militancy associations, and the second is the story of ''Haft Khan Rostam'', which is an aspect of a journey to the underworld. In this article, we have examined the signs of shamanic rituals in these two stories. Eventually, it becomes clear that ''Haft Khan Rostam'', unlike ''Haft Khan Esfandiar'', is not his initiation; rather, it is a narration of the shaman traveling to the spirits world to recapture the sick soul.