A Comparison of Common Themes of Balouch Epics and Ferdowsi's Shahnameh*

A comparative study of literary works reveals some secrets which are paid less attention in studying the works separately. Comparative approach makes it possible to compare common and contradictory aspects and more important, various thoughts of two works. Several studies have been conducted about Shahnameh and Balouch epics though their common themes have not been considered yet. In this paper, some of the common themes of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh and five collections of Balouch verses are studied in a comparative approach in two sections: A. A concise introduction of Balouch collection of verses. B. A comparative study of their common themes, if any.Noticeably, these two works are incredibly similar. On the other hand, an attempt has been done to mention the differences between the themes.In this paper, five collections of verses have been studied in comparison with Shahnameh as follow:1.Chakrogoharam Collection of Verses (Randvalashar), by Sholan (Shirkhan)- 759 stanzas2.Neli's Battle Collection of Verses (Chakrogoharam), by Sholan (Shirkhan)- 259 stanzas3.Delhi Battle Collection of Verses-141 stanzas4.Hammel and Protégées Battle Collection of Verses-100 stanzas5.Mirkambar Collection of Verses-250 stanzas