نشریه فرهنگ و ادبیات عامه
پیاپی 25 (فروردین و اردیبهشت 1398)

To move from one stage to another in all societies, there would have always been many social norms. One of the most important norms along the history has been reproduction, which, depending on the region, has certain beliefs and different strategies of achievement. Thus, the present study seeks to address the issue of fertility and its attitudes, methods effective in Iranian culture for the diagnosis of pregnancy and sex determination of children, as well as for the prevention of pregnancy and abortion. On this basis, the present study was conducted with a descriptive-analytical approach with the analysis of literary, religious and historical texts reflected in Iranian popular culture. Fertility and the entry of the new member of the Iranian family were considered as a kind of honor. Therefore, there are scientific and sometimes unscientific methods of identifying the fertility or sterility of women that have been effective for women's fertility and for the prevention of abortion and infertility. Given the importance of gender and neonatal physiology, in order to determine sex and even the health and beauty of children, the predicted urine test and the apparent signs of the body have been predicted and attempted to provide changes in this regard by feeding medicinal plants as well as fruits and vegetables.

The metaphorical and symbolic structure of the myth and its ancient foundations always provide the basis for the return of mythology in peoples' minds and languages. Ritual beliefs and ceremonies in different regions reveal the powerful presence of human thoughts and aspirations. The symbolic presence of mythical plants and animals in contemporary era is one of the characteristics of the mysterious nature of the past and of life, which refers to the hierarchy of life, that is to say, the passage of time from immortality to the universe of incarnation. Stone engraving is one of the neglected dimensions to trace this stage. The engravings of animals or plants on the tombs of different tribes may be proof of the presence of these mysterious phenomena of the human mind. They are mysterious attitude to life and death and always suggests the survival of mythological views and beliefs. In this research, the authors have tried to explain and study the cemeteries of the village of Souran using the method of mythical criticism and field observation. The results of the research showed that most mythic beliefs persist in the form of the symbolic presence of animals and plants along the signs of the foundation of myth, which testify to the resurrection and survival of early doctrines in general beliefs of the region; By moving through history and reaching the present age, it continues to affect the image and belief of people in the region.

"The Story of “Shahre Sangestan’’ is one of the most famous poems of Mehdi Akhavan Sales. The story turns around the narration of a city where all its inhabitants have changed into stone and are looking for a way to save them. Among the characters in this poem are two pigeons who know the story of Shahriyar and give him a way to free himself. In this research, by content analysis method, the origin of the "loss of consciousness of the bird" in Persian and folk tales (370 folk tales and one hundred love collection) was studied. Taking into consideration these cases, the authors have tried to divide this content into three categories: 1. the revealed history of the hero according to bird, 2. Recognizing the magic properties of the tree according to bird; 3. Girl’s transformation to tree whose first structure is closer to Akhavan's poetry. There are examples similar to Akhavan's narrative, especially in popular narratives that can provide a clear background for the reconstruction of Akhavan's poetry in the story of the "Sangestan tale". Although two examples of this content have been reconstructed in Persian antique and official literature; but the occult’s function of bird in "Sangestan tale" is more similar to folk tales than other functions and its frequency is higher in folk tales. Given the fact that Akhavan shows his interest to folk literature, his borrowing in the article entitled “Shahre Sangestan ", which is the basis of this article, is more acceptable.

Blood and bleeding and their related themes have long been rooted in human spirit and have had a decisive influence on Iranian and world culture. Themes and beliefs such as the sacrifice of human beings and animals, the rituals and beliefs that involve it, the killing of the holy people and its effect on human destiny, the bloodlust of the bleeding woman, blood spilling on the stone for the suppression of magic, the death of a sacred animal and those reflected in the history of Siavash, Iraj, Sohrab and Esfandiar in Shahnameh and finally the narrative petitions and oral narratives about the national epics are reflected and rooted in myths and branches in popular beliefs. In this research, using stories and other sources, first of all, popular beliefs about blood and its contents are examined at narrative plan, then the method of content analysis has been used and the desired samples have been compared.

The palm tree is a very ancient and sacred tree whose name is often mentioned in the Holy Quran. The historian has described it as the princess of trees. Southerners believe that palm is the only legacy of their family. In the oral history of the Minab, there are many palm trees. The palm plays an important role in the traditions, customs, and beliefs of the people. Palm tree is important in all respects for the inhabitants of the south. He provided food and lodging, as well as wicker industries to use in the affairs of life. By adopting the content –analysis approach and through library based data and interview, this research sheds light on several aspects of this tree and its place in oral literature of Iran (riddle, proverb, idioms, beliefs and songs). This tree has been important for a very long time in the lives of the people of this region and it is not an exaggeration to say that every palm, as a breadwinner, can be part of the family economy. Palm is one of the children of the family and his unit of enumeration. Sometimes, the inhabitants of this region have attributed to it a mortal character.

Chehel-soroud is one of the most popular and current types of omen among Lorestan people which they perform collectively. In every presage, forty couplets are attributed to interpret the intended 40th couplet. In the present research and based on library resources, the aesthetic function of the 500 chehel-soroud couplets  collected by the field method was analyzed in two parts of "Phones , Vocabulary, Musics and figures of speech " and the surface structure including  Emotion, Thought and Meaning. The research findings showed that at surface structure of phones movement with music is sometimes created with serenity and sometimes with violence. The association of vocabulary plays a role in the association of emotions and the meaning of poetry. The association of vocabulary plays a role in the association of emotions and the meaning of poetry. In some parts of the verses, meter and rhyme are unacceptable, which is to some extent negligible. Internal music is due to figures like phonotactics , morphophonemics and pun. Spiritual musics in its turn is as a result of figures like Mora’at al nazir, Hossn-e- Ta’lil and hyperbole. Metonymy and assimilation play a key role in the creation of figures of speech. Emotionally, at deep structure level, good omens are accompanied by enthusiasm while sinister ones lead to despair. In terms of meaning and regarding the frequency , themes of love and friendship, natural resources such as mountains and trees, religious beliefs and interests such as hunting, breeding, agriculture etc. are evident in the couplets.

This essay seeks to explain the typology of kings and to report on their practices to represent their role in the advancement of tales. The method used in this research is library-based and qualitative in terms of content analysis. The criterion for choosing these stories is, besides its reputation, a wide range of readers, the general interest and the frequencies of the presence of kings. After reviewing these stories, the author found that kings often seemed to be in Iranian and non-Iranian affairs according to the narrator's type of attitude, and that the picture of kings was reported according to the general context of the story and its context. In addition to requiring a particular content, it also requires certain heroes and types of character. Darab-Nameh has an epic & mythological content, and therefore the behaviors and actions of the most kings are mythological epics. Hussein- Kord is also an epic-religious tale. Our hypothesis is that storytellers seek to shape and regulate the structure of society in the form of king, the courtiers and other heroes; in other words, they seek to establish a definitive framework that is occasionally violated. They are problematic and are considered as unforgivable. In order to study the stories and according to the frequency of types, the author concluded that the "courtiers", especially the king, his family and his ministers, had the highest frequency and presence, and most of the stories began with the words "Shah" or "Prince". There is an intense sense of indigence and Iranism in these stories, so that the types of Iranian kings are much more subtle, more human, richer, more just and wiser than other non-Iranian officials. Darab Nameh is more epic than the other two stories, and the type of kings has been portrayed in a more fictitious, confident and historical way. It should be noted that in Hussein- kord, the kings are not very present and do not act much more.

Sacrifice has been always one of the most current ritual practices in Iran. Nowadays, in Iran, the concept of victim is limited to blood sacrifice, but in some areas of Iran, such as the south, southwest and desert margins such as Khor, Biyabanak and Tabas, this ritual is totally current during the return of the pilgrimage from God’s house, at the wedding ceremony and more importantly everyone sacrifices the palm tree before the first day of new Year and the Farvardin 13th. In this article,  By relying on historical, mythological and symbolic studies, the author showed that the principle of the palm tree’s sacrifice  is rooted in the fertility rituals of the mythology of the changing season (spring equinox), especially the Tammuz, because the palm tree is the symbol of  Tammuz which is the god of Mesopotamian martyrdom. The rituals of Tammuz are also similar to the sacrifice of palm in several respects: the main character in both ceremonies is Tammuz. In ancient ritual of Tammuz, the palm is crystalized as a victim god (martyr-resurrector) and in today tradition is represented as the symbol of fertility (the cycle of death – nature’s tradition). Both ceremonies are held at 1st Farvardin and ordibehesht. Tammuz has been based on fertility. In popular beliefs, it is also emphasized that cottage cheese, palm cheese, palm fruit and other components are effective in improving men's sex and fertility. Another important point is that the ritual is collectively organized on the ground (Nakhlestan). The baking of bread is also a common tradition of both religions.

Local song are an important part of Iran’s oral literature involving a wide range of moral emotions and enthusiasm. The local and emotional richness of these songs places them in a privileged position as to the effectiveness of the moral development of the members of the community because, based on emotional ethical theories, the ethical source is the main source of moral judgment and ethics rather than ethical reasoning. In the present research, the author has tried to study local songs while explaining the position of emotional state in the moral development of the individual and society, as well as the emotional content of poems from different regions of Iran by using a meta-analytic approach. The main objective was to study the nature and frequency of the emotional themes of local songs using a descriptive meta-analysis method based on content analysis conducted in 32 research articles published during 1386-1396 in six research journal. As a result, 57 emotional topics were identified with the highest frequency in local songs which 71% of them had ethical enthusiasms. In addition, a comparative study of the frequency of each of the emotional traits among the local songs of the seven geographic regions of the country revealed no significant differences between these regions. The results of this research have introduced these types as important cultural and educational tools for the promotion of ethics and as part of in-depth studies of the general emotional content of songs from different parts of the country; a step towards the promotion of applied literature and the prevention of social problems.

Shirin and Farhad collection; the Kurdish version of Nezami’s original work by Mam Ahmad Lotfi is one of the popular examples of this genre. This work has a simple and fluid language, which narrates the history of Shirin and Farhad with a legendary structure. In the Kurdish version, with the exception of the names of the characters, the main course of events and the general framework of the story are different. The story of this poem is based on the evaluation of the myth content of the subcategory of legends in which a dragon catches a girl until rescued by her hero. Nevertheless, the comparative study of both poems from the viewpoint of the mythological manifestations indicates the infrastructure and the common theme of these works. Thus, Khosrow (in Khosrow and Shirin) and Farhad (in the Kurdish version) are considered the martyred god of fertility, with the difference that in the Kurdish version, Farhad, like the other gods of fertility, has no resurrection. In both stories, Shirin plays the role of goddess of fertility and love in different ways. The subject and function of the myth of fertility historically represent the period of agriculture and philosophically reflect the resurrection of man in the other world.