Analysis of the mythological story "Malik Mohammad, Malik Ahmad and Malik Jamshid" based on Joseph Campbell's theory

Subject Areas : Archaeology

Marjan Aliakbarzadeh zehtab ¹ (Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Islamic Azad University, Varamin-Pishva branch, Iran.)

Received: 2023-11-26 Accepted : 2023-12-14 Published : 2023-12-01

Keywords: Myth, Joseph Campbell, folk tale, hero journey, the Azari story,

Abstract :

Stories are rooted in the cultural beliefs of every nation, especially the mythological stories that originated from the ethnic and national unconscious according to Jung. The objective of the present study was to analyze the Azeri story "Malik Mohammad, Malik Ahmad and Malik Jamshid" based on Joseph Campbell's hero journey's theory (1987-1904). The significance of this study is the cultural and mythological importance of folk tales and Campbell's theory. This study was conducted as interdisciplinary by descriptive-analytical method. The question is; How do the stages of the above story match Campbell's hero journey? What are the most important mythological symbols of this story? Hypothesis Given the mythological nature of this story, although not all stages of the hero journey can be applied, it definitely has many stages, and many mythological symbols can be found and analyzed. Some of the study results; due to the Oedipus complex in the hero (Malik Mohammad), instead of him reaching unity with the father with the help of the goddess, the father of the earth (the king) is in love with the mother, and he, with the connivance of the goddess, prevented the two from reaching each other. Therefore, the stage of his oneness with the father is not complete. Also, this folk tale, with its simple plot, lacks stages of the hero's refusal of the return, magic flight and rescue from without to bring the hero back, and the hero simply returns to society.