Folk Tales

The present article, which has been written in a descriptive-analytical manner based on field studies in the field of popular literature, examines the oral and Kurdish tale "Shirzad Shirdil," which has not yet been fully documented, based on Joseph Campbell's (1904-1987) theory of the hero's journey. It aligns the stages of the tale with this theory and also addresses some of its symbols. The importance of the present subject is due to the cultural-literary value of folk tales and the interdisciplinary position of Campbell's theory. The main question is: How and to what extent do the stages of this tale correspond to the hero's journey? The hypothesis is that although this tale does not have all the stages of Campbell's hero's journey, it has most of them. Based on the research findings, since Shirzad is accompanied by the older dimension of his existence – Malek-Ahmad - both dimensions must necessarily attain transcendence. Therefore, to complete the hero's journey, the repetition of a stage such as the meeting with the goddess, the passage through the belly of the whale, the ultimate boon, the apotheosis, and the master of two worlds is sometimes manifested. Additionally, this tale lacks the stages of the hero's refusal of return, the magical flight, and the rescue from without.