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.

The main issue of the present study is the examination of the story "The Patient Stone" based on Joseph Campbell’s (1904-1987) Hero’s Journey theory. The value and significance of this research lie in the cultural and mythological importance of folk tales as well as the theoretical worth of Campbell’s theory. This interdisciplinary study is conducted using a descriptive-analytical method. Its main question is: How do the stages of the story "The Patient Stone" correspond to Campbell’s Hero’s Journey? The hypothesis is that, given the mythical nature of this story, although not all stages of the Hero’s Journey may be applicable, it certainly includes many of them. The outcome of the research is that in the story "The Patient Stone," the hero undergoes a perilous journey without receiving help from an external individual. The twelve stages of Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, including "The Call to Adventure," "Crossing the Threshold," "Difficult Trials," "Crisis," "Resurrection," and "Return to the Ordinary World," are present in this story; however, it lacks the stages of the hero’s refusal of the return, the magical flight stage, and the arrival of external help to bring the hero back, and he simply returns to the community.