Intersection of Myth and History in Hosn Arā Tales

Folk tales are an integral part of Iranian folklore and their examination, whatever be their literary aspect pave the way to the recognition of the mysterious world of human culture in the distant past. Hosn Ara’s tale is considered a unique version of a popular tale most likely written in the Safavid era by Mohammed Riyadh. This edition is being kept in the manuscript collections of Leipzig University. Hosn Arā’s tale narrates the history of a rich who ends up marrying four women. They are the symbol of female sex in four great prehistoric and historical Iranian periods. Among them, two women have a mythical function and two others have historical implications. This article attempts to analyze the text of the story by examining the quadruple image of women and by recognizing the mythological and historical symbols associated with Khwarazm using non-textual texts and signals. Thus the objective of this study is to demonstrate the cultural integrity of Iran and the lands of the distant past.