Love in the Culture of Gilān (the Case Study: The Narrative of Ranā); A Mythological Approach

Love, which represents the deepest form of connection between human beings, can take on different forms. In a romantic relationship, not all people follow the same emotional pattern and some human beings may even resort to violence or punishment. The myth of Ranā in the region of Gilān in Iran depicts the emergence of a romantic relationship and its unfortunate fate in the lord and peasant system. By using descriptive-content analysis method and with a mythological and narratological approach, the present study seeks to explain the influential elements in the romantic myth of Ranā. Also, the various dimensions of this mythological narrative and its discourse, contextual and hypertextual conditions are examined. In order to better understand the symbols of the narrative, the attempt is made to study the prevailing culture and discourses with an emphasis on psychoanalysis and sociology. The results show that human relations, especially emotional, can indicate the evolutionary status of a society and if a society wants to preserve its indigenous identity and its own aesthetics, it has no choice but to know its past and pay attention to its native myths; because myths are considered as behavioral patterns of a particular society and in most cases, their influence is unconsciously experienced.