A Comparative Study of Taboo in Three Epic Works: Gilgamesh, Ramayana and Garshaspnameh

Taboo, as a belief in the existence of a transcendental and sanctifying force in a number of objects, plants, animals, and humans, is a prominent conceptual concept in the field of literary and anthropological studies. Each taboo, with its two characteristics of "sanctity" and “abstinence ", reminds its believers, a number of collective dochr('39')s and dontchr('39')s. Taboos, with their various functions, both in the past and in modern times, have a prominent place in collective relations. Since epic works are mythological manifestations and contain visible and hidden traces of the first eras of human life, by examining the taboo in these works, we can better understand the beliefs, dochr('39')s and dontchr('39')s and the type of thought that governs primitive society.The present article, which has been written with an analytical-comparative approach and from a taboo point of view, aims to acquaint the reader with the identical and dissimilar ideas of three peoples: Sumerians, Indians and Iranians, in three historical periods. Research shows that taboo beliefs and laws, with similar or dissimilar functions, play a prominent role in the three epic works, Gilgamesh, Ramayana and Garshasbnameh, and to the actions-reactions of epic-mythical characters. They give a special direction and this indicates the homogeneity of the type of functioning of the human mind, in different prehistoric-historical periods, in different geographical areas.