The Mythological and Epic Themes in Common Proverbs of Fars Province

Proverbs form a large part of a nation's culture and reflect the thoughts, tastes, customs and habits of a society. Myths and mythological beliefs are involved in the construction of proverbs. Proverbs, as an important part of folk culture, are rooted not only in history but also in ancient myths and religions. The present article, by using descriptive-analytical method, examines the epic themes and mythological beliefs - including the characters of Shāhnāmeh, dragon, Simorgh, water, fire, rooster, girl and numbers - reflected in the proverbs of Fars province. The results indicate that without establishing a link between proverbs and myths, accurate analysis cannot be achieved. The mythological themes in the proverbs of Fars province include rich concepts such as power, beauty, parentage, consciousness, fortune, luck, purity, and so on. The other results of the study are as follows: Rostam is the most important epic character of the proverbs; Naqqalan (the narrators) were influential in the formation of the proverbs; the themes of many of the proverbs are influenced by past beliefs and rituals; some of these beliefs, after the arrival of Islam in Iran, were harmonized with Islamic beliefs.