The Role and Function of Thematics in Tales: The Case of Sankhast Tales

Choosing the element in a work is directly related to the reader. This study aimed to investigate the themes of the tales of Sankhast from the suburban areas of northern Khorasan in order to figure out how tale tellers used the related theme to achieve their objectives. The findings showed that the tale tellers sometimes expressed the themes in their work and in other times represented them through moral lesson to not only have more impact on the reader but also improve the level of the folk tales from the normal clichés. In general, the method of selecting themes in the tales were discussed, but there were occasions in which the themes were prior to the tale. The themes in the Tati tales of Sankhast showed that most of them were selected based on the hearings, lifestyles, mentalities, and people's opinions. Also, despite the fact that these tales tried to create heroes, attraction, curiosity, and entertainment for the general public, but in fact their fundamental mentality and social aspects were advertising humanity, equality, brotherhood, and social justice.