Trans-Semiotic Analysis of the Metamorphosis Function in Seven Labour by Rostam and Esfandiyar (With an Emphasis on Fourth Labour)

The topic of initiation or transition rites has been extensively addressed in the traditions of various cultures and societies, and these rituals have been linked to human life from conception to death. All of these initiation rituals have the same goal, which is to endure life’s stages with the adoring support of a community in order to accomplish a certain objective. In Seven Labours with a distinct and special function, the hero picks a perilous path in order to achieve a certain purpose, since the challenging tests along the way require individuals with exceptional abilities and special attributes in order to complete them, and bring about communal satisfaction and bliss. The Shahnama is one of the most significant literary works of Iranian culture, which also contains the ritual outlined above. It has always served as inspiration for artists, who have attempted to depict various passages from this literary masterpiece. One of the most significant themes, particularly in the seven labours of the Shahnama, both in the original text and in the derivative depictions from it, is the relationship between metamorphosis and initiation rituals. The primary focus of this study is to reveal the similar transformations of two main characters (Rostam and Esfandiyar) in the fourth labor of theirs seven-labor of Shahnama, as well as the conflict between good and evil (both in verbal and visual texts), using a trans-semiotic approach and based on an analysis of Shahnama’s metamorphosis’s intertextual field. The primary focus of this study is to reveal the similar transformations of two main characters (Rostam and Esfandiyar) in the fourth labor of theirs seven-labor of Shahnama, as well as the conflict between good and evil (both in verbal and visual texts), using a trans-semiotic approach and based on an analysis of Shahnama’s metamorphosis’s intertextual field. In addition to investigating the phenomena of metamorphosis and why it is utilized in analogous labours from seven of Rostam and Esfandiar’s labours, the study is also concerned with examining how the phenomenon of metamorphosis has been represented in the Shahnama’s visual versions, based on the signs used in the illustrations. This article begins by approaching the verbal metamorphosis from a trans-semiotic perspective. Subsequently, morphological analysis is carried out to provide an explanation for the observed transformations. This methodology is based on descriptive-analytic, synthetic, and comparative methodologies, as well as data gathered from libraries. In accordance with the study’s results, the metamorphosis in the fourth labour of Seven Labours, a similar phase, serves as a test and occurs during the protagonists’ most difficult transitional phases. In this struggle, one of the most major transformations of the evil force toward the achievement of a particular goal takes place, leading to the hero’s victory and his passage to the highest level of initiation ceremonies. The research’s further findings indicate that this transition also applies to the visuals derived from it. The visuals, however, are unable to independently reflect the verbal pre-text (metamorphosis and its relationship to initiation ceremonies).