Mythological Paradigms in Modern Arabic and Kurdish Poetry; A Case Study of Adonis and Sherko Bekas

Myth, as the first human intellectual system, is part of the mental experiences of nations, and poetry has been a continuation of that because imagination in myth is cognate with the imagery in poetry. Adonis and Bekas, with assimilative and abstract mindsets and breaking down classical forms have brought great innovations and by adopting and recreating mythological symbols have appropriated them to express their themes. This research, using content analysis and a comparative approach based on the American school, examines the application of myth in modern Arabic and Kurdish poetry, with an emphasis on the poems of Adonis and Sherko Bekas, to explain the fundamental aspects of the mythological symbols in their poetry. Myth is used in all the major themes of Adonis and Sherko Bekas’ poetry, yet implicit connotations of mythological concepts are more than the explicit ones. Phoenix, Jesus, Mary, Scheherazade, Cain and Abel, Mahyar and Hallaj, Sisyphus, Noah and Sindbad are among the common myths in their poetry. Sherko Bekas is more inclined towards Eastern and Iranian myths, while Adonis often leans towards Greek and Roman myths. Expanding the semantic strategies, utilizing conceptualization capacity, exerting the fluidity of mythological themes, and combining them with historical knowledge are factors that have helped both poets succeed in applying myth in their poetry. They have added to the richness of the meaning of their poetry by combining concepts, masking mythical characters, strengthening structural and conceptual functions of language, explaining the mental and physical dimensions of time and place, and hinting at narratives and characters.