Examining the Cultural Perspectives in the Story of Sheikh San'an: A Comparative Study of Folkloric Kurdish and Classic Persian Narratives

Culture encompasses various topics, especially when we examine a story with multiple narrators from a cultural perspective. This is because the geographical position and environmental culture of the narrator, as well as the cultural background of the first storyteller, whether unknown or known, play a fundamental role in shaping the structure of the story in both popular and classical literature. The objective of this study is to compare two narrations of Sheikh San'an in Kurdish and Persian from a cultural standpoint. The analysis is conducted using two distinct and thought-provoking sources, namely popular and classical literature. The study employs a descriptive-comparative approach to examine the cultural similarities and differences between the two narratives. By presenting a comprehensive statistical population and data, the study aims to provide a scientific comparison and draw meaningful conclusions. Both narrators of these two narratives have been Iranian, one being a Persian speaker in the 6th century AH (Islamic calendar) and the other being a Kurdish speaker from 80 years ago. According to researchers, the mentioned story had a prevalence with an Islamic mysticism tone even before Attar, and its source can be traced back to folk traditions after the advent of Islam. When discussing the combination of popular literature and traditional music, it becomes necessary to determine its origins through the study of ethnomusicology. Therefore, further extensive research will be required to delve deeper into this subject. The cultural elements within the structure of the mentioned story serve to express the lofty mystical purposes. Another aspect is the preservation of the narrative's allure through the storytelling techniques employed by the narrators and the influence of the narrator's contemporary culture on the story. These factors contribute to the unique categorizations in understanding the cultural aspects of the story.