The Morphology of Persian Fairy Tales

Abstract

With the aim of identifying the structural elements and narrative patterns of Persian tales, one hundred tales – including seventy tales from section 300–999 in AaTh/ATU – have been analyzed according to Propp's morphological model. As a result, the main functions of the Persian tales have been identified as the following six pairs: (A) initial situation: an arising problem; (D–F) meeting the donor – receiving a magical object; (H–I) struggle – victory; (Ps–Rs) pursuit – rescue; (M–N) difficult task – solution; (O–Q) unrecognized arrival – recognition; (Z) final situation: solution of the problem. These pairs do not necessarily occur together, and at times they are separated from each other. A and Z in fact constitute a pair that is separated by other functions. By merging the functions into pairs, the number of characters is reduced to four: hero, villain, helper, and princess. The functions and allomotifs in Persian tales are influenced by social and religious factors that may be considered as peculiarities of these tales. The allomotifs also differ in relation to the protagonist's gender.