Reflecting the Martial Ritual of Wrestling in Marriage in Persian Folk Tales Based on the Stories of Hossein Gholi Mosta'ān

Document Type : Scientific

Authors

1 Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Persian Language and Literature, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

10.22103/jis.2024.22990.2586

Abstract

Wrestling, an ancient Iranian sport, finds extensive representation in epic stories and poems. Heroes are consistently portrayed as skilled wrestlers, and hand-to-hand combat forms a central element of these narratives. Beyond its athletic significance, wrestling played a prominent role in the marriage ritual. Female Heroes, who possessed exceptional and sometimes superhuman attributes, deemed only those suitors worthy of marriage who could defeat them in a physical contest. With the decline of epic literature, this ancient practice gradually fell into oblivion. However, remnants of this tradition can still be observed in Persian folkloric narratives.
This article employs an analytical-descriptive approach. The research begins by examining several Persian folkloric tales wherein female Heroes set the condition of a wrestling match for marriage. Subsequently, the feuilleton (serial story) of Hossein Gholi Mosta'ān, who held considerable influence among the general public from 1300 to 1350 (1921-1971), is analyzed.
An examination of Persian folkloric narratives reveals that the stipulation of a wrestling match for marriage was prevalent among female Heroes. This theme is also alluded to in Mosta'ān's feuilleton’s (serial story), where he recounts stories of female Heroes who vanquish their suitors in physical combat.
The findings of this research indicate that the concept of wrestling in Persian folkloric narratives transcends the limited sphere of female Heroes and undergoes a semantic expansion.

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