Journal of Heroic Literature

Journal of Heroic Literature

Discourse Analysis of the Poems of Varghe and Golshah in Persian and Hawrami Narratives

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Department of Persian, Faculty of Language and Literature, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj. Iran.
2 Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Language and Literature, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran.
10.22034/heroic.2026.2085285.1026
Abstract
In Persian literature, the Ayughi narrative of the story Varghe and Golshah is well-known. A versified translation of this epic also exists in the Hawrami language, composed by an unknown poet. This article, using a descriptive-analytical approach, aims to examine the semantic mechanisms and processes of othering in these two narratives based on Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory, and to explain their discursive differences in relation to their cultural and historical contexts. The goal is to clarify how various narrative elements acquire meaning in connection with the cultural and intellectual fabric of their time. The study’s findings indicate that three discourses—love, authority, and religion—are intricately present in Varghe and Golshah. The structuring of elements in both the Persian and Hawrami narratives ultimately leads to the establishment of the religious discourse. Repeated depictions of battle scenes, grandiose portrayals of heroic feats, and the emphasis on the believer–infidel opposition suggest that the poets of both texts, in addition to the romantic and religious aspects, have endeavored to provide a reconstruction of an epic space. Unlike the Shahnameh, however, this epic does not highlight national identity; rather, it serves to consolidate faith and legitimize rulership. War is not merely a stage for demonstrating heroism but a field of struggle between believers and infidels, which leads to the redefinition of epic value entirely in service of religious significance. The similarity between the two narratives lies in the fact that faith always remains the ultimate and hegemonic signifier. The main difference is that in the Hawrami narrative, this hegemony is established and stable from beginning to end, with even epic and warlike elements fully redefined under it; whereas in the Ayughi narrative, faith returns with miraculous power at the story’s conclusion and subsumes love within itself.
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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 02 August 2026