A Comparative Motif Analysis of Mythological Motifs in the Rostam Narrative of Mohammad Sharif Naygali’s Naqqali Scroll and Manas (Based on Volume One of the Kyrgyz Epic of Manas

The problem of this research is whether the mythological motifs in the narrative of Rostam in Naygeli’s naqqali scroll including the hero’s marvelous birth, the animal helper, and the giant/dragon-like creature are also reflected in a comparable form in the first volume of the Kyrgyz epic of Manas, and, if such a reflection exists, to what extent this similarity arises from Iranian-Turkic cultural contact in Central Asia and to what extent from the universal function of the epic genre. To examine this issue, the two texts (Manas, translated by Walter May, 1995) have been compared using a descriptive-analytical and library method based on Stith Thompson’s Motif-Index system. This system classifies the motifas the smallest meaningful unit of narrative that has the capacity for continuity and reproduction within a storytelling tradition with alphanumeric codes and, without presupposing linguistic or cultural kinship, makes comparison possible beyond the boundaries of genre and ethnicity. For this reason, in contrast to alternatives such as Dumézil’s tripartite theory or Propp’s morphology, it is more suitable for assessing the two Iranian and Turkic epic traditions. The findings show that three motifs are documented in both texts: marvelous/difficult birth (T500–T599), the independent and combative animal helper (B524), and the giant dragon-like creature of divine origin (B11).