Mythological Analysis of the Dichotomy of Good and Evil (Case Study: The Bakhtiari Legend of “Malek Jamshid and the Demon’s Castle”)

Mythocriticism is currently a significant approach in the field of mythology, systematically exploring the presence of myths within any text, especially literary ones, and is thus applicable as a method in mythic criticism. This method analyzes the thematic content of the myths present in texts and examines their potential mechanism of metamorphosis, subsequently studying the psychoanalytic and socio-critical aspects of this transformation, thereby illustrating the manner in which cultural identity is reproduced. Folk tales, particularly among the Bakhtiari people, constitute a part of the cultural heritage and reflect collective identity, psychological structures, and social beliefs, providing the possibility of recognizing hidden cultural layers through symbolic narratives. Utilizing the mythocriticism approach, the present study examines the folk legend of “Malek Jamshid and the Demon’s Fortress”—a narrative arising from the oral tradition of the Bakhtiari, a branch of an Iranian people—in which the fundamental confrontation between good and evil, magical elements, the hero’s journey, and the symbolic function of characters are intertwined. The research methodology is based on qualitative content analysis, utilizing both written sources and indigenous oral traditions. The findings indicate that this legend not only represents a moral opposition between good and evil but also reflects the socio-psychological structures of the Bakhtiari community in confronting fundamental concepts such as salvation, deception, redemption, and the reconstruction of moral order.