Analysis of the symbolic function of fountain in Kurdish culture based on two folkloric poems "Mam & Zain" and "Las & Khazal"

The Zagros Mountains, with their abundant springs, have formed a foundational context for the culture and oral literature of their inhabitants. This research, employing an analytical-descriptive method and relying on library data, examines the symbolic functions of the "spring" in two Kurdish folkloric narratives, "Mam and Zin" and "Las and Khazal." The findings reveal that within these two narratives, the spring is symbolized in local and distinctive forms that go beyond universal symbols of life and purity. Three prominent symbolic functions reflected in "Mam and Zin" and "Las and Khazal" are as follows: 1. The ritual scene of "water-requesting," where offering water from a woman's hand to a man signifies final acceptance and the completion of a romantic covenant; 2. A locus for "initiation and transformation," manifested in the scene of Bangin's "coloring" in "Mam and Zin" and the change in women's appearance by the spring in both narratives; and 3. A symbolic realm linked to femininity and remnants of a matrifocal culture, represented through the analogous actions of women and paris (fairies) and the symbolic control of the spring by women in these narratives. These results indicate the existence of a coherent, deeply rooted symbolic system within Kurdish mythology, arising from the enduring interaction of this people with the spring-filled geography of the Zagros.