Nationalities’ Reflections in Persian Proverbs based on Dehkhoda’s Book of Proverbs and Mottos [Amthal Wa Hekam]

Proverb is a subsystem of the people’s culture which is per se one of the important nationality-building elements. Due to their importance in building culture and reflecting the people’s culture and their individual and social nationality, proverbs are considered as important topics in the studies related to nationality. The present study intends showing the way in which the nationalities have been reflected in Persian proverbs based on Dehkhoda’s book of proverbs and mottos? To answer this question, three indicators were selected from amongst the various indicators of nationality so that the proverbs can be investigated and analyzed accordingly: 1) national indicator including homeland, mother tongue, myths, traditions, historical incidents, virtues and tribes and ethnicities; 2) religious indicator incorporating ĀYĀT and hadiths, terms, concepts, rituals and deeds, religious names and places and religious concepts; and, 3) common human themes encompassing love and friendship, honesty and truthfulness, work and endeavor and resort to God, importance of knowledge and science, theory and practice, abstinence, consultation, hopefulness, humbleness and modesty, forgiveness and mercifulness. This investigation will show in the area of the national and religious indicators as well as the common human themes that there are many proverbs in Dehkhoda’s book of proverbs and mottos that directly reflect the nationality indicators. This large number is indicative of the idea that the proverbs mirror the people’s culture and thoughts and contain their experienced wisdom stemming from three important sources, namely religion, nationality and common human themes.