The Mother in Qatari Folktales: A Semiotic Study

Supervised by Dr Muhammad Mustafa Salim 

Prepared by Hissa Ali Al-Mirri

Due to the significant presence of the mother in Arab heritage and the cultural memory on the one hand and in the folk memory on the other, this semiotic research attempts to examine the mother in the folktale.

The mother occupies a prominent position and is a sacred entity in the individual Arab consciousness in general and in the Arabian Gulf in particular. She has a qualitative presence within the framework of the folktale through which she plays various roles and very deep functions, expressing profound values and unique positions.

This study is concerned with that which is associated with the mother in terms of the functions, roles and symbols she conveys in a collection of Qatari folktales, which are fundamentally an intrinsic component of folk literature in Qatar and its environs.

The semiotic method and its tools were used in this study to understand the presence of the mother and the implications of this presence in the Qatari folktale.