Abstract:

Lullabies, which are among the products of oral literature, are short and plain. They are the rhythmic words that the child hears from his mother for the first time. The mother establishes the first linguistic bond with her child through these rhythmical and melodious words that she utters without external interference. These words said to put the child to sleep and calm down also provide information about the language, culture and sociological characteristics of a society. Since lullabies are usually sung by the mother, women play an important role in transferring oral cultural heritage from generation to generation. The mother supports her child’s early education through lullabies from the moment of birth. Lullabies are easy to learn and highly memorable. They have a great effect on helping the child to bond and internalize the environment in which they live, its language, culture, religion, beliefs and national values. At the same time, the mother conveys her feelings, wishes, troubles and expectations in the lullabies she sings idiosyncratically. In this context, lullabies reveal the characteristics of the family structure, the relationships among family members, and the roles of the mother and father in the family. Lullabies constitute an important part of folk literature in Iran. Many Iranian researchers who are interested in folk literature have included lullabies that they have compiled from different parts of the country in their works. In addition, many academic studies have been written about the definition, content and function of lullaby. In this study, after giving general information about the definitions of lullabies in Iran and the place and importance of lullabies in Iranian folk literature, the examples of lullabies compiled by researchers from various cities of Iran will be evaluated in terms of structure and subject.

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