<![CDATA[This research paper examines the use of mythopoeic structures as an analytical tool to aid in understanding prophetic symbols in literature. These symbols serve to validate a minority group's identity as they negotiate their place in their respective culture, as applied to literature. By broadening or reinterpreting the meanings we derive from these prophetic symbols, we develop a better understanding of the ways Salman Rushdie and Triyanto Triwikromo use them in the context of post-colonial marginalisation and as mythopoeic structures to assist in negotiating an individual's cultural identity. A comparison of the use of prophetic symbols between the two authors will be made through Stuart Hall's theory of cultural identity, comparative textual analysis, and Homi Bhabha's concept of ambivalence. The study also details two additional outcomes of the use of prophetic symbols by each author; Rushdie's relic symbolises both the reinforcement and challenge of a collectively anxious and disruptively domesticated Kashmir Muslim identity, while Triwikromo's highly elusive prophetic relic serves as an identity exemplification through the metaphor of shattered and regenerating identity from the perspective of settler-colonial allegories. The study's findings indicate that prophetic symbols can serve not only as indicators of theology but also as potent narratives that help form minority identities and provide critical assessments of institutionalized systems of oppression, allowing the possibility of creating alternative spaces where one can belong outside hegemonic standards. In connecting the active processes of myth-making with creating identities through stories, this research demonstrates its value as part of the growing knowledge base surrounding post-colonial theory, cultural heritage theory, and critiquing representations of 'the Other'; therefore, future research should include a comparative analysis of mythic patterns among diverse transnational bodies of literature, employ a reader-response methodology, and examine the relationship between developing narrative worlds, digital texts and current forms of representation for minority cultures, particularly Indigenous peoples.]]>
