Mytho-Mystic Literature
Year:2011 | Volume:6 | Issue:21|Papers Count:7

A mandala is an intricate design, usually of circular patterns, used in meditation to focus the mind; gazing at and concentrating on it brings about a state of mind in which self-knowledge can be restored.By showing the relationship among mandala and myth, mysticism, and epic, the present article tries to study the concepts of dream and centrality in the myth, and seven phases in Islamic mysticism.

The Yashts are a collection of twenty-one hymns in Younger Avestan. Each of these hymns invokes a specific Zoroastrian divine concept.Yasht 15 is dedicated to Ram but praises the Good Vayu (Lord of the winds) and speaks about the myth of Garshasb.Because of grammatical and lexical complexity of the first chapter (karde) of Yasht 15, the present article tries to study this karde and show the relationship of the myths of Vayu and Garshasb.

Hadiqat-ul Haqiqah (the book of Walled Garden of Truth), composed by Hakim Abul-Majd Majdud ibn Adam Sana' i Ghaznavi (died around 1131), is one of the most famous mystic books. Sana' i, in order to leave impression on his reader, uses interrogative sentences in this work. The present article tries, by studying 20 percent of 25000 verses, tries to show the uses of interrogative sentences in the moods of denying, forbidding, reprimanding, blaming, amazing, desiring.

The ancient Iranian artist, besides painting, provides interpretations of stories. He illustrates his subject, by a spiritual approach, and helps the viewers understand its divine nature. He does not simply reflect the subject but gives it meaning.Unfortunately, ancient Iranian painting has not been studied from mystic and philosophical points of view and by and large has been noticed from historical and formal aspects.The present article, by analyzing some paintings about "passing of Siyavash through the fire", as narrated in Shahnameh, tries to study these works from mystical and philosophical points of view.

In the works of Mowlana Jalal al-Din Balkhi, woman has dual identity. At one level, she is a human being, albeit in a lesser capacity than her male counterpart; and at another level, she is a symbol of Divine beauty and a medium for attaining True love.In the present article, the portrait of woman is studied in the works of Mowlana Jalal al-Din Balkhi.

Based on a hermeneutic approach, the present article tries to show that there is a close relationship between metaphors and myths. Accordingly, the imaginative faculty uses metaphoric and mythological structures to create poetic concepts; and great poets express mythical concepts through metaphor.

The story of Abel and Cain (Habil and Qabil), beside the story of Creation, is one of the most important myths. It has also been referred to in some modern novels. The present article tries to study the function of this myth in the following works: The Reedpipe Tale (by Oksana Zabuzhko), Abel Sanchez (by Miguel de Unamuno), The Symphony of the Dead (by Abbas.Maroufi) and Fereydoon had three sons (by Abbas. Maroufi).