Mytho-Mystic Literature
Year:2013 | Volume:9 | Issue:30|Papers Count:9

Elahi-Nama that includes 22 chapters and 182 tales, as one of the most important books of Attar has been studied from different points of view by different researchers. Based on the plot of the story, the soul (nafs), as a father, and his six sons crossed the seven cities of love. Taking the semantic structure of the book into consideration, and regarding the relation that exist between word and meaning, in the present article we are going to show the patterns used by Attar to express his ideas. This is the pattern Attar has obeyed in all the tales of Elahi-Nama.

Iran and Greece, as the owners of two ancient civilizations, has had relationships along their history.in addition, despite the military clashes, they had continued their cultural relations. Theory of justice is a good instance of the two nations cultural exchanges. Studying the theory of justice in Shahnameh, on the one hand, and the works of Plato, especially Republic, on the other hand, shows an example of cultural exchanges between these two ancient civilizations. Comparative study of the theory of justice, and studying Shahnameh indicate that Plato may have been influenced by the similar sources as those in ancient Iranian thoughts. The kind of class system referred to in Plato works and certain allegories can be indications of this influence.

In this article the relationship between knowledge and object/subject in Masnavi is studied. Mulana Jalal al-Din Rumi, like some philosophers, has questioned the correspondence of object and subject. So, in this article, first we consider the views of a number of philosophers concerning man’s ability knowing and recognizing reality, and second we refer to Mulana’s views, which regards having access to reality through eyes impossible. According to Mulana, various factors like destiny, time, imitation, inner tendencies and so on have a kind of influence on our cognition. He pays attention to those factors that are disturbing man’s vision, not because it is an influential factor for corresponding the object and the subject but since it is a way to reach a new perspective higher than the rational vision.

The primitive man had a close relationship with his God for him He was part of the nature. Based on a mythological view, in those arenas of life in which you cannot solve the problems by the help of human wisdom, the primitive man considers the natural factors as juries that were manifestations of gods. This belief was common in ancient Iran, as one of the oldest civilizations of the world. Fire, molten iron, compound of water, sulphur and orpiment were means of testing and distinguishing just from unjust. The present article tries to analysis the mythological aspects of these tests and shows the role of nature in distinguishing just from unjust.

The present article studies the mythological roots of two similes in one of the sonnets (ghazals) of Hafez-e Shirazi, similes of snake/tress-tip and lip/recovery-house in the following poem: For our heart that, from the deadly snake of thy tress-tip, is shattered/ From thy own lip to the recovery-house, the antidote (of a kiss) cast (Translated by Henry Wilberforce Clarke 1840-1905). This article is written in the framework of Carl Gustav Jung. For him, the Archetypal themes and images refer to collective unconscious of man. Jung believes to hereditary transfer of myths and legends that is why mental patients, in our age, believe in ancient symbols. Archetypes appear in the works of poets, authors, artists and geniuses; and geographical distances and passage of time don’t seem to prevent various myths of nations appearing in the dreams, deliriums and artistic image works.

The word “Khanqah” (Sufi monastery), for the first time, was used in relation to activities of Karramiyyeh and Manichean sects in the 4th A.H. In the 5th A.H and along with expansion of Sufi groups, Khanqahs developed and established all over the Islamic Empire. In that era, Khanqah was a cultural and social centre; a place for training devotees, feeding and rest of travelers and needy people, educating, copying manuscripts and establishing libraries. Expansion of Khanqahs like all of the other social matters has had different reasons including the increment in the status of sheikh (spiritual master), and emphasizing on training devotees.

According to Carl Gustav Jung, Swiss psychiatrist, the collective unconscious is a heritage existed since the ancient times. There are a group of eternal images and universal common concepts in the collective unconscious of man that Jung calls them archetypes. The most prominent archetypes are: self, shadow, anima, animus, wise old man and persona. Anima may be the most important archetype present in many literature works, including Haft Paykar of Nizami Ganjavi. In the present study, Haft Paykar that is a collection of love stories, is analyzed and it is demonstrated that this book is a suitable context for manifestation of anima. Having feminine features in the poems of Nizami Ganjavi indicate the influence of anima in his thought. Anima is that profound fact which influences the thoughts and behaviors of the poet in different situations and makes him more mature.

Although Islamic mysticism can be categorized differently regarding the history, events, works, pioneers and founders of famous mystical groups, it seems dividing it in first and second traditions to be more comprehensive: from the beginning to 7th A.H, and from 7th A.H (from the advent of Ibn Arabi) till now. The aim of the present article is to study love in these traditions and to demonstrate the relation between theoretical and practical mysticism. Also, the attempt is made to show how the later category, the school of Ibn Arabi, could strength practical mysticism based on theoretical mysticism. For further explanation and making the points clearer, the concept of love, as the key word, will be studied in two selected works: Abhar al-Asheghin by Rouzbahan Bagali and Fusus al-Hikam by Ibn Arabi.