Mytho-Mystic Literature
Year:2015 | Volume:11 | Issue:38|Papers Count:20

There are many similarities between myth, mysticism and culture; one example of the similarities is the rite of sacrifice which is as old as human life. In the present article, the rite is studied from mythological, mystic and cultural perspectives. Also, the attempt is made to consider the connection of assimilation of religions, sacrificing man or animal, mingling of the rite with superstitions, the story of Slaughtering Isma'eil and the opinion of Quran about the rite.

Most of ancient beliefs and rituals are presented in old stories and legends. The aim of present article is to study the mythical themes of "the story of good and evil" in Nizami’s Haft Paykar and its relationship with Shahnameh. The relation of theme of "the story of good and evil" in Haft Paykar with the story of Zahhak and Kaveh, as well as the relation of both with one of the basic beliefs of Aryans, the principle of goodness and badness which is rooted in the battle of Ahura Mazda and Ahriman, are studied by using descriptive, content analysis and library methods. The research shows that Nizami’s story is influenced by the story of Zahhak and Kaveh and in some cases it can be considered as the complement of Shahnameh.

From way back, man has believed that he has a higher origin, higher than the material world. According to most myths and religions and as a constituent element of old and modern anthropology, the ancestor of man used to reside in paradise, but as a result of sin, they fell in the earth. The present article attempts to consider the story of Creation, descriptions of habitat of Adam and Eve (Aden), the reason of their fall according to Bible, and to compare them with the old mythical beliefs of Middle East, especially the myths of Mesopotamia, Egypt and Iran. Also, the psychological and mythical views of Campbell, Freud, Jung, Tillich and John Gray are noticed. This comparative study shows that the symbols of snake, tree, woman, sin, fall from the paradise and preventing man from having divine attributes, especially science, power, and eternal life, have a similar function in the myths of Bible and Mesopotamia.

The thoughts of Ismaili about Creation begin with a mythical description and form by using the ideas of Pythagoreans, Neoplatonists, kabbalists and Ikhwan al-Ṣafa (Brethren of Purity). Isma'eilism has been formed by the theory of mysterious numbers, the theory of Ideas, and paralleling between natural and divine phenomenon which confirms their religious beliefs and rightfulness of their religious leaders. Ismaili uses five terms for describing the creation as well as two and five terms for expressing other important ideas. The present article attempts to consider the thoughts of Ismaili and the views of Nasir Khusraw about the myth of creation.

Ibn 'Arabi's idea of “unity of being” grew slowly in Islamic lands, especially in Iran and then in India. One of the important ways of promoting the idea was the literary-mystic texts. The idea of “unity of being” has been manifested in the ruba'iyat (quatrains) of Bidel Dehlavi. In his ruba'iyat, the issues of tashbih and tanzih (transcendence and immanence), inward and outward, unity and diversity, and the like are discussed. He believes firmly to the idea of “unity of being” and explains, in a stable manner, the related topics.

Archetype, as the most important term of Jungian psychoanalysis, refers to old images and instincts that rooted in collective unconscious. The contents of unconscious are revealed in myths, religions, dreams, imagination and literary works. The importance of epic works, as the place of manifestation of myths and archetypes, is undeniable. The present article tries to analyze the archetype of hero in the epic poem of Arash-e Kamangir (Arash the Archer) of Siyavash Kasraei. Every man has a hero in his heart and begins his own journey which becomes a way for self-knowledge and individual growth. The present research shows that the archetype of hero is represented in personality of Arash, and he receives self knowledge and knows his real “self” by trekking the ups and downs of the archetype. From social point of view, the epic is also a symbol of Iranians’ collective and national identity.

The aim of present article is considering the deep structure of a metaphor, the metaphor of the daughter of vine, in poems of Persian poets, especially poems of Hafez regarding mythological, historical-cultural, psychological and aesthetic point of view. For attaining this aim, it is necessary to notice the cultural and social functions of metaphor in prehistoric ages, the role of myth in the process of formation of metaphor, as well as similarities between wine and feminine elements. The article consists of four chapters: mythology, history and culture, psychology and aesthetics. The research shows that there are inseparable connections between the feminine elements and wine in Iranian culture.

Myths are manifestations of culture of a nation, and in a sense, the origin of art and literature is myth. In fact, the culture and civilization of a nation and ethnic group is rooted in its mythology. When we speak of myth comes first to mind exotic animals like dragon. In Chinese mythology, the dragon is a serious and important character. Based on descriptive-analytical method and comparative studies, the aim of present article is to study the place of dragon in Iranian and Chinese myths and folklores. The research shows that in Iranian myths, the hero comes face to face with the dragon and his victory depends on killing it. But in Chinese myths, after calming the dragon, the hero makes peace with it. In Iranian folklore, the dragon is symbol of Ahriman, but in Chinese culture, it has a positive function.

Some parts of the life of Garshasb, Iranian hero, have been narrated in Avesta and Pahlavi texts; later on they have been recited in other narratives. The main part of Garshasb’s life, according to old texts, is about his braveness, and a small part is about his relationship with fairy. Inasmuch as folklore is a protector of eliminated parts of official literature, we consider Sam-Nameh and its tradition of storytelling (Naqqali) as a source for finding the unknown parts of Sam’s and Garshasb’s lives. According to Sam-Nameh, there is a mysterious relationship between Garshasb and a fairy named Khnathaiti, and between Sam and another fairy named 'Alamafrouz/Golafrouz. Also, there is a fertilized fairy in Sam’s life named Paridokht. It seems that 'Alamafrouz and Paridokht are symbols of two great goddesses of creation and destructive.

The story of “the Arab and pot of water” has been narrated in some poetry texts, like Mosibat-Nameh of Attar, Book I and Book VII of Masnavi Ma'navi. For recognizing power of creativity and storytelling of the authors of these books, the present article tries to study some elements of story, such as plot, character, dialogue, verisimilitude and point of view. Some narratologists, like Gerald Prince and Rimmon–Kenan interpret point of view as “focalization”. Based on their views, the analysis of point of view or focalization in the story of “the Arab and pot of water” shows that the numbers of focalized characters in Book I of Masnavi Ma'navi are more than other books. It seems that Jalal-al Din Rum expands the plot, increases the numbers of characters and prolongs the dialogues, and on this way, he fascinates the story. The authors of present article attempt to show which poets have successfully acted; the unknown poet of Book VII of Masnavi Ma'navi, despite having the Book I of Masnavi Ma'navi, has not been able to use the ways of storytelling of Jalal-al Din Rum.