Mytho-Mystic Literature
Year:2015 | Volume:11 | Issue:40|Papers Count:20

In literature of Muslims of various nations, the idea of Satan and his negative and positive aspects is widely discussed (Iblis). Some of Iranian chief mystics have revealed truths about this Quranic character. Attār, as one of prominent mystics, speaks paradoxically about Satan's disobedience and his proximity to God. Sometimes, he believes that Satan is a agent of God and behaves according to divine decree. According to this belief, Satan has not any fault and is a miserable victim that is in search of a divine worthy mystery. But, sometimes, like some Muslim scholars, Attār condemns Satan for rebellion against God and sees him as a disgusting enemy of the Divine. The author of present article tries to study the palace of Satan in Attār's thoughts by using descriptive and analytic method.

Émile Durkheim, famous French sociologist, believes that myths are not eternal; they are functions of historical factors and therefore, are related to social and geographical factors. This idea can be applied to some Iranian myths also. In the present article, Iranian myths are considered from Durkheim’s point of view. Based on this view, the belief to origin of man and heaven from soil and metal turns into the Stone and Iron ages respectively. Also, belief to growing two rhubarbs out of Keyumars’ semen is rooted in a myth that originates from agricultural life of Indo-European tribes. Patriarchal system has made its own myths; Zurvan, as a male god, engendered Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu and as a result women lost their function. As the land of Aryans was very cold, so according to Iranians, Ahura Mazda is hot tempered and holy, contrary to Angra Mainyu who is from cold. The fleeing of Aryans from cold and their migration to the south has been presented in the story of Jamshid in Vandidad. Also, the myth of Tishtrya and his battle with the drought-bringing demon Apaosha is a result of drought in Iran. The situation of gods stemed from of political conditions, as in the age of Sassanid, Ahura Mazda turned into a superior and omni power god, while in the age of Parthian feudalism he does not have such a  status.

After spreading of mysticism in Iran and other Islamic countries and coming mystical texts into being afterwards, Muslim mystics and their followers have been chided for expressing some ideas expressed in them. One of those ideas is pederasty (shāhedbāzi) that has perplexed the readers of mystical texts. The biographies of mystics show that they were in a high degree of spiritual experience, but on the other hand, we come cross shāhedbāzi in these texts that seems to be in contradicting with the principles of mysticism. Psychological criticism is one of the most important approaches in studying texts that opens new perspectives and reveals hidden aspects of a text. The present article tries to offer a different reading from mystical texts based on analytical psychology of Jung and Lacan.

Mattie and Grandpa, by Roberto Piumini, is a symbolic story for children with theme of death. When the main character of the story (Mattie) confronts with his grandpa's death, he begins a ritual journey in order to gain awareness of mysteries of death. In the journey, he finds his individuality, strengthens himself and discovers the rebirth. Based on analytical psychology and archetypal criticism, the present article tries to study his journey. In an emotional space, the symbolic system of the story uses symbols as psychic and dynamic energy with effective materials and child-like imagination. Decoding of the symbols shows that Mattie is a symbol of a hero, the grandpa as the wise old man, river represents life, and the left side of river as unconscious; where discovering the mystery of death means to be the goal the journey. The journey is done in a full day and this is supposed to be the symbol of perfection and perfect cycle.

One of approaches in critique of literary texts is archetypal criticism that is rooted in depth-psychological criticism. Based on thoughts of Carl Gustav Jung, that approach studies the different kinds of archetypes that rest in unconscious. According to Jung, due to a common and general experience, mythical themes are repeated in all generations. Banu Goshasp Nama, a Persian epic composed of 900 verses by an unknown poet from the 11th or 12th century, demonstrates different archetypes. Banu Goshasp is an ideal "mother archetype" that overcomes obstacles and realizes her individuality. By fighting with her inner shadows, hunting and battling with her Aniran suitors, she fulfills her personality and gains self-recognition. The present article is to criticize Banu Goshasp Nama from archetypal critique point of view, based on the thoughts of Jung and archetypes like shadow and mandala and process of individualizing.

Haft Paykar, composed by Nizami Ganjavi, is full of myths, rituals and doctrines of ancient theosophies. They are accompanied with symbols that express spiritually death and ascent of man. In the present article symbols proposed in Haft Paykar are studied from mystical and mythical point of view. These symbols have emerged during the evolution of myths and are present in mythical epics. Bahrām is a character who is studied from this point of view; he is supported by some inner and outer guides to reach self-knowledge (the first cave), then he passes from invisible light (the middle domes) and rises to the eighth dome (the last cave) and finally attains spiritual immortality by the supreme Light.

Epic stories reflect feelings and way of thinking of men in the passage of time. Though epic and lyric have different languages, yet love is a common theme in them. In Shāhnāmeh and the story of Koroghlu it can be seen the epic and lyrical themes have a very close connection with each other. The stories of ‘Zāl and Rūdāba’, ‘Tahmineh and Rostam’ and ‘Bijan and Manijeh’ are from the best lyrical stories in Persian literature. In the epic of Koroghlu too, the subject of love, which is usually expressed by women, often comes in the middle or end of the story.  The authors of article suppose that epics are drawn from life and epic, history, nationality, justice and spirituality that are the basic themes of Shāhnāmeh and the epic of Koroghlu. So in the present article, the origin of love, its features, characteristics of beloved, appearance of love and its consequences in these two epics are considered.

The story of Siavash in Shāhnāmeh is an epic with dramatic and tragic elements. Having mythic roots enables us to analyze it by using new approaches. One of these new approaches is Mircea Eliade’s ‘eternal return’ according to which gods have especial characters, their origin is uncertain, they are killed innocently in youth, their death is the beginning of changes and new developments, and after their death mysterious rites are formed concerning the death they had faced. With respect to features of Siavash and the rites held after his death, as mentioned in the epic, mythical and historical texts, it seems that he is one of these gods and a symbol of process of becoming. His soul is tired of passing time and wants to reborn by returning to eternal time; his believers reach to this ‘eternal return’ by attending in his mourning rituals through which each one become a Siavash.

According to the theory of Carl Gustav Jung, every man has an eternal image of woman in his unconscious that, in his psychological heritage, is sediment of all his experiences about woman in all ages. Jung calls this image anima. Learning about symbolic type is the only way to understand the archetype, for the archetype of anima is revealed in human conscious in a symbolic way. With decreasing level of consciousness, anima, as a universal symbol and like other archetypes, enters conscious by dreams, imaginative inventions, myths, literature then it is revealed. Literary texts are full of archetypal images and anima. ‘Murder of lovers’, ‘sensual imaginations’, ‘sensitivity of men’ as three negative manifestations of anima in Jung’s theory have been presented in Iranian cultural elements like literature and myths. The present article tries to analyze these manifestations by using analytic-descriptive method and library sources.

Many of states and moods in the way of reaching the Reality, in mystical texts, are viewed as a veil that prevents the holy traveler (sālek). In the present article, the views of mystics concerning extra-ordinary events are considered. There are three approaches to extra-ordinary events: legitimate, mystical and the third one which tries to discover and explain the concept of Divine grace (karāmat). The first approach wants to coordinate karāmat and miracle and believes that the function of miracle is to confirm the mission of a prophet. In the mystical approach, karāmat is supposed to be a veiling, and the sālek is forbidden from it. But the holder of the third approach, without any idealism, has a positive view about karāmat and explains karāmat and its functions with respect to states in which the mystics are in.