THE JOURNAL OF EPIC LITERATURE
Year:2023 | Volume:19 | Issue:2|Papers Count:12

The pathology of mythology in Iran, based on critical thinking, in the context of textual studies, functionalism and Theoretical research, makes the process of mythology in Iran more fruitful. Mythology in Iran - with academic and non-academic origins - far from the system of global classification and in an island perspective, has focused more on the monograph of Iranian mythology and textual research. In this study, we distinguishe between "mythology" based on schools in this field in the West with “myth research " is common among Iranian scholars who are more or less unfamiliar with these schools of mythology. Mythology in Iran suffers from various plagues in this field: focusing on the text instead of deep mythological construction, narration and mere description, little familiarity with the schools of mythology, partial view, lack of methodology of mythology, little familiarity with interdisciplinary studies, positivist rather than meta-positivist approach, deficiencies resulting from translation in the eyes of mythological translators, disregard for the fluid role of mythology. In this article, the authors try to study the pathology of mythology in Iran and enumerate a number of these pests and shortcomings and provide solutions to eliminate these pests.

Esfandiar in Shahnameh is one of the important figures in the mythical and epic history of Iran. The complexity of his character has provided a suitable ground for interpretation and theorizing surrounding this character, his actions and behavior. In this article, attempt is made to use Jung's theories to examine Esfandiar's Haft-Khan and the controversy of "individuality" in his character. It is known that the use of new analytical theories in the study of epic texts can open new horizons for researchers. One important point in Esfandiar's heroic life is the concept of "Haft-Khan"which has been followed by various analysis. Researches carried out on this subject, relying on Jung's theories in comparison with "Rostam&rsquo, s Haft-Khan" mostly refer to one point and that is Esfandiar, like the superhero of Iranian myths, was able to achieve "individuality" and perfection by passing through the Haft-Khan. However the stage of the return of this hero from the Haft-Khan, and especially his important and influential actions in the last stages of his life, proves contrary to the results of recent research. It is shown in this article that the process of individuality and perfection is not achieved by him due to Esfandiar's unification with the archetype of "Persona" and the domination of "shadow" over his personality. And just passing the Haft-Khan does not quality him to prove his individuality.

Marriage is a controversial subject in epic works of the world. It has happy and often sad endings which causes rebellion, war, bloodshed and destruction of kings. It is the corner stone of every society which provides psychological, emotional, social and moral needs of man and at the same time it is a cultural phenomenon that every nation gives it its own special colour. Employing descriptive analytic approach and also applying comparative reading the American style, the purpose of the present research is to study themes regarding marriage rituals in Shahnameh and Ramayana. In view of the importance of the outcome of the myths and epics in today&rsquo, s world and the transmission of customs and culture of every society, the need for this research was felt. The result of the research is finding themes such as marriage test, marriage rites, freedom of women in marriage and the fact that they take the first step in marriage, and wedding outside borders. The latter is more evident in Shahnameh than in Ramayana and this issue was the cause for hero&rsquo, s journeys and quests. Marriage rituals in Iran whether temporary or permanent include different customs and in Indian culture it is more accompanied with religious rites. In general themes and the basic foundation of marriage in both works have common and different aspects among which wedding foreigners and marriage test have the most similarities in these two cultures. On one hand they both attempt to justify the hero&rsquo, s journeys and on the other hand they insist on the women&rsquo, s prime choice of spouse.

The story of Bahram Chobineh's revolt and Khosrow Parviz's escape to Rome are described in detail in Shahnameh and other historical sources. In Persian and Arabic sources, the path of Khosrow's flight to Rome and what happens there are briefly described. Historians however do not agree with this part of his kingship. In addition to Persian and Arabic sources, this story is also mentioned in Byzantine, Armenian and Syriac sources. In this research, which was carried out by descriptive and analytical method and also using library tools, this story was investigated and compared in Shahnameh and other historical sources. By examining various sources, it became clear that Ferdowsi's source, which reaches Khodaynameh through Shahnameh Abu Mansouri , was the most detailed version of Khodaynameh since Ferdowsi and after him the author of Nahayeh al-Arb, tell the most complete and accurate narration of this story. Ferdowsi's narrative in telling this story is so precise that it is possible to use Shahnameh as a historical source in researches related to the Sassanids. In the Byzantine and Armenian sources, Theophylact's history and choronicle of seert have the closest narrative to the Shahnameh; Considering the similarity of these sources and since some authors state their sources, by putting together these stories and other narrations like it, it may be possible to use them in reaching a new understanding of khodaynameh.

The subject of individual migration or tribal one has been one of the most significant topics in man’s society throughout history. It’s significance is such that Moslem’s regard the date of Hijrat as the point in history. “Population density” and “migration” and are two sides of a coin. They disperse culture, literature and whatever is related to culture and art. This article first examines different perspectives regarding diaspora which is one of the outstanding manifestations of migration and in the end it deals with variety of diaspora in Shahnameh and also the connection of diaspora with loneliness which is one of the most important challenges of man is further investigated. Since all these diasporas result in loneliness, loneliness accompanied with acute pain and suffering as one comes across in some figures in Shahnameh such as Zahhak who experiences eternal damnation and misery, in some characters such as Goshtasb and Sam end in happiness and prosperity and in significant others such as Kaykhosrow, Lohrasb, Siavash, Sohrab, Foroud and Jarireh end in catastrophy. Inspection of diaspora with the subject of loneliness, accompanied by divisions in terms of in and out migration, wanted or unwanted migration, fortunate-unfortunate outcome of migration and determining social conditions and consideration of factors such as age, gender and circumstances are researches carried out by the authors of this article. Apart from the book of migration in literature and art which only deals with migration as a part of diaspora and has not entered the domain of Persian literature in particular Shahnameh no other researches touch upon these matters.

Ever since antiquity one of the concerns of man has been confrontation with nature,and finding a justification for the world’s end. For this reason in his life he was in search of the world’s and man’s creation, purpose and his end. One of the beliefs regarding creation is the story of Zarvan-Khoda in Zarvan village located in Larestan region, which is connected with the legend of Zarvan had left a deep impact on the life and thought of its people. Attempt is made in this article to study the tale of Zarvan-khoday with respect to the myth of Zarvan and its mythological themes. The method of research is both field and library one. First using field method and interviewing the eldery the tale of Zarvan God is heard, recorded and the most complete version is selected as the base of the study. Next, using library source, the tale and the myth of Zarvan are compared, mythological themes were drawn out and analyzed using descriptive comparative approach. The findings of the research show that both the tale and the myth of Zarvan have common grounds and also differences which have led to formation of beliefs that are still reflected in people’s lives after passage of centuries. It should also be said that the mythological themes in the following sections are examined. 1.Determinism . 2. Magic. 3. Sacrificing a rooster and mutilating the victim's body. 4. Tying on the pomegranate tree. 5. Gaz tree. 6. Killing a child. 7. Cave symbol of blessing. 8. Negative attitude towards women. 9- The impact of prayer and sacrifice. 10. Number 7. 11. Mountain.

In the process of their transformation, myths have continued to live with another form in Persian folk epics among which goddesses are very important. In this research, the incarnation of the mother goddess in Iranian mythology (Anahita) and Mesopotamian mythology (Ishtar and Inanna) are analyzed and compared with their counterparts in Bighami's Darab-nameh from the point of view of comparative mythology. By examining Darab-nameh, one can find the incarnation of mother goddesses in the name and vocation of Ain al-Hayat and Jahan-faruz characters. The symbolic application of water and star in the names of these characters and the symbols of the tree, the moon and the number three, as well as functions such as warfare, singing, feasts, lust, decency and chastity, mourning, pride, losing a loved one, and holy matrimony strengthen the connection. Considering frequent use of tree symbol as a kind of plant totem in the character of Ain al-Hayat is explained. Therefore, the author's hypothesis is based on the fact that the mother-goddesses of Iranian and Mesopotamia mythology, over the ages, have reappeared in a different form in the female characters of folk epics. The approach employed in this article is the descriptive analytic one by which it is shown that the vegetation martyre goddess is a pattern repeated in Darab- nameh. Furthermore the impact of Persian and Mesopotamian mythology on Darab-nameh is investigated.

Due to close connection that military crimes have with national and social security, instigating order and keeping political power of a country, they are usually accompanied with the harshest and most severe penalties to indicate the existence of general regulations among former governments in facing such crimes. Based on this fact, one of the most important subjects in the structure of laws and kings’ approaches in Shahnameh in the domain of military crimes is explained via emphasis upon their responsibilities in keeping the political order, the power of country and to gurantee people’s rights. The purpose of this article is to investigate variety of military crimes in Shahnameh and penalties considered for this kind of crimes. The results show that apart from defying laws committed by the militants and their obstinance in wars or in reaction to military orders a large part of crimes committed by troops and commanders in lower ranks were against ordinary people in the form of financial penalties such as consfication, looting or raiding estates. For this reason attempt is made to lower the social and economic grounds for committing such crimes via attention to soldiers’ rights, privileges and employing preventive measures and approaches for decreasing military crimes and different types of preventive approaches and policies in the form of warnings, surveillance, severe and instant penalties, and issuing different kinds of financial, non-financial, and punitive measures are among the most repetitive themes in Shahnameh’s kings’ commands and advice. Most of them were issued by Anushirvan.

Epics rely and emphasize on the language, history, cultural background and geographical boundaries of a nation,For this reason, more than other literary genres, they are related to national identity and national solidarity. By using language in a special way, the epic creates a kind of identity and hegemonic agreement. The epic poet in epic language, relying on Antagonism, takes advantage of a dynamic discourse and in this way creates his desired political-social superiority. In this article, the authors investigate Banu-Goshasb Nameh employing analytical-descriptive approach. In this research, the examples of the logic of equivalence and the logic of difference in this epic work are presented,categories that ultimately create Antagonism. It is concluded that the result of this antagonism is the emphasis on cultural borders and Iranian identity. The recognition and understanding of this concept are necessary in the period of cultural and political opposition of powers to enliven the national identity and to pave the way towards the welfare of a nation.

Delgoshānāmeh is the name of an epic poem related to the Gourkāni period with the theme of Mukhtār's vengeance after Imam Hussain’s martyrdom. As mentioned in the verses, this work is a poem composed by a person named Āzād, but the lack of sources specifying the composer’s identity and some ambiguities have caused this poem to be attributed to Mohammad Ali Āzād Kashmiri, Mirzā Arjmand Āzād Kashmiri, Āzād Belgrāmi, and Mohammad Sādiq Āzād Kashmiri. In this essay, unlike other sources, we used the text of the poem and especially compared its verses with Āzād Kashmiri’s other religious epic verses, Hamle-ie-Heidari, which was the only official supplementary version of Bāzel Mashhadi’s Hamle-ie written at the request of Bāzel’s family, to prove the composer’s identity. The poet's confession of writing “Delgoshānāmeh” in this poem and the stylistic proportions of the two poems were the reasons to prove the poet’s identity. Also, concerning the poet’s attributing himself to being originally from Tehran in one of the verses of his poem, this article, by citing documentation, proposed the hypothesis that this poet as a representative of the Indian style epic has not attributed his origin to Tehran in the area of Shahr-e Ray, but to Tehran in the area of Isfahan (Tiran), his lineage has been from Isfahan, or he has made this claim because of his desire to return to the capital of Iran, the center of literary developments of the era.

Independent heroic poems like Kūsh-nāmah, centered around mythical figures and epic heroes are often the continuation of the stories of Shahnameh and are regarded as its supplement. Kūsh-nāmah, one of the most important heroic texts, is written by Iran-Shān-ebn-Abī-al-Khayr in the early 6th century AH (12th century CE). In recent decades, with the growth of editing ancient Persian texts, such works have become available to researchers through revised texts and valuable publications, leading to a wave of research and article writing regarding them. These research works do not share the same structural and content value. Therefore, this article introduces and identifies these studies, and examines and evaluates the structure and content of each of them to depict a better image of the Kūsh-nāmah and its research areas to identify the efficient or inefficient aspects of them.The collection of these studies and their classifications not only provides a cohesive perspective on Kūsh-nāmah articles to the readers but also has yielded numerous achievements, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of these research works. Inconsistency between titles and content, hurried and sometimes inaccurate analysis, repetitive expressions, inappropriate topic selection are among the negative features while thematic diversity of the articles, re-correction of ambiguous verses, attention to the extensive geography of the epic, and comparative studies of Kūsh-nāmah with Shahnameh and other epic poems are among the prominent positive features of these researches.