Mytho-Mystic Literature
Year:2021 | Volume:17 | Issue:63|Papers Count:10

Among the famous Muslim mystics, Junayd of Baghdad is a unique figure. He has a privileged position due to his high mystical degrees, admiration and approval of his contemporaries, and the charismatic acts and quotations attributed to him. The Persian-speaking audiences are more familiar with him through Attā r of Nishapur’ s book Tazkirat al-Awliya; however, the studies show that many mystical works and the biographical books have paid special attention to this character. Further studies show that in the biographical books and the mystical works, we do not encounter a single Junaid, but his personality changes in different periods and by different writers. The present article attempts to study the main structure of these various narratives by descriptive-analytical method. Only by considering and juxtaposing these various narratives, we can present a single image of Junaid in a structured way. The tastes of the authors of these works are not the same for different reasons, but it seems that in these works, Junaid gradually acquired a new and transcendent face different from his character in real life.

The Weirdo and I by Forouzande Khodajoo is a novel in the fantasy genre written for teenagers. The elements and characters of the novel are influenced by mythological motifs. In fact, the fantasy presented in the work is of the mythological fantasy type and has a deep foundation behind its components. The present study intends to analyze and explore the mysteries and mythological concepts in the story in an analytical-comparative manner and mythological criticism approach. The main character of the story (a girl named Baran) is in the stage of maturity; she has been given a task that to do it, she must enter an unknown land. The results show that the rituals and actions that are necessary to pass from childhood to youth are symbolized in the story. Her mission during the maturity is to discover the seeds of life and bring life back to the ancient land. The character of woman, as a tree inhabiting the ancient land, is influenced by the archetype of the sanctity of trees. The character of the river fairy, who is the guardian of water, is inspired by the sacred goddesses of ancient times. Elements such as oysters and tears are symbols of fertility and femininity. Also, the monster of starvation, as an element of evil, has a mythological origin.

Symbolic and allegorical poems are considered as literary masterpieces of Persian language and have similar examples in other languages such as two works from China called I Ching and Feng Shen Yen I. The present study intends to compare Mantiq-ut-Tayr with these two books by employing descriptive-analytical method. In all three works, birds such as Phoenix (Simorgh), duck, rooster, goose and crane are mentioned when talking about suluk (spiritual journey). Considering the antiquity of these two books and based on the researches, it can be said that the Chinese were influenced by pre-Islamic Iran in religion and some arts. In the Islamic period, in the fields of art, symbolism, literary and mystical stories, writing styles in poetry and prose, many similarities can be found between Iranian and Chinese cultures. The results indicate that there are similarities between the patterns and actions of these birds (such as attention to suluk or spiritual journey, purity, purification of the soul, avoidance of self-deception, attention to the end of all ends, tolerance of sufferings and attention to the idea of eternity and immortality) in both Iranian and Chinese mystical traditions.

Jalaluddin Ahmad Kasani (866-949 AH) is one of the famous Naqshbandiyya mystics of Transoxiana who has written more than 30 treatises in the field of mysticism. Most of these treatises are available as manuscripts in various libraries and have been introduced or edited sparsely in a few articles or dissertations. The subject of the treatises is mysticism; in some, the mystical terms are dealt with in the manner of the book Kashf al-Mahjoub; in some, the views of Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari are discussed. Of course, special and different mystical views of Kasani can also be found in these treatises. In the present research, which has been done in a descriptive-analytical method, an attempt has been made to examine his mystical views and his definitions of some terms, in addition to studying the treatises. The findings show that Kasani does not follow a specific epistemological model in expressing mystical views and terms and in each treatise, he focuses on a specific topic. In most of the treatises, scattered and repetitive data about some mystical terms can be seen such as annihilation and immortality, absence and presence, etc. His definitions of these terms are sometimes taken from previous books and sometimes made by himself. Kasani is strongly influenced by Rumi in his description of mystical subjects; there are many citations to Masnavi Manavi in his treatises.

One of the lasting legacies of Islamic mystics and Sufi elders is their maktoobat (writings). Maktoobat are letters that mystics and Sufis used often to write to their contemporaries with the aim of expressing their own teachings, advices and mentioning some of the mystical mysteries, theological truths and divine teachings. In other words, maktoobat have long been common among the mystics as a means of teaching, questioning, and answering, and the Sufi elders used letters to express their thoughts. The letters of Dhul-Nun al-Misri and Junayd of Baghdad are the first surviving writings of the pioneers of Islamic mysticism. These letters are among the first-hand sources written in Arabic, with mystical prose and phrases, describing mystical teachings and beliefs. The present article, by using descriptive-analytical method, attempts to analyze the structural and content characteristics of these letters and explore their hidden themes. The results of the research are as follows: compiling a systematic list of scattered correspondences of Dhul-Nun al-Misri and Junayd of Baghdad; providing an analysis of the structure and form of correspondences; explaining the types, elements, styles of writing and contents of the letters; introducing the narrators and the audiences of the letters.

According to Jung's principle of opposites, opposites are one of the most important factors in the growth and flourishing of personality in the collective unconscious. In addition to causing changes in personality structure, opposites motivate all human behavior and are source of all the psychic energy. According to this psychological principle, a person who suffers from psychological stress, tries to relieve voluntarily his/her stress and move towards perfection. By using analytical-comparative method and with the aim of showing the function of psychic energy in mythological characters, the present article tries to study the degree of impressionability of poets such as Ahmad Shamloo and Amal Abul-Qassem Donqol from myths. The results show that in the face of the misfortunes and failures of the world around them, these two modernist poets have used the technique of mask (persona) and have depicted the mythological characters; in this way, they have masterfully created new myths in their poems under the influence of ancient myths

Every human being has aspirations and desires that seeks them. Recognition of human desires helps the individual to seek moral and psychological desires instead of quarreling over social, individual, and collective desires in order to have a meaningful life and achieve his/her innate desires, including peace. This article uses a descriptive-analytical method to examine Rouzbahan Baghli's view on the most important human desires. The abstraction and concreteness of propositions that represent their individuality and universality are important in mystical literary discourse. The question is whether the mystics have confused their followers with their universal propositions or have increased the certainty of their words with concrete sentences and guided their followers in a certain direction. Roozbehan has presented his experiences in metaphorical language in Abhar al-Ashiqin, and in Sarh al-shathiyyat, he offers a realistic method for interpreting surrealistic subjects and writes both texts concretely using a variety of descriptive methods. According to him, individual and collective social desires should be for perfection and the acquisition of moral desires, such as loving, and lead man to intrinsic and spiritual desires such as peace and meaning.

Many of the themes in Madan a-Dorar, written by Mohammad Soleiman Morshedi, are consistent with mythological concepts, and mythological ideas play a significant role in shaping the contents of this biographical and mystical book. Madan a-Dorar is about the life and mystical experiences of Hajji Nasser Din Omar Morshdi. The present research attempts to study the mystical experience and stages of suluk (spiritual journey) of Naser al-Din Omar Morshedi based on the theory of Joseph Campbell by using analytical-comparative method. The aim of the present study is to investigate the degree of compatibility of the themes of the book with Joseph Campbell's theory and to show the cases in which mystical themes correspond to mythical themes. The results show that the mythological sanctity of the hero in Madan a-Dorar is the same as that of the gods and archetypes. According to Campbell's theory, the journey of the hero can be explained in three stages: departure, initiation and return. Morshedi, as a hero who seeks individuality, begins his spiritual journey with the call of a deer; he experiences the rebirth by crossing the threshold and exiting the womb of the cave. Finally, he passes the rite of initiation and returns and achieves a holy manifestation. At the end of this spiritual journey, the hero reaches a position beyond contradictions, and God is manifested to him in everything. In his mystical experience, Morshedi repeats the mythological patterns. Many of Madan a-Dorar anecdotes are consistent with the components of Campbell's hero's journey and only in some components there are differences.

Love, which represents the deepest form of connection between human beings, can take on different forms. In a romantic relationship, not all people follow the same emotional pattern and some human beings may even resort to violence or punishment. The myth of Ranā in the region of Gilā n in Iran depicts the emergence of a romantic relationship and its unfortunate fate in the lord and peasant system. By using descriptive-content analysis method and with a mythological and narratological approach, the present study seeks to explain the influential elements in the romantic myth of Ranā . Also, the various dimensions of this mythological narrative and its discourse, contextual and hypertextual conditions are examined. In order to better understand the symbols of the narrative, the attempt is made to study the prevailing culture and discourses with an emphasis on psychoanalysis and sociology. The results show that human relations, especially emotional, can indicate the evolutionary status of a society and if a society wants to preserve its indigenous identity and its own aesthetics, it has no choice but to know its past and pay attention to its native myths; because myths are considered as behavioral patterns of a particular society and in most cases, their influence is unconsciously experienced.