The Function of Eulogy in Khāqāni's Poetry

Iranian and Semitic myths are widely and variously reflected in Khāqāni's poetry and his panegyrics. The extraordinary power and glory of the mythological figures is familiar to everyone. Khāqāni pays attention to this and describes his praised person and shows his/her superiority over Iranian and Semitic myths and even Islamic characters. Because of this, he sometimes ignores his religious beliefs. The present article aims to examine the function of the myths in Khāqāni's poetry. The results show that he has no disagreement with Iranian myths, nor does he disbelieve religious beliefs. Whenever, he refers to superiority of his praised persons over the mythological figures or despises the myths, he wants to attract his praised person attention and enjoy his/her material gifts.