The Rite of Sacrifice in Biveh-koshi; A Study Based on the Ideas of Mircea Eliade

The concept of sacrifice is one of the major themes in Biveh-koshi (Widow Killing) a novel by Yousef Alikhani. It contributes to the coherence of the narrative and the sequence of events in the story. Various mythologists have studied the subject of sacrifice in the culture of different ethnic groups, including Mircea Eliade, who equates sacrifice with the act of creation and the necessity of life. He believes that nothing can be created without sacrifice. Biveh-koshi is a contemporary example of the rite of sacrifice. In the novel, the successive sacrifices of the seven sons of Hazratgholi and the sacrificing a lamb instead of a virgin girl are reminiscent of mythological idea of the rite of sacrifice. In the present study, the authors, by using an analytical-comparative approach, have first interpreted the main theories of Mircea Eliade about concepts such as the myth of creation, sacrificing and the initial perfection. Then, they have analyzed the elements of the rite of sacrifice in Biveh-koshi in order to explain the views of Eliade and to evaluate their compatibility with the narrative of the story. The results of the study show that the narrative of Biveh-koshi is a manifestation of the conflict between the myths of creation and fertility.