فصلنامه ادبیات عرفانی و اسطوره شناختی
سال هجدهم شماره 66 (بهار 1401)

Taboo (meaning prohibited and forbidden) refers to things that have limits and follow certain rules and should not be broken under any circumstances, and if they are broken, the person and her/his relatives will suffer negative and harmful consequences. The present study, by using analytic-descriptive method and library sources, examines the examples of taboo-breaking in the story of Sheikh Sanān from the mystical book of Attār of Nishapur, Mantiq-ut-Tayr. In the article, the taboos are divided into two categories: Islamic and Christian taboos, and each of them has been analyzed according to the relevant religion. The main question is, given the character of Sheikh Sanān, why are taboos broken? The answer of the question is given based on the psychology of Jung and according to the principles of Islam and Christianity. Carl Gustav Jung believes that the incompatible and negative features are the result of the function of the shadow archetype. Therefore, the reason for breaking the taboos by the protagonists - Sheikh Sanān and the Christian girl - is the result of the action of the shadow archetype.

Mythological views about creation describe the way man thinks about existence and creation; they often try to remove the ambiguity from the stage before creation and creation. In his literary-mystical works, Christian Bobin has dealt with the ontology of creation, sometimes in a descriptive way, and sometimes with a literary and metaphorical language. His views on the system of existence are significantly similar to Suhrawardi's views on the “controlling lights” (al-anwar al-ghahirah) and “managing lights” (al-anwar al-mudabbirah). Bobin also considers transcendental factors such as divine light and angels, along other factors, to be effective in the creation and guidance of Nature. The present article tries to deeply read Boban's literary-mystical works and to better understand his worldview in accordance with Suhrawardi's philosophy of illumination (ishrāq). The result of the research indicates that Christian Bobin, based on a kind of illuminational self-knowledge and with a poetic-mystical appraoch, believes the myth of creation is in a continuous and permanent relationship with the "face of God". His view is similar to the Quranic view that every day God is engaged in some work (Kulla Yawmin Huwa Fī Shanin, Quran: 55:29). In his works, the myth of creation refers to a chain-like and eternal birth of "being" which is associated with luminous eternity. Like Suhrawardi, Bobin sees light as the basis of "being" and the cause of its continuity; his view is a kind of quasi-illuminational view.

Traveling (mythological / mystical) is one of the topics covered by great writers of fiction. The present article compares the two models of travel in Iranian and world literature from mythological and mystical perspective. The Pearson-Marr archetypes refer to twelve stages of the hero's mythological journey (innocent, orphan, warrior, protector, seeker, destroyer, lover, creator, governor, wizard, wise and clown). In Mantiq-u-Tayr, the outstanding book of Attār of Nishapur, seven stages of mystical journey (suluk) are mentioned as follows: search (talab); love (eshq); knowledge (marifat); unity (tohid); contentment (esteghnā); bewilderment (heirat); true poverty (faqr); nothingness (fanā). The purpose of the present article is to compare the Pearson-Marr archetypes with Attār's stages of mystical journey by examining John Bunyan's the Pilgrim’s Progress, a classic Christian novel with travel theme. Christian, the hero of the story, begins his journey from his hometown, the "City of Destruction" (this world), to the "Celestial City" (the Heaven). The research findings show that the main reason for the similarity between the two books (Mantiq-u-Tayr and the Pilgrim’s Progress) is their religious background. Although there is no one-to-one correspondence between the stages of the journey in the two models of Attār and Pearson-Mar, but since John Bunyan's book is about a mythological-mystical journey, the steps that his protagonist (Christian) goes through fit into both patterns.

The ritual of sacrifice, as a religious-social behavior, is one of the ancient rituals that has remained among different ethnic groups in different ways. The present study tries to study the position of sacrificial animals in the Persian poetry-narrative texts (up to the 7th AH century) through a descriptive-analytical method. The results of the research show that sacrificial humans are gradually being replaced by sacrificial animals, and this is one of the good deeds of the founders of the divine religions. According to various texts of Persian literature, most animals like cows, camels, sheep, horses and sometimes mares, zebras, donkeys and chickens are sacrificed on various occasions such as scapegoating, repelling misfortune, protecting from evil eye, thanksgiving, succeeding in affairs, giving birth to child, repelling magic and talisman. The ritual of sacrifice is equally reflected in epic and mystical texts, but in the lyrical texts, due to the romantic atmosphere of them, there is often talk of donating animals to temples and fire temples, and there is rarly talk of shedding animal blood. Fraser's theory about scapegoating  as well as Tylor and Boyce's views about the sacrifice as a gift to the gods are more efficient and flexible than other theories.

Ritual studies is an interdisciplinary area that encompasses a wide ranges of branches of humanities. According to the theory of rites of passage, the symbolic structure of ancient and mythological religions in different cultures has a specific pattern. The present study, by using an analytical-descriptive method, wants to answer the question that to what extent does the mystical passage of Abu Said Abul-Khayr,  which is reflected in ancient texts such as Tazkirat al-Awliya of Attār and Asrār al-Tawhid of Mohammad ibn Monvvar, correspond to the theory of rites of passage? The mystical passage of Abu Said Abul-Khayr is consistent with the three-phase pattern (separation, transition, and reincorporation) of Arnold van Gennep. Abu Said's mystical journey (suluk) which has been formed through a difficult and ritualistic process and is based on unique doctrinal and practical characteristics, eventually becomes an anti-structure in the Sufism of that time.

God has created the universe according to patterns which only some of them have been revealed to man. Among these patterns related to the form and function of creatures, geometric patterns and proportions are of great importance in terms of visual beauty and structural strength. The purpose of this descriptive-analytical study is to study the signs of geometric proportion in Zoroastrian texts and Shāhnāmeh. The type of proportion and the geometric shapes that are explicitly stated in these texts are examined and the following questions are answered: What is the type of geometric proportion mentioned in these texts? To what extent do these proportions correspond to their current meaning? The results of the research show that according to Zoroastrian texts and Shāhnāmeh, there are signs of using the geometric proportions of squares and circles in the first creatures of Ahura and in some man-made structures. These mythological proportions seem to be close to the classic concept of proportion, according to which if the spiritual aspect of a phenomenon is greater, its geometric shape will be closer to a circle. Also, when it comes to the physical world, the issue of geometric proportion of square is raised.

One of the key issues in epic and mystical literature, especially in Shāhnāmeh and Masnavi Manavi, is the manifestations of altruism. These two works show that the different views on the origin of creation refer to different images of man and the "radical creation" in Shāhnāmeh and Masnavi Manavi by using analytical-descriptive method. According to the concept, the universe and man emerged from the fusion of hidden forces in a "root". The findings of the research show that the ultimate goal of life of people who consider themselves as creatures of love is kindness and connection. In their poems, Ferdowsi and Rumi depict this love and try to get a new Iranian concept of creation, a concept whose essence is "popular" and "universal". The attribute of being "popular" gives meaning and life to the individual and the society, without destroying their personality; and the attribute of being "universal" fosters diversity and harmony for all.

According to William Glasser's choice theory, a "Quality World" is a set of images about life that man has in mind for a good life; these images represent the world in which he/she aspires to live. They are similar to those portrayed by Muslim mystics through the interpretation of the holy books and personal discovery and intuition. The present article, by using descriptive-analytical method, attempts to study the views of Ayn al-Quzat Hamadani and Ruzbehan Baqli about "Quality World" based on Glasser's choice theory. In the mystical literary discourse, the "Quality World" is important because the mystics, by drawing a picture of their ideal world, have led their followers to an accessible world; however, sometimes their ideal world is an abstract and inaccessible one. They depict their lived experiences in metaphorical language and interpret a surreal world in their realist texts. Ayn al-Quzat Hamadani and Ruzbehan Baqli describe the "Quality World" with terms such as "divine majesty", "Face of God", "archangelic world", "the garden of eternity" and "eternal world"; in this world, the connection with the Almighty and the annihilation of God is realized. These two mystics change the mental images of people by using a variety of descriptive methods and lead them to a qauality world - albeit an abstract one - in which inherent desires, such as calmness and meaningfulness of life, prevail.

One of the most important topics in the mythologies of nations is how spirits are guided to the afterlife and enter the world of afterlife. In various myths and based on the beliefs of each ethnic group about immortality, the "leader" is a person who guides the spirits of the dead - according to their deeds and actions - to their eternal place. In the present research, by using an analytical-comparative method, the types of leaders are introduced in Iranian and other nations mythology, and the relationship between the leader and the gender of the dead person is explained. By recognizing the role of the leaders, people used to gain a deeper understanding of the afterlife, their fears and anxieties decreased, and they calmed down. The research findings show that the performance of the leaders of the spirits is evaluated based on the good or bad deeds of the dead, and the role of the leader in the mythology of one nation is different from its role in the mythology of other nations.

The Tales of Mashdi Galin Khānom, compiled by Laurence Paul Elwell-Sutton, includes 110 folk tales of the Iranian people. The present article tries to show the remnants of myths in some of these folk tales and also to compare the myths with Shāhnāmeh and other mythological books. In these stories, there is no mention of Zal and Simorgh, but the hero is raised by a bird, and the seahorse and the horse help him by pulling a few strands of hair from their mane and giving it to the protagonist. The present study, by using descriptive-analytical method, shows that some folk tales are modified myths that have been reflected in stories and legends over time. The presence of myths in folk tales and legends has led to their survival. The content of the tales may not have all the characteristics of myths, but they are modeled on one or more myths or events of Shāhnāmeh. By analyzing some of folk tales of  The Tales of Mashdi Galin Khānom, the authors have attempted to study the effect of myths in some of these stories and to explain how they were transformed.