فصلنامه ادبیات عرفانی و اسطوره شناختی
سال نوزدهم شماره 73 (زمستان 1402)

The power of literature to connect civilized and cultured individuals across different times and places is undeniable. For centuries, mystical literature has served as a bridge for those who believe in transcendence and spirituality, uniting passionate individuals who share common concerns. Nikos Kazantzakis, a writer with a rich body of literary and mystical works, is a prime example of these concerned and rebellious individuals whose mystical literature is the focus of his writing. This article examines Kazantzakis's mystical perspective, exploring his approach to the mystical relationship between man and God through a descriptive-analytical method. The results of this research reveal that, in accordance with Kazantzakis's spiritual worldview, God and man have a significant impact on the creation of divine works. In expressing the relationship between man and God, Kazantzakis emphasizes love, liberation from worldly attachments, the conflict between body and soul, human existential suffering, and inner confrontation with God. He also views death as a transcendental phenomenon that leads to the immortality of the human soul and its connection with God.

The concept of Farr, as one of the mythological ideas, refers to the relationship between humans and nature. Those who believed in myths believed that Farr, or the divine power, exists in all beings, both human and animal, and causes them to perfect their functions. In Shānāmeh, this power is sometimes associated with animal symbols, highlighting the synchronization of humans and nature in establishing order and preserving nature from the power of anti-nature during mythological times. The present article, using a descriptive-analytical method, focuses on the function of Farr in Mohammadrezā Yousefi's adaptations of Shānāmeh, written for children and teenagers. In his works, Farr, in the form of animals such as a bird (Spida) and a lamb (Farhan), creates order and saves both humans and nature from the elements of antinature, such as Divan (demons), drought, and severe cold. The research shows that Yousefi has presented Farr's animal symbols in a mythological way for his audience with a bio-oriented approach. In these works, Farr is a part of nature that fights against evil, restores order, and helps in the survival of both humans and non-humans. In later historical periods, the role of Farr changes, and it is placed at the service of political and social order.

Mystical stories serve as a means of spreading awareness and promoting spirituality in the realm of mysticism and human progress towards self-transcendence. Numerous authors have focused on transcendence under the guise of mysticism and spiritual experience in their works. Shahrnush Parsipur is one such writer who views the lives of her fictional characters through a mystical lens and portrays immortality in reality. In her renowned novel Women Without Men, Parsipur employs mystical elements to create her female characters. The objective of this research is to investigate the social and mystical perspective of Shahrnush Parsipur towards women and their social status, based on the novel, using an analytical-descriptive approach. The findings of this research suggest that each character in the novel can be considered a representative of a segment of women's society; women who, by attaining self-knowledge and embarking on a spiritual journey, strive to understand the truth of their existence and seek inner purity, immortality, and truth.

 The very study aims to investigate the variant discourse approaches which has emerged based on interactive, perceptive, dynamic and innovative relationship with the world. The discourses in adjacent to their former semiotics and in interaction with other semiotics has found independent entity with a new semantic sense. This research demonstrates new approaches in aspects of communication to open new horizon of meanings for the reader. The researcher investigates the semiotics and their approach in semantic based on “Ganj-e-Baqdadi” anecdote. The research aims to investigate the semiotics not only in singular way but also in relation to collection of other semiotics causing meaning construction in communication meanwhile, the possibility and accessibility of character of the communication in the anecdote is considered. The key point is that semiotics in an interactive process lead to meaning creation, artistic generation and eloquence.This research has answered to the following questions . This research strongly aims to investigate in which circumstance of discourse the process of evolution and chaos in discourse of this anecdote happen? How the discourse change does result in dynamic meanings? Which discourse-base system outperform considering the mythological-based of it? What is the basis of mystical semiotics change ?Considering mystical based of Masnavi-Maanavi, which discourse approach represents it more? The research results in the impossibility of study on meaning regardless of its application in discourse which meaning creation flow is shaped there. Then after, it creates evolution in semantics. Generally speaking, this research aims to investigate different schools of discourse.

The approach of archetypal criticism, which has its foundation in anthropology, is interdisciplinary in nature. This method is particularly prominent in the study of epic works, such as Ferdowsi's Shānāmeh, due to the deep-rooted archetypes and mythological foundations present in these texts. The collective unconscious plays a dominant role in great mythological and mystical works, as evidenced by the presence of motifs such as the repetition of cosmic processes, rituals, gods, and supernatural elements. As a result, these texts, and particularly Shānāmeh, are highly suitable for the analysis of archetypal elements. The purpose of this research is to investigate and analyze the archetypal connection between plants and humans in myths, specifically focusing on the stories of Siavash and Kei-Khosrow. This research employs a descriptive-analytical method and utilizes Jung's critique of archetypes to analyze the archetypal and genealogical aspects of the vegetative reason. The findings of this research indicate that the "Kin plant" (coral plant or Erythrina corallodendron) that grows from Siavash's blood is a symbol of the archetype of human reason and plant descent of man, which is manifested in the existence of Kei-Khosrow.

The current article aims to elucidate the similarities and differences between two worldviews presented in two works, Euripides' play Medea and Ferdowsi's epic Shānāmeh, by analyzing their discourse of power. This research employs an analytical-comparative method, and the necessary information was gathered through a library study and discourse analysis. The study's objective is to identify the distinguishing points of these two epistemes concerning the concept of power. The results of this comparative study can serve as examples of common epistemology in the cultural spaces of classical Greece and Iran and the dominant discourse in these two cultures. The theoretical basis for this discussion is derived from Michel Foucault's ideas and his concept of power discourse. The study reveals that while both works share similar components in their episteme, such as destiny, death, love, originality, and wisdom, their fundamental distinction lies in their approach to accepting or opposing the discourse of God's (or the gods) supreme power. In the story of Sohrab, Ferdowsi considers God's destiny as the cause of the story's ending, while Euripides portrays Medea as standing against the institutionalized tradition and even being willing to behead her children, take the gods with herself, and ride gloriously on the chariot of the gods while opposing the dominant discourse of power.