https://heroic.lu.ac.ir/ Journal of Heroic Literature en daily 1 Wed, 23 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0330 Wed, 23 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0330 https://heroic.lu.ac.ir/article_718647.html The word splendor means glory, radiance and divine approval. It has different types like divine splendor, royal splendor, common splendor, priest splendor, heroic splendor and Iranian splendor.One of the most important types of splendor is royal splendor which is a requirement for the reign of kings. Beside glorious kings, there have always been famous heroes who serve the king and benefit from his support. In this paper, royal and heroic splendors have been studied and, in fact, royal splendor confirms and strengthen heroic splendor. It means that as long as the hero serves the king he owns splendor but when he stays away from the king he is deprived of splendor since heroic splendor lies upon the approval and confirmation of royal splendor and is directly connected to it. https://heroic.lu.ac.ir/article_718649.html The epic narratives of Shahnameh, especially in the semantic section, have a different dimension in psychoanalysis. Among these narratives, the story of Rostam and Sohrab is more than the other psychoanalytic analysis and critique. Obviously, one of the psychoanalytic approaches to this story is the critique and analysis of the personality of Rustam based on the defense mechanisms that Freud and Anna Freud theorized. The present research seeks to examine the character of Rustam based on these mechanisms, in order to make the reader aware of the mysteries and hidden layers of this story, and the extent and maturity of the master of the narrative of Tusus will be revealed to everybody, as well as the psychoanalytic attitude in this article. In the opinion of researchers, the ambiguity in identifying Rustam from Sohrab is largely apparent before a dream on the battlefield. The defense mechanisms discussed in this article include denial, inhibition of communication with reality, inhibition of the secondary process, aggressive replication, diffraction, compensation, change in direction and displacement. https://heroic.lu.ac.ir/article_718638.html Human psyche employs certain tools in order to reduce tension and defend itself; this equipment is called defense mechanism. These mechanisms work subconsciously; therefore, they prevent the individuals from knowing themselves. Investigating the defense mechanisms in addition to getting to the truth about internal demands provides one with the opportunity to recognize the reasons behind certain regular behaviors. Esfandiar is one of the two main characters in the battle facing Rustam, one of the main heroes of the Shahnameh and the hero of “the pure religion”. Ferdowsi has provided the opportunity to analyze different layers of this hero’s character by recounting details and direct speech report attributed to him. In the current study, it has been attempted to use Freud’s psychoanalytic theories regarding defense mechanisms so as to reveal the truth about his deeds, behaviors, and conducts. These revelations will result in showing how Esfandiar uses these defense mechanisms in order to resolve his internal and external conflicts.   https://heroic.lu.ac.ir/article_718641.html It is obvious that some parts of the narratives in Persian literature have taken their themes from ancient Iran, or their origins can be found in Avesta or Zarathustran middle-era Persian texts. However, these stories, originating from ancient Persian literature, have not been unaffected by the Islamic or Semitic principles. These points are even seen in the Iranians’ national epic, the Shahname, so that the gnostic ideas of the beginning of Christianity are seen in the words, thought, and behavior of the characters likes Iraj and Khosrow. The ideas like taking material and human soul and body as evil seem to have, probably, come to Manichaeism from Christianity and from there have entered the Shahname. Also, some speeches made by Persian characters are, indeed, translations of the holy Koran’s words like the independence of god; ‘god doesn’t need offspring or wife’. And, some hints in the words of ancient Iranians show they believed in the angels like Gabriel or Israfil. For instance, Khosrow Parviz talks about a life-taking angel in death-bed while, in Zarathustra, an evil named Astveehad takes human life. In another part, it talks about the knowing of the water of the eternal life by an Iranian farmer. Nowhere in Persian Myths, a trace of Iranians’ awareness of that water and Khezr is seen. The present research deals with the effects of non-Iranian beliefs on the Shahname. https://heroic.lu.ac.ir/article_718642.html Ever since the creation of the continuous progress of human civilization has stepped forward, thanks to the efforts of the modern civilized society, people, wisely, individually, collectively, or randomly, and through trial and error route of human civilization, have brought a new life and so the cornerstone of the ancient communities were founded. In historical patterns, the first civilization of learners and practices among communities often shaped basic but important mythological narratives and epics. This is mostly due to the efforts of the first king of the gods or the origin of the measures or a fortiori of force. It is of course the positive and negative aspects of the supernatural which have been transformed.In the mythology of the early teachings and practices of human civilization in the presence of kings and of the ideal and the Kings such as Mashya and Mashyana, Siamak, Tahmores, Hooshang and Jamshid and Fereydoon. This study focused on three factors of sources, learners, and deeds of civilization to know about the issues raised. The sources of the civilization, based on the Shahnameh, are personal, divine, and diabolical, and come from the legislators as high people in the guise of the king-gods, which pushed civilization forward. This descriptive and analytical study is based on the written sources. https://heroic.lu.ac.ir/article_718644.html Speech act is not‌ only for describing the events in real world, but also for doing things. Applying this approach, this paper studied the word of 'khonok' in Shahnameh, as an expressive and directive speech act.First, we have introduced speech act theory and the works have applied this theory in Persian works. At the end, all 'khonks' in shahnameh have been considered and categorized. 'khonok' have repeated 42 times in shahnameh and the results show that ' khonok' has expressive and directive speech acts and also has different functions and meanings in each act. It's worth to note that if we change our point of view, we will change our category; because there is a narrow border between their functions and meanings. This paper is the first one that has used pragmatics approach for studying the different meanings and functions of a word in Ferdowsi Shahnameh. https://heroic.lu.ac.ir/article_718636.html 'Epopee' literally means 'pride', 'boasting', and 'bragging' from an epical perspective, it refers to the dialogue between two heroes humiliating their enemy through offensive language and boasting about themselves expressing their honors. Definitely, to achieve the psychological atmosphere ruling epopees only depending on the literal meaning of words without the involvement of other sciences is impossible. Today, the interdisciplinary approaches have been focused on and welcomed by public in scientific, educational and research policy making. Among these, the effect of psychology to better understand literary texts can't be denied. The psychological review could occupy vast and absolutely unknown area in the literature. This type of review can be used as an accurate and comprehensive tool to read the vocabulary not written or considered by the author. One of the psychological reviews components in literary texts is 'requirements list' of Henry Murray. Analyzing personality is considered as one of the most important concepts presented in this list. In this analysis, we can easily observe the direct effect of the lexical and psychological load in the epopees used by the heroes continuing the battle. This work has been represented depending on aggression, defense and, counteraction. The present research aims to psychologically analyze the Shah-Name's epopees based on the case requirements list, relying on the interdisciplinary activities and illustrate the psychological effects due to the epopee's reading in the pitched battles. https://heroic.lu.ac.ir/article_718637.html A history of ancient Iran divided to several dynasty including, primitive and Kianian and Ashkanian. In the story of this national epic we couldn’t see any information from the Hakhmaind and median people. The main purpose of this paper is that we try to seek why the history of this dynasties has been removed from this masterpieces. Median have been settled in the western part of Iran and they had been success to make great and powerful government. In the eastern part of Iran the Kianian has been governed. Median people could conquered the eastern part and added this part to their government. After sometimes Median conquered by Hakhaniad and this has been removed by Aleksander. In the realm of Ashkanian gathering of this story has been started and on that time Ashkanian wanted to pay more attention to that stories and they talk about two defeat so that first one was crushing of ordinary people and second one the Hakhamanid but Aleksander and the first one much more smaller than the second one. The writer tried to remove the first defeat and the second was so great that they can remove it from the historical text. By passing time both of this mixed with each other so that Dara could be those one that crushed by Meadian an so that after Kianian, Aleksander come to thrown and the history of Median and Hakhmanid removed from the history. This happens occurred in the period of Ashakanianbecouse in the period of Sasaniad just one deafeat was known and thay had no inform about Hahkamaid. https://heroic.lu.ac.ir/article_718645.html Yadegar Zariran is an epic book remained from ancient Iran that is written on rhymed basis and belongs to Parthian age. The aforesaid book is among rhymed book that is written with religious theme. Whereas 2 aspects of “epic” and “religious” of this book is among main properties of this narration due to old time, some people believe that this historical book is Iranian traditional show i.e. Ta’zy-e (passion play). This research intends to analyze and study this book exactly and find out the elements of Ta’zy-e (passion play) or similar drama. Also the this book deals with properties of Ta’zy-e (passion play) as the oldest form of Ta’zy-e (passion play) in Iran. Research methodology of this research with respect to goal is fundeental and with respect to nature is descriptive and analytical and the method of collecting data is documentary based on written references. https://heroic.lu.ac.ir/article_718634.html Epic is one of the most important literary forms that tells of a nation's attempt to acquire civilization and grandiose. For some reasons Arabic literature lacks an epic masterpiece. However, there are some epic-like works in various periods of old Arabic literature which are the subject of this paper. In the period of Ignorance, there were some in the Mu'allaghat such as the Sirah of 'Antarah-ibn-Shaddad and the self-praises and war poems. There are also traces of epic poems in the Sa'alik poets' works. one of the most prominent poets of the Abbasid period that have written poems on pride and epic is Abu-FerasHamdani. Another epic-like work in this period is Fath-al-Fotuh by Abu Tamam. Safi-al-Din Helli is the pioneer among epic poets in the Decline Age. Lack of imagination and deep thinking, imitation, and lack of a unified nationality are some of the reasons behind lack of a prominent epic masterpiece in Arabic literature. https://heroic.lu.ac.ir/article_718643.html This article is an attempt to present that there are two sides to a myth. An epic is known as the story of the bravery and heroic role of great men who declare war with people that don’t respect their homeland or people or existence of sacred or valuable things. This side of an epic presents the way of war and courage. An epic presents the way of war and courage. On the other hand, an epic is so deep that it puts aside the aspect of war and presents the depth of generosity. So, the epic is not a battle but a directed program and a powerful model for the inner restoration of people who want to improve their morality. In this way, the attempt of an epic’s hero is not of battle that is an external war, but the hero of war tries to follow the religious model that includes eternal symbols of existence (jahad-e-akbar) and external war (jahad-e-asghar), which is an attempt to change the battle between two characters to a battle between a person with his despotic soul. We can see that in a short period, there is no battle between two persons, but we can never imagine that war stops between a person and his despotic soul. The Indian epic is the story of a battle in which human beings are involved in a span which is the most important reason for the eternity of a religious epic. https://heroic.lu.ac.ir/article_718646.html Abstract: Rites and symbols of initiation and the mysteries of birth and rebirth are one of the subcatagoreis of the hero's  mythological model, contains a collection of rituals and techniques whose ultimate purpose is to acquaint humans with the sacred things and superior beings.One of these rituals is the familiarization of the age of puberty among different ethnic groups, which more or less have the same structure. Based on these common structures, Mircea Eliadeh proposes a universal pattern for the familiarization of the age of puberty among the rituals, ceremonies and other texts. From this perspective, the epic of Bourzonameh, the work of Ata bin Jacob Nakuk Razi, seems to be the narrative of the age of puberty ritual, in terms of plot and deep structure.  In his way, Borzou, the novice in this epic, is accepted by the warrior class after his success in the passing of the age of puberty rituals. https://heroic.lu.ac.ir/article_718639.html Georges Dumézil, the French mythologist and historian, classifies all the Indo-European gods' deeds based on their sense of ruling, sense of battle, and fertility. She derived the gods' Indo-European system from the social structure of the triple monarchy, including the monarchy, army, and agriculture (formation of ethnic communities in the ancient times) and believes that the structure of the three ethnic groups in all areas of literature and thought affected their thought patterns including epics. The Borzū national epic, as one of the texts, appears in the infrastructure involving Iranians' three gods (Anahita, Ahura Mazda and Mehr). This means that the story is symbolically the narrator of the historical process, the formation of social unity of Iranian gods' triple character in the history of the individual alliance of farmers and lower classes (Borzu) for the first time in the power structure and the responsible executive positions and with representatives of the two other classes, the class of the King (Kaikhosro) and soldier (Borzu), while building the tripartite division of power in the office of the country and the third head of the pyramid of power to the front or the shape of the external enemy. https://heroic.lu.ac.ir/article_718294.html Journal ID, Issue: 4 https://heroic.lu.ac.ir/article_734782.html Nature, since the dawn of human culture, is not only the cradle of myth and the inspiration for ‎the creation of epic heroes, but also a force that, in a dual manner, both shapes their identity, ‎virtues, and destiny, and acts as a challenging and threatening test. The present study, relying on ‎this multifaceted connection, examines the relationship between the hero and nature in two ‎works, Ferdowsi's "Shahnameh" (Zal) and Henry Longfellow's "The Song of Hiawatha," using ‎an analytical-comparative approach. This research aims to analyze the heroes' connection with ‎natural elements and the reflection of nature's simultaneously supportive and perilous forces, ‎and then, based on cultural and mythological comparison, to explore the commonalities and ‎differences in this relationship. The findings indicate that although in both myths, nature is a ‎source of life, transcendence, and wisdom, in Longfellow's narrative, Hiawatha's final journey ‎is a conscious return to the embrace of nature and an acceptance of the cycle of life, while in ‎Ferdowsi's narrative, Zal's immortality is depicted by remaining within the myth and an ‎unbreakable bond with nature. The results suggest that in both the myths of Zal and Hiawatha, ‎nature is a dual force that can be both a threat and a cause of destruction, and a ground for the ‎hero's spiritual growth and transcendence. This duality reflects each society's cultural ‎perspective on the natural world, and in both narratives, a deep and respectful connection with ‎nature is considered a prerequisite for achieving perfection and immortality.‎ https://heroic.lu.ac.ir/article_734783.html Iranian society, throughout its historical course, has repeatedly witnessed the transfer of power from one king to another, accompanied by tensions both minor and major. The memory of these conflicts has left such a profound impact on the Iranian psyche that traces of such tensions and struggles can be observed in Iranian folktales. Despite this, the epic section of the Shahnameh does not explicitly address conflicts in the ascension of kings. The primary aim of this article is to demonstrate a case of non-peaceful power transfer following the news of Siavash's murder. Numerous evidence from authoritative texts, support the hypothesis of a non-peaceful transfer of power. Unprecedented actions, such as Rostam's blatant insult to the king and his killing of the king's wife, Sudabeh, without any reaction from Kay-Kavus, indicate the complete collapse of his authority. Furthermore, Rostam, not the king, issuing the order to attack Turan and sending the spoils of war to Zabulistan demonstrates that power had shifted away from the court. Additionally, the process of succession was entirely controlled by champions. This shows Kay-Kavus's role in determining his own successor was reduced to complete passivity. The ambiguity and contradiction in sources regarding Kay-Kavus's fate, ranging from voluntary abdication to deposition and imprisonment, attest to an unpleasant event. The older narrative of Al-Dinawari's, which explicitly states that Kay-Kavus was deposed and imprisoned until the end of his life, is likely closer to the truth. It appears that narrators, influenced by the Shu'ubiyya movement, which aimed to idealize Iran's past, preferred to report Kay-Khosrow's rise to power as peaceful. This was done to transform Kay-Khosrow into an ideal figure and present him as a powerful and successful Iranian ruler, thereby promoting a model of superior Iranian governance. Consequently, many aspects of this power transition were intentionally altered or deleted. https://heroic.lu.ac.ir/article_734784.html Jamshid Sedāghatnejād is a researcher in the field of Manuscript Research, rewriting, and adaptation of epic texts in the contemporary period, who has been able to present numerous prose works influenced by the Shahnameh and other fictional epics. Although most of Sedāghatnejād's works are in the shadow of the plot of the prominent texts, some of them are sometimes elevated to the level of authorship due to the invention of new themes and motifs. Meanwhile, Yatim-Nāmeh, which has been immortalized in Iran mostly under the title of the Story of Hossein Kurd Shabestari, is one of the most famous prose epics of late Persian literature, and Sedāghatnejād, thanks to his creative mind and following Yatim-Nāmeh, has succeeded in composing another prose counterpart to it in 1383, centered on the personality of Mir Bāgher, under the title "Jahān Palavān Mir Bāgher Hakim, Tahamtan e Dowrān". The author, while benefiting from numerous historical sources and travelogues, has attempted to recreate the personality of Mir Bāgher Hakim, relatively separate from the image presented in the Yatim-Nāmeh, in a circular narrative flow and through epic and romantic events, within the time frame of the Safavid era, and then, through the moral and Ayyāri teachings, to reveal the identity of Mir Bāgher Hakim from the status of a medicine man to a hero. The story of Mir Bāgher Hakim is in the group of contemporary stories in which the author was able to, in addition to reviving the epic tradition and ideals of chivalry in the form of original content, also to some extent incorporate the characteristics of contemporary novels into the story elements of the work. According to the complete paucity of research on this subject, the present article has attempted, using an inductive method, to introduce the narrative of "Jahān Palavān Mir Bāgher Hakim, Tahamtan e Dowrān" for the first time and to criticize its notable points. https://heroic.lu.ac.ir/article_734785.html Ferdowsi's Shahnameh is one of the most valuable, influential, and prominent masterpieces of Persian literature, with its mythological ideas deeply rooted in the collective unconscious of humanity. Interpreting ancient literary texts, especially myths, from the perspective of modern theoretical frameworks is a fundamental aspect of contemporary literary studies and a cornerstone of psychological criticism. This concept was first introduced by Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1962). The present research aims to offer a new perspective on these texts by establishing a connection between psychology, epic literature, and literary criticism, in order to better elucidate the hidden layers and the literary and mythological values of these texts. Examining the characteristics of prominent heroes, who are approved by their society, provides deep insight into the core values of that culture. This study employs a descriptive-analytical method to examine the life and personality of Kay Khosrow, the ideal king in the Shahnameh, through the lens of archetypes, and seeks to answer the following questions: Can it be said that Kay Khosrow in the Shahnameh, according to Jung's theories, has attained the Self and the Mandala? What stages did he pass through to reach the Mandala and the Self? How can we prove, based on Jung's theories, Kay Khosrow's attainment of the Mandala and the Self? After explaining the stages of this prominent mythological figure's life, it was concluded that Kay Khosrow was able to overcome his personal unconscious and attain the Mandala and the Self. The cycle from birth to the symbolic death of Kay Khosrow is a manifestation of the concentric circles of the Mandala, through which he passed the stages of evolution and transcendence. https://heroic.lu.ac.ir/article_734786.html This paper explores the Epic of Gilgamesh through the perspective of body studies and the notion of vulnerability. It seeks to show how the encounter between Gilgamesh’s vigorous body and Utnapishtim’s aged body creates a new vision of heroism and human fulfillment. The central aim is to question the traditional idea of heroism based on physical strength and to propose an alternative model founded on wisdom and the acceptance of human fragility. The method is a qualitative reading of the epic with an interdisciplinary approach: direct passages from the Epic of Gilgamesh and Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh are woven together with contemporary theories of the body and vulnerability to shape a fresh interpretation. The findings suggest that Gilgamesh’s powerful body, despite its might, is defeated by death, sleep, and natural limits, while Utnapishtim’s weakened and aging body, through its acceptance of limitation, becomes a source of wisdom and insight. In comparison with the Iranian tradition, figures such as Zal, Esfandiar, Sohrab, Khidr, and Alexander reflect the same pattern: the non-normative or broken body emerges as a reservoir of meaning and knowledge. The conclusion is that the Epic of Gilgamesh offers a renewed model of heroism—one grounded in wisdom, the embrace of vulnerability, spiritual immortality, and the acceptance of death—which can enrich interdisciplinary studies in literature, philosophy, and culture. https://heroic.lu.ac.ir/article_734787.html Transactional Analysis theory, with its focus on the three ego states—Parent, Adult, and Child—provides a systematic framework for analyzing personality and social interactions. This study aims to examine the behavior of Sohrab, the tragic character of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, based on this theory, in order to identify the psychological roots of his actions in various situations, as well as the contaminations resulting from imbalance among his ego states. Using this theoretical approach, the research investigates how Sohrab acts in different contexts, how he reveals himself through his behaviors, and what emotional and psychological tensions underlie those behaviors. The research method is descriptive–analytical, and the main questions are: According to Transactional Analysis theory, which of the three ego-state dimensions are reflected in Sohrab’s behaviors? And what damages or contaminations can be observed in his actions? Findings indicate that Sohrab’s behavior predominantly manifests in the Child and Parent states. His Child state appears in his simplicity, hastiness, irrational decisions, and susceptibility to deception. On the other hand, the Parent state is reflected in his humiliating manner, excessive self-centeredness, and inclination toward violence. The absence of an effectively functioning Adult state—responsible for logical mediation—intensifies his internal conflicts and ultimately contributes to the tragedy of his death.Damages such as the Child-state contamination with anger and the Parent-state contamination with tendencies to belittle others disrupt his psychological balance and drive his actions toward destruction. This study emphasizes the importance of balance among ego states for an individual’s adaptation to the environment and demonstrates how the lack of such balance in Sohrab’s personality mirrors the psychological conflicts of human nature depicted in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh.