Abstract
Archetypal criticism is one of the approaches of contemporary literary criticism that explores and explains the influence of myths and archetypes as well as their role in literature. Individualization is one of the most prominent archetypes of Jung's archetypal theory. In the story of
Khorshid-Va-Mahpareh, Khorshid, as the hero of the story, encounters a lot of hardships and sequels to reach his beloved, including magical Arghaván, crafty Aín-balay, cannibal Negros, rival Marzbán, stormy sea, etc. In addition to the archetypal phenomena in the collection such as magic, witches, supernatural actions, and archetypal symbols, archetypes such as journey, individuality, dream, mother, hero, and so on have been used to investigate and analyze individualization from the perspective of Jung's archetypal theory. Accordingly, Khorshid, the protagonist of the story, reached out to his beloved after going through a heroic journey, overcoming shadows and negative anima, and achieved self-individuality through the help of the Old Wise Man and the essence of love, and then had a rebirthed.
Keywords: Archetypal analysis; individualization; Jung;
Khorshid-Va-Mahpareh; Mirza Mohammad Saeed Tabibi Ghomi.
Introduction
Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1861) was a famous Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist who founded the school of analytical psychology by distancing himself from his professor, Freud. One of Jung's most important theories in the field of psychology is the discovery of the collective subconscious mind and the elements of archetypes. Jung divides the human subconscious into two parts, the individual and the collective subconscious. In his view, the collective unconscious is a deeper layer in the mind that contains exemplary forms. Jung considers examples or archetypes to be images of phenomena formed from the ancient world and the insights and reflections of our ancient ancestors, which are inherited in the subconscious mind of all human beings. Accordingly, he called these mythical and exemplary forms, which are in the collective psyche of the man and are the result of human instinctual experiences, "archangel" or "archetype." "Archetypes are subconscious images of instincts, or the patterns of instinctive behaviors" (Jung, 1397, p. 57).
Anima, Animus, Niqab, Shadow, Journey, Pyrrhic, Self-Integrity, and Individuality are some of the most important archetypes in Jungian theory. "Jung saw myths as the manifestation of collective unconscious thoughts" (Snowden, 2009, p. 11). Analyzing the archeology of literary works, including this one, we find the foundations of the myths embodied in these works.
Objectives and research questions
Examining and analyzing the texts of Persian poetry and prose from different perspectives and at the levels of meaning and structure can greatly contribute to their deeper understanding. The critique of archeology is one of these approaches. Mythical works, love poems and dreams, including the poem "Xorshid and Mahpareh" by Mohammad Saeed TabibQomi (11 AH), are the most suitable platform for the manifestation of archetypes. Thus, this research seeks to answer the following questions:
1. Which archetypes can be examined in Xorshid and Mahpareh system?
2. How have archetypes and symbols been effective in shaping the character of the hero?
3. Can Xorshid successfully go through the process of individuality through its psychological journey?
Discussion
The archetype of the hero in myths, epics, and legends is one of the most prominent figures which embodies the ideals and desires of a nation. The subject of heroic hunting is usually discussed in most Iranian provinces. Accordingly, in the process of the individuality, Xorshid begins with a short trip for hunting. "Hunting is the elimination of ignorance and evil tendencies and the pursuit of God's footsteps, and this is the path that leads to the great nature" (Chevalier, 2008, p. 4-72). The following is a case in point:
When the sun saw the deer, it immediately began to hunt it (TabibQomi, 2009, p. 151).
Shadow is also one of the important archetypes of Jung's theory. Shadows block Xorshid’s path to individuality; but he overcomes these obstacles by arresting the old man and his inner foresight. Another important example of Jungian psychology is the archetype of the male anima or psyche. In the system of Xorshid and Mahpareh, the fog is an example of a positive anime, and the purple wizard is a manifestation of the negative anime that the hero destroys under the guidance of the wise old man. In this poem, "Saba" the midwife, "Mehr" the mother of Mahpareh, "Golrokh" the mother of Xorshid, and "Mahpareh" are the old examples of the mother who help the hero in difficult situations. The archetype of an exemplary mother, with her innate foresight, appears to the hero in times of distress, and helps him out, because "the mother is the manifestation of the collective unconscious and the fountain of life" (Jung, 2011, p. 104). At the beginning of the story of Xorshid and Mahpareh, a deer that appears on Xorshidin, i.e. the hunting ground, and then leads him to Anima. An excerpt from an old-fashioned old saying:
The fearless deer hunting for milk came to the spring in agility (TabibGhomi, 2009, p. 152).
Death and birth, and spring and self are also important archetypes of Jung's thought that are manifested in this system, as the loving marriage of the sun with the moon is the culmination of its ancient manifestation. Numbers in myths and religions are symbolic in nature. In the system of the sun and the moon, number seven has a variety of symbolic manifestations. First of all, after hearing the name of the sun and falling in love with it, Mehreh comes to Ray from Oman every "week" to see the sun:
He went to see his beloved every week out of love (TabibQomi, 2009, p. 149).
Number "fourteen", which is a symbol of evolution, has been used in this system to show the process of spiritual evolution of the hero.
Conclusion
Among the characters who have appeared to guide and arrest the hero are Saad, Sabaida, Raad and Moftah, Mahpareh (Anima), Golrokh and Mehr (archetype of his mother), Minister Bahram Shah (Pabrkhrd), among others. In the final stages of the individuality process, Mehr, as the old mother, supported by the unseen forces ¬ such as Raad and Moftah and the minister Bahram Shah in the "old house" of PirKherad - helps the hero to advance the prominent shadows. In other words, it eliminates the same evil of the sorcerer, the border guard, and the negative anime (purple). The symbols of archeology in the system of the Xorshid and Mahpareh, such as number seven, number fourteen, water and springs, form a diagram of the hero's individuality process, and show the hero's transcendence and his spiritual conflict. As a result, according to the archaeological theme, all the details, places, elements, and motifs of the system have an archaic and symbolic dimension, and indicate the depth of the myth.
References
- Chevalier, J. & Gheerbrant, A. (2008). Dictionary of symbols (translated into Farsi by Soudabeh Fazayeli). Tehran: Jeyhun.
- Jung, C. (2011). Psychology and alchemy (translated into Farsi by Mahmoud Behfrozi). Tehran: Jami.
- Jung, C. (2017). The archetypes and the collective unconscious (translated into Farsi by Farnaz Ganji and Mohammad BaqerIsmailpour). Tehran: Jami.
- Snowden, R. (2009). Teach yourself Jung (translated into Farsi by Nooruddin Rahmanian). Tehran: Ashian.
- TabibQomi, M. (2009). Xorshid and Mahpareh (edited by Hassan Zolfaghari and Jalil Asgharian Rezaei). Tehran: Cheshmeh.