تحلیل علل ورود اساطیر در متن و نگاره‌های خاوران‌نامه با تاکید بر رویکرد اسطوره‌ زدایی قرآن

اساطیر نقش مهمی در فضای فرهنگی و اجتماعی جوامع دارند و قرآن کریم رویکردی منفی به اسطوره‌ها دارد. نسخه خاوران‌نامه یکی از متون ادبی از نوع حماسه دینی است که ابن‌حسام خوسفی در دوران اسلامی، در مورد شان و شخصیت حضرت علی(ع) سروده است. نگاه اسطوره‌زدایانه قرآن و نیز سرودن اشعاری اساطیری در مورد حضرت علی(ع) توسط ابن‌حسام خوسفی که شخصیتی متدین و متعهد به موازین اسلامی و آموزه‌های قرآنی است؛ ضرورت انجام پژوهش را ایجاب می‌نماید. همچنین شناسایی علل ورود اساطیر به متن خاوران‌نامه، هدف پژوهش است و پرسش‌ها عبارتند از: علل ورود اساطیر به متن خاوران‌نامه چیست؟ در این پژوهش اطلاعات کتابخانه‌ای و اسنادی و تصویری به شیوه‌ توصیفی- تحلیلی با رویکرد تطبیقی بررسی شده و نمونه‌های پژوهش شامل 9 نگاره از نسخه خاوران‌نامه(آثار فرهاد نقاش) با موضوع جنگ‌های حضرت علی(ع) با موجودات افسانه‌ای و اژدها است که با متن خاوران‌نامه مقایسه شده ‌است. نتایج نشان می‌دهد ابن‌حسام با اقتباس از شاهنامه به عنوان منبعی اساطیری، عقاید توحیدی دین اسلام را با محوریت قراردادن شخصیت امام علی(ع) در متن خاوران‌نامه در قالب مفاهیمی اساطیری به اسطوره‌زدایی تدریجی اقدام نموده و حضرت علی(ع) را به‌عنوان الگوی انسان کامل به جامعه معرفی می‌کند و این موضوع بر تبلیغی‌بودن خاوران‌نامه تاکید دارد.

analyzing the causes of myths in the text and paintings of khāvarān-nāmeh with emphasis on the approach of de-mythologizing the quran

introducion: myths play a significant role in the cultural and social fabric of societies, while the holy quran adopts a negative stance towards them. the khāvarān-nāmeh is a literary text of the religious epic genre, composed by ibn hosām khousfi during the islamic era, concerning the stature and persona of imam ali (a.s.). the quran's demythologizing perspective, juxtaposed with the composition of mythological poetry about imam ali (a.s.) by ibn hosām khousfi—a devout figure committed to islamic principles and quranic teachings—necessitates this research. furthermore, the objectives of this study are to identify the reasons for the incorporation of myths into the text of the khāvarān-nāmeh. the research questions are as follows:1. what are the reasons for the incorporation of myths into the text of the khāvarān-nāmeh?methods: this study employs a descriptive-analytical method with a comparative approach, utilizing library, documentary, and visual sources. the research samples consist of nine illustrations from the khāvarān-nāmeh manuscript (the works of farhād the painter) depicting the battles of imam ali (a.s.) with mythical creatures and dragons, which have been compared with the text of the khāvarān-nāmeh.discussion: research indicates that ibn hosām khousfi, an iranian shia poet, authored the khāvarān-nāmeh with a profound awareness of the qur'an's demythologizing approach and a deep understanding of the function and status of myths within the social fabric of his era. in composing this epic, he engaged in a comprehensive literary adaptation of ferdowsi's shāhnāmeh, utilizing its text and poetic structure as the foundational model for his own work. through a deliberate and strategic narrative substitution—replacing rostam, the principal hero of the shāhnāmeh, with imam ali (a.s.) as the central protagonist of the khāvarān-nāmeh—ibn hosām constructs the core of his epic narratives. this act was not merely one of replacement but a sophisticated method of deconstructing the mythological beliefs of his time from within the established mythical framework, employing an indirect and gradual process. the victories of the commander of the faithful, imam ali (a.s.), over non-muslim adversaries—who are, significantly, well-known mythological characters from the shāhnāmeh—and over creatures such as dragons, demons, and elephant-eared beings (pil-goushān), serve a profound theological and ideological purpose. these narratives symbolically articulate the triumph of truth over falsehood, affirm the authenticity and legitimacy of islam, and represent the deliverance of the iranian people from pre-islamic, polytheistic, and idolatrous beliefs. in essence, the poem systematically demonstrates the invalidity of the ancient myths by subsuming and overcoming them within a new, divinely sanctioned paradigm. regarding the depiction of these mythological creatures in the khāvarān-nāmeh's illustrations, a detailed analysis reveals both adherence to and divergence from the text. the text in paintings (1) and (3) describes a fire-breathing dragon, a feature the illustrator has omitted. in painting (2), the text refers to a black serpent, yet the artist has depicted it as a blue dragon. meanwhile, the aged leviathan mentioned in the text of painting (4) is rendered not as a fish-like creature with fins, but as a dragon with limbs. for the pil-goushān, the text provides no detailed physical description. the illustrator, guided solely by the compound word meaning elephant-eared, has depicted them as semi-humanoid entities with human bodies and faces, distinguished by large, elephantine ears. similarly, precise specifications for the demons are absent from the text. in painting (6), the artist relied entirely on personal imagination for their portrayal. while paintings (7) and (8) describe demons with features of elephants, lions, dragons, and leopards, only in painting (8) is a leopard-faced demon illustrated; in other instances, the illustrator demonstrates a clear lack of fidelity to the textual descriptions. in painting (9), the text only attributes the characteristic of blackness to a fearsome creature, which the illustrator has rendered as a fantastical being of black color. finally, when comparing the depiction of these legendary creatures with their counterparts in various illustrated manuscripts of the shāhnāmeh, it is evident that the representations of dragons and demons in the khāvarān-nāmeh were inspired by shāhnāmeh iconography. however, the visualization of the pil-goushān does not correspond with any established models from the shāhnāmeh tradition, representing a unique artistic interpretation by the illustrator of this manuscript. results: the results indicate that ibn hosām, by adapting the shāhnāmeh as a mythological source, engaged in a process of gradual demythologization. he integrated the monotheistic beliefs of islam into the text of the khāvarān-nāmeh by centering the figure of imam ali (a.s.) and framing him within mythological concepts. in doing so, he introduces imam ali (a.s.) as the archetype of the perfect man to society, a finding which underscores the propagandistic nature of the khāvarān-nāmeh.