Master's thesis in the field of handicrafts research orientation
Abstract:
The ancient bull, like other ancient symbols in the ancient handicrafts of Iran, has an eternal meaning. In this first research, all the myths related to the bull in ancient texts have been examined. Then, using common methods in depth psychology for mythological and symbology studies, the ancient myths of Iran and the symbolic assemblies engraved on Achaemenid handicrafts were investigated to explain this eternal concept. According to these results, the ancient bull is one of the symbols showing the knots in the dark part of the human psyche (shadow), which is sacrificed by the heroic man during the heroic stages of the myths in the process of individuality development. In this process, the hero overcomes his shadow and after completing the process of self-knowledge, he enters the period of maturity and the beginning of perfection. Of course, the results of the application of these methods are not certain and can be criticized. According to the ancient mythological sources of Iran, the sacrifice ritual was performed based on the principle of repetition of the eternal ritual and in order to give power to the sun to ensure the timely rotation of the day, year, and month.
Part 1: Generalities of the research
1-1 Introduction
During the Achaemenid era, handicrafts with the symbol of a cow were also used in religious ceremonies and in people's daily lives. Patterns in Iran's handicrafts have always been a suitable base for the ideas of today's artists due to the preservation of original designs and ancient symbols. The archetype of Varza is depicted in the handicrafts of Achaemenid Iran in two general, realistic and abstract ways, i.e. either the natural shape of the cow is used as a symbol in a ceremony, or a part of the cow's body, such as horns, ears, tail, torso, and sardis, is included in a symbolic combination (for example, cow-man). These two faces are also combined with some other symbols such as man, sun, moon, forohar and so on. It has been carved.
The mentioned assemblies symbolize the concepts that made the presence of the ancient cow in the ancient works of Iran eternal. A clear example of this claim is the symbolic assembly of the lion and cow in Persepolis. In this research, an attempt will be made to familiarize art lovers with the eternal concepts hidden behind the symbols, the ancient concept of cow through the lens of ancient Iranian mythology. Ancient myths, in turn, use mysterious language to convey concepts. Today, to understand the mysterious concepts of mythology, modern sciences, including linguistics and psychology, have rushed to help mythologists and theologians.
Modern schools of psychology try to reach the symbolic concepts of eternal archetypes by researching in mythology. To achieve this goal, in this research, after examining the myths related to cows and the role that cows play in these myths, by using the method of analyzing myths in the school of psychological mythology (Jung's views) - that is, deep psychology - as one of the common schools in the analysis of mythology and its mysterious aspects, an attempt has been made to analyze the eternal concept of the old saying of Varza in Achaemenid symbolic assemblies with regard to mythology. Ancient Iran should be analyzed.
Most academic researches have been based on schools such as linguistic mythology or the opinions of Dr. Mehrdad Bahar, which itself is based on the opinions of Mircha Eliadeh and the theory of matriarchy. Some others have been done with special emphasis on popular literature and using the school of structuralism of people like Cassirer. The use of the school of psychological mythology is also due to the fact that so far no university-level research has been conducted based on it in the country and it has not been submitted to the critique of expert professors. Of course, it should be emphasized that the mentioned school, like other schools in the field of symbols and myths, is only a hypothesis and not a definitive theory, and the results obtained based on the principles presented in it have no certainty either. Since in this research the analysis of symbolic assemblies will also be done using the mentioned results, it is necessary to emphasize that according to the opinions of respected professors, this type of analysis is also experimental and not proven. For this reason, it has been tried to make the final conclusion of the research based on the ancient texts of Iran. It is hoped that the mental energy involved in carrying out the difficult stages of this research will be fruitful and pave the way for future research in the field of connecting symbols with the human psyche.
1-2 Research Objectives
Investigation of various forms of the role of bull in handicrafts of Achaemenid Iran
Proof of the symbolic nature of the role of bull
Investigation of the concept of the Govner symbol in Achaemenid Iran handicrafts
A study of the connection between the myths of the Govner symbol and other symbolic elements in the handicrafts of Achaemenid Iran
1-3 Importance and necessity Research
Handicrafts of Achaemenid Iran represent the beliefs of artists and people of Iran during the Achaemenid era. The abundance of the bull symbol in ancient Iranian handicrafts and today's traditional arts shows the important role of this animal in the beliefs of ancient Iranians.
Investigating the concept of the bull symbol in Iranian handicrafts during the Achaemenid period is a research to produce theoretical knowledge to increase the awareness of handicraft designers in the field of symbols and myths.
1-4 research questions
Is the bull role a symbol?
In what form is the bull implemented in Achaemenid handicrafts?
What is the reason for the abundance of the bull symbol in the handicrafts of Achaemenid Iran?
Which gods is the bull associated with in Iranian mythology?
What is the function of the bull symbol in the handicrafts of Achaemenid Iran?
The symbol of the bull in the handicrafts of Achaemenid Iran is associated with which of Are other symbolic visual elements related?
Hypotheses 1-5
The role of the bull is a symbol and has a distinct archaic meaning.
The archaic bull is depicted realistically as well as in an abstract state.
The abundance of the symbol of the bull in the handicrafts of Achaemenid Iran is due to its importance in Iranian mythology.
The bull In Iranian mythology, it is related to gods who play a role in mythology related to quadrupeds.
The symbol of the bull in ancient Iranian handicrafts has a protective function.
The symbol of the bull is related to some other symbolic elements, including the moon.
Research method in terms of method: descriptive
Finding method (data collection method): library and field
Analysis method: applied
Second method: Bull in Iranian mythology
Bull in Iranian mythological and epic texts has been attributed to many characters. And it is also sacrificed as a sacred creature for special purposes.
In the following section, in order to examine the role of Varza in the mythology of Achaemenid Iran, in the first paragraph about the creation and sacrifice of the cow, the materials extracted from reliable sources will be given. In the second paragraph, some points will be presented about the portrayal of mythological characters in the form of Varza.
In Pahlavi texts, there are some things mentioned about the creation and cow sacrifice, especially in Bandesh and Zadasperm excerpts.
2-1 Creation and cow sacrifice
Ancient Iranians believed that existence was created in Mino. The sky was the first part of the universe that was created. After that water was created, and then the earth. After these, it was the turn of the first example of animals and the unique cow (Eugdat) was created. Gyumerth was the example of the first people created after the cow" (Curtis Beata, 130).
When the creatures first came into being, they were in the "Minoan" state: the tree was without bark and thorns, and the cow was white and shining like the moon, and Gyumerth, who is the example of the first man, shone like the sun (Hinels 1975, 87).
In this The myth of the connection of the cow with the moon and the connection of the first human being or the example of an earthly ruler with the sun has been explained and will be discussed in future chapters.
According to Zoroastrian traditions, Gyumerth and the cow spent three thousand years happily, but Ahriman killed Gyumerth and the first cow in his first attack on the world. In attacking the world created by Urmuzd, the demon Az and hunger and death, Ahriman sent Stovidat to destroy Varza, the first cow. The demon overcame the cow and Varza died of emaciation. From the organs of this animal, several types of vegetable and edible seeds and medicinal plants began to grow. The cow's sperm reached the moon and was refined there. In the beginning, a pair of bulls and females and from them different types of useful animals and cattle were born. In the same way, when Keumerth died, his seed was received by the earth. From his body, which was made of metal, various types of metals reached the earth, and from his sperm Meshi and Mashianeh, who were the first human couple, grew from the earth.