A New Analysis of Salaamaan and Absaal's Story by Honein-e Ibn-e Iss-haq Based on the Archetypes of Jungian Psychology

Salaamaan and Absaal is a mysterious story that has been being passed around with several narratives and versions. Jaami has composed a poem based on one of these narratives by the Hanin-e Ibn-e Iss-haq, translated from Greek to Arabic in the third Hijri century (9th century A.D.). His interpretations of the story’s mystical secrets had occupied the minds of so many commentators such as “Khajeh Nassir-e Toosi”. Jaami, based on this philosophical interpretation by Khajeh Nassir, offered a rather mystical but short interpretation of the mysteries of this story at the end of his poem. In this article, we intend to provide a different analysis of the mysteries of this story based on the ancient frameworks discussed in Jung’s psychology. Karl Gustav Jung was the founder of the Psychoanalysis and archetypal criticism who combined his psychological perspectives with Hermetic, Gnostic, and the Indian notions. Since the original story is Greek, an Indian influence on the story is conceivable; and the ancient frameworks of Jung in analyzing the mysteries will be very revealing.