The Conceptual Correspondence Between

Tabatabaee, Khadijeh Sadat; Akbari Beiragh, Hasan; Tabatabaee, Seyed Hasan

doi:10.22054/ltr.2025.83745.3951

The Conceptual Correspondence Between "God" and "Nature" in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh Based on the Philosophical Ideas of Ancient Greek Thinkers

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

¹ Official employee of Education Department of Semnan city

² Associate Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Semnan University

³ Assistant Professor of Persian Language and Literature Department of Semnan University

10.22054/ltr.2025.83745.3951

Abstract

This article examines the conceptual correspondence between "God" and "Nature" in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. In this research, an attempt has been made to show that Ferdowsi symbolically placed natural elements such as spinning wheel, sepehr, and star on the same level as God in her works and in a way, she considers them to be manifestations of divine power in nature. For this purpose, the method of textual analysis has been used and based on comparative studies, Ferdowsi's works have been compared with the religious teachings of Islam and ancient Greek philosophy. This article concludes that Ferdowsi especially used the concepts of "nature" and "God" in the form of symbols and manifestations in Shahnameh and introduced natural elements as tools to establish cosmic order. Also, Ferdowsi has simultaneously benefited from the teachings of Islamic monotheism and the naturalistic thinking of ancient Greece. In opposition to some common beliefs of that time, she introduces nature as a sign of divine power in the world and sometimes, under the influence of those beliefs, considers "nature" as a god, without departing from Islamic teachings in the field of monotheism.

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