Volume 17, Issue 2 (2026 2026)                   JIM 2026, 17(2): 0-0 | Back to browse issues page

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jamshid bolooki F, rouhani M, hasanpour ahashti H, bagheri khalili A A. (2026). Analysis of the Conceptual Metaphor of the Animism of the Soul in the Spiritual Masnavi. JIM. 17(2),
URL: http://erfanmag.ir/article-1-1741-en.html
Analysis of the Conceptual Metaphor of the Animism of the Soul in the Spiritual Masnavi
Fatemeh Jamshid bolooki , Madoud Rouhani , Hosein Hasanpour ahashti , Ali akbar Bagheri khalili *
university
Abstract:   (3 Views)

Abstract

Ontological metaphor is one of the oldest types of conceptual metaphors, which interprets phenomena, concepts, and entities through the lens of physical forms such as objects or bodies. Poets and writers frequently employ this metaphor to conceptualize abstract notions using various metaphorical strategies. As one of these, conceptual metaphor operates based on source and target domains and involves cross-domain mappings. In Rumi’s Masnavi, ontological metaphors are widely used to visualize mental concepts. Rumi employs a conceptual system to metaphorically represent complex and spiritual phenomena, particularly the nafs (carnal soul), by drawing on familiar physical and biological images.

This study, through descriptive-analytical methods, investigates how Rumi uses animal metaphors to depict the nafs al-ammāra (the commanding soul). Based on conceptual metaphor theory, the research reveals that the nafs is frequently portrayed through the metaphor of animals, especially wild or lowly creatures. These metaphors, grounded in Islamic mystical teachings, are used as rhetorical tools to enhance audience comprehension. The metaphorical animalization of the nafs points to its internal struggle, incompleteness, and its opposition to human spiritual nature. Animal metaphors such as dog, pig, and wild beasts emphasize the nafs’s attachment to materiality, its rebelliousness, and the necessity of its control and transcendence toward divine elevation.


 
Keywords: ontological metaphor, animal metaphor, nafs, Rumi, Masnavi
     
Type of Study: Research | Subject: مثنوی پژوهی
Received: 2025/09/25 | Accepted: 2026/02/5 | Published: 2026/07/28
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