Analysis of the Story of Sheikh San'an Based on Christopher Vogler's Model

Many mystics have attempted to convey their purpose and intentions through stories and parables, presenting complex and intricate mystical points in a simple and understandable form. Among these, the story of Sheikh San'an, a poem by Attar of Nishapur, is notable for its deep mystical concepts embedded in a lyrical narrative. This story intertwines outer and inner journeys, creating a remarkable masterpiece. Since revisiting ancient texts through contemporary literary theories is expected to assist the reader in uncovering the hidden and silent corners of the text, offering a new perspective on understanding it, this paper applies a descriptive-analytical method to analyze the story of Sheikh San'an using Christopher Vogler's model of the hero's journey. Vogler's model outlines the hero's journey in three acts and twelve subgenres. This study aims to highlight the ability of traditional storytellers and the effectiveness of their works when confronted with contemporary theory, while also examining the comprehensiveness and precision of Vogler's global model. The research results show that the main structure of the story of Sheikh San'an aligns with Vogler's model, except in the stage of rejecting the call. Additionally, slight differences in the subgenres of the ordinary world and meeting with the mentor can be justified by the flexibility of Vogler's model. These differences may also be explained by some discrepancies between the mystical and mythological hero types. 
Introduction:
Most myths that do not primarily involve the lives of gods revolve around the character of the hero and his actions. The hero myth is the projection of a nation's dreams. The national hero, as the oldest example of this type, embodies the aspirations and ideals of a people and reflects their desires and goals throughout history. After him comes the religious hero, who, although possessing a higher spiritual status and more inspirational and supernatural aspects, is somewhat diminished in comparison to the mythological hero due to the unattainable nature of his rank and the lack of tangible narrative elements in his stories. Comparing and contrasting these two types of heroes and reinterpreting a mystical text based on a mythological model may initially seem surprising, but what justifies this comparison is the shared context and intertwined concepts and specific worldview of these two realms.
Theoretical Foundations of the Research: Christopher Vogler, in order to provide a more practical structure of the hero's journey model that can be used as a practical guide in writing stories and screenplays, developed the writer's journey model. Vogler presented its general outline in three acts and twelve stages. Allowing the writer to rearrange the stages of the story and providing a broad and flexible definition of them are special advantages of Vogler's model. Additionally, Vogler identifies seven archetypes—hero, mentor, threshold guardian, herald, shapeshifter, shadow, and trickster—that are more commonly used in stories as tools in the writer's hands. It seems that Vogler's model, because it is derived from a compact structure containing the most general narrative elements and at the same time has great flexibility and generalizability, represents the final form of the hero's journey models.
Ordinary World: The story of the heroes' lives, before the journey begins, is more or less a series of ordinary events in an ordinary world. The world before Sheikh San'an's journey is somewhat different from the ordinary world of the hero before the journey begins; Sheikh San'an is the elder of his time and the hero of his era.
Call to Adventure: There is always the possibility that a seemingly insignificant event will go beyond the bounds of the ordinary world and open up a wondrous world before the hero. Sheikh San'an, with a divine dream call in the midst of his somewhat ordinary life, is suddenly invited to a dangerous and tumultuous journey.
Refusal of the Call: Withdrawal and hesitation between choosing one of the two known and unknown worlds is a critical moment in the life of every hero. Sheikh San'an, like many heroes, does not withdraw from the journey and does not need an external force to begin it.
Meeting with the Mentor: No hero can complete the entire journey alone and without the support and approval of helping forces. Sheikh San'an's true mentor for starting the heroic journey is his god-like and true self, who has traveled the path of knowledge and godliness for years.
Crossing the First Threshold: This stage is the liminal space between the first and second acts, and the hero, before entering another realm of the journey, encounters the threshold guardian in a perilous manner. Sheikh San'an's turning away from the beauty of the Christian girl is an act based on the teachings of the path that could prevent him from continuing the journey.
Tests: The tests that Sheikh San'an must endure are extremely difficult and challenging. Due to the great sorrow of love, with all his mystical grandeur, he becomes a companion of the dogs in the Christian girl's neighborhood.
Approach to the Inmost Cave: All heroes must pass through some of the most difficult stages of the journey alone, in the midst of absolute darkness and fear. The deepest cave in Sheikh San'an's story is the Christian monastery, whose existential darkness absorbs the little light of faith that still remains in Sheikh's heart.
Ordeal: Entering the cave prepares the hero to face death as the most terrifying ordeal. Sheikh San'an faces the final and greatest ordeal, and the Christian girl sets the condition of her dowry as one year of pig herding.
Reward: The reward given to the hero is derived from his desire and is directly related to the amount of danger he has endured. Sheikh San'an receives a promise from the Christian girl that after a year of pig herding, he will attain union with her.
The Road Back: The return path signifies the time when the heroes resume the adventure. Sheikh San'an, who is saved from the darkness of disbelief by the persistence of his disciples and the help of the Prophet, repents and regains his lost faith and immediately intends to return to his homeland.
Resurrection: Once again, the hero's ability is tested before returning to the ordinary world to determine its value. Sheikh San'an, after repentance, which is one of the spiritual stations, experiences renewal and begins a new life.
Elixir: The elixir may be a material or spiritual achievement and is often a necessity and need of the people of the time. The first result of Sheikh San'an's journey is love and purity. Additionally, he can guide his disciples more effectively, having enhanced his knowledge and experience.
Conclusion:
Evaluating Sheikh San'an's mystical journey based on Vogler's writer's journey model shows that the main lines and structure of the story align with the mentioned model, except for the stage of refusal of the call. The stages of the ordinary world and meeting with the mentor must also be interpreted and justified using secondary methods mentioned in the writer's journey theory. Sheikh San'an's mystical knowledge and experience prevent him from abandoning his heroic journey, even though the herald and motivator for starting the journey is a terrifying and tumultuous dream. The ordinary world and the usual life of Sheikh San'an, although entirely different from his post-journey world, do not strongly reflect the ordinary world compared to his high status before the journey. His knowledge and self-awareness are far beyond needing an external force to start the journey at the meeting with the mentor stage; rather, he knows through his knowledge and insight that he must undertake a long journey to interpret his dream. Therefore, Sheikh San'an's journey is not one that transforms a potential hero into a true and actual hero with the help of supernatural forces and the motivation of inner powers; rather, he is a true hero who begins another heroic journey on a grander scale with the start of the story.