American Journal Of Philological Sciences
385
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ajps
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue05 2025
PAGE NO.
385-389
10.37547/ajps/Volume05Issue05-103
The Manifestation of Mythological Imagers in Poetry in
Modern Uzbek Poetry
Zumrad Masharipova
Independent researcher of Urgench State University, Uzbekistan
Received:
31 March 2025;
Accepted:
29 April 2025;
Published:
31 May 2025
Abstract:
This article examines the poetic depiction of mythological images in contemporary Uzbek poetry. In
particular, it is analyzed how the images of the fairy and Khizr in the imagination of the ancient people perform
an aesthetic function in the poetry of contemporary poets - Halima Akhmedova, Guli Askarova, Iqbol Mirzo, Erkin
Azam, how national and universal ideas are expressed through these images. It is highlighted that mythological
images appear in poetry not only as an artistic symbol, but also as a symbol representing human spiritual
experiences, hopes, and moral values. The study reveals the harmony of mythological images with modern poetic
thinking and their place in today's literary process.
Keywords:
Mythological images, fairy, Khidr, modern Uzbek poetry, artistic thinking, symbol, poetic
interpretation, national values.
Introduction:
In literary studies, it is always important
to study the system of myths and mythological images,
symbolic images that arose on the basis of mythological
concepts, and aspects of traditional poetic symbolic
images. It is in the process of research that ideas
become clearer, the poetic essence of our fiction
increases. In Uzbek literary studies, the significance of
myths in the formation of folklore traditions has been
studied in detail by such scholars as M.Zhuraev,
U.Khamdam,
U.Zhurakulov,
T.Rakhmonov,
S.Khamdamov. In the poem "Divine Season," H.
Akhmedova describes the mythological image as
follows:Gulbuta ostida sochlarin tarab,
Guldanmi, oydanmi kelgan parilar,
Junun vodiysida adashgan dilni
Gulxan og‘ushiga chorlab kuylardi.
Parilar ovozin sehridan sarxush,
Jiyda daraxtlari oyni o‘ylardi.
H. Ahmedova is a poet with deep imagination. In
his poems, he also travels to the mythological world
with that world of imagination. In the above poem, the
fairies invite the lyrical hero, yearning for the
mythological world, into their world. The presence of
fragrant flowers in paradise is not alien to our
mythological imagination. Fairies descended from
paradise, combing their hair under a flower bush, invite
the lyrical hero into the embrace of the bonfire. The
oleaster is a tree of paradise. The tree of Paradise that
grows on Earth longs for its dwelling place. Intoxicated
by the voices of fairies, he yearns for the moon, that is,
for the sky inhabited by fairies, and the lyrical hero
dreams of joining the oleaster tree, putting on the silk
dress of fairies, and going to the land of fairies:
O‘shanda
Parilar yurtiga ketgim kelardi,
Jiyda daraxtining o‘ylariga ergashib.
Parilar xayolin kiygan ko‘nglimga,
Turardim bir libos kabi yarashib. [2.121]
In T. Khodzhaev's "Turkic Legends," "Fairies and angels
are in the sky above the world. Fairies and angels live in
the heavens, in comfort, or in paradise with innocent
people," we observed in the following poem by H.
Ahmedova.
The image of the fairy is a world of beauty in the
people's ideal, a perfect embodiment of appearance.
The fairy is very little visible to the eye. When
manifested, it deprives a person of their mind and
consciousness. Pari, having a positive quality, being an
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
386
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
imaginary embodiment of human beauty, having a
stable life, never dying, doing good to people in her
place, is sometimes embodied in her negative
character. Such behavior is measured by cunning,
witchcraft, and infidelity in the fairy.
H. Ahmedova, wisely using the inexhaustible treasury
of folklore, creates the image of a fairy, that is, the
image of a fairy:
Yunus baliqlarning ko‘zidami ishq,
Parilar dil solgan daryoda ko‘nglim.
Garchi havozodman, havodir naslim-
Yer bergan mahdudvash sadoda ko‘nglim. [3.15]
One of the rare examples of folk oral art is the epic of
Yunus Pari. Yunus is the daughter of the king of fairies.
Its destination is not a river, but Mount Mount Qaf.
Fairies can take any appearance, including the
appearance of a fish. Water fairies live in the river. The
lyrical hero's heart falls into the river inhabited by
fairies.
The fairy is a product of the most delicate, most subtle
point of human imagination. Fairies appear in fairy tales
in various forms: pigeon, grass, snake, old woman,
deer, monkey, human, and others. They live in the
legendary Garden of Eram, Mount Mount Qaf. They are
guarded by formidable demons. He sets difficult
conditions, tasks for testing in a clash with the hero. If
he fulfills the conditions, he will achieve union with her;
if he fails, he will be sentenced to death. Therefore, the
hero of the fairy tale strives to win, mobilizing all his
intellect, physical and spiritual strength, and even
miraculous power, fulfilling the condition and marrying
her. In the next poem by H. Ahmedova, which calls the
reader to reflection; The lyrical hero describes his
beloved as "the sultan of the city of Susambil":
Susambil
shahrining
sultoni
eding,
Parilar
zotidan
edim,
o‘ynardim.
Bir
tun
uchib
borgan
edim
qoshingga
Sevaman, deb aytding, kuyding, qo‘ymading.
In the poetess's poem, we witness the extremely
consistent development of the image of the "fairy."
According to ancient beliefs, the fairy was created from
fire. It's impossible to see it with the naked eye. The
fairy possesses the power to enchant and drive people
mad with her beauty and grace. Fairies can take on
various forms and appearances. They often appear in
the form of beautiful girls, women.
B
ehisht
bog‘i
edi,
uchib
yurardik,
Qayg‘udan
-
kadardan
dil
forug‘
edi.
Sen eding, men edim, bir yurak edik,
Osmon yorug‘ edi, tun yorug‘ edi!..[3.15]
Susambil is also extremely picturesque. The
poetess compares the nest of her lover to Susambil,
describing him as the sultan of this corner. The Garden
of Paradise is a pleasant garden that breathes only
tranquility, purity, and beauty. The lyrical hero flies
with his beloved in this beautiful garden in the sky of
sweet dreams.
In our view, fairies also differ in mentality. In particular,
in the imagination of the Uzbek people, the peri is
depicted as a delicate girl with long black hair, a slender
figure, and a white silk dress, while Europeans describe
her with long blonde hair and blue eyes. Each nation
can evaluate such ideas and interpretations based on
its own taste and mentality. In the following poem by
Z. Mirzoeva, she describes a fairy with loose hair:
Sochlari yoyilgan hurga aylanib,
Tushimda ortidan yig‘lab yugurdim. [4.7]
This image, created in the imagination of a person, is
also used in written literature and is expressed to a
certain extent for an ideological and artistic purpose,
this image is used to describe a person's character,
their true appearance. In our people, the image of a
fairy is treated with special reverence. Pari is
considered one of the main characters in folklore,
especially in such genres as dastan, fairy tale, and song.
It has its own diverse characteristics and qualities. The
leading characteristic for the image of the fairy, the
main quality that comes to mind when the word "fairy"
is described and mentioned, is incomparable beauty,
infinite grace.
In G.Askarova's poems, the image of a fairy is also
observed:
O‘n sakkiz yosh
-
eng go‘zal dunyo,
Pari bo‘ldim uning bahrida.
Qo‘llarida qilich, gul tutgan
Shahzodam bor uning bag‘rida.[1.19]
In the poem "Fairy Tale," the poetess describes how, at
the age of eighteen, she became a fairy-like beautiful
girl. In fairy tales, heroes fight with giants to gain power
over fairies. Perhaps the lyrical hero's prince passed the
fairy's conditions at the age of eighteen. Involuntarily,
through his creative imagination, he goes to his prince,
who has overcome all obstacles and holds flowers in his
hands, to be honored with the happiness of achieving
union with a fairy, not a sword in his hands. The
poetess's beautiful imagination continues:
Shundan keyin hur bo‘laman men,
G‘ilmonlarning ko‘zin yoshlayman.
Murodimga yetib, taxtimda,
Malikaday yashab boshlayman. [1.66]
The free fairy believes that when she reaches her
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387
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
prince, she will live like a princess. At the end of the
poem, he concludes his poem with the words: "I will not
acknowledge your three worlds, I will remain eternal at
eighteen." But time does not stand still. And it's
impossible to stay at eighteen. The poetess also uses
this image in her poem "O'lan":
Pari qizlar holvangni yerlar,
Osh tortarmish mardona sherlar.
Taqdiringdan ko‘rasan, derlar
Yo “ha” degil, yo “yo‘q” de, dilim.[1.166]
Each region has its own customs and traditions. In
particular, when going as a matchmaker, halva is
brought to the bride's house in the Samarkand region.
The bride's friends are also given this halva so they can
find their happiness faster. G. Askarova, whose poems
carry a folk tone, incorporates the customs and
traditions of the region where she was born and raised
into her creative works. In folk songs, there are
superstitions associated with the concept of fairies.
Pari is used in folk songs in two senses. First: as a
destructive, mythological image of a negative type. This
image and concept of fairies corresponds to all six
qualities of fairies described in the Avesta. For example,
1) human-like; 2) animal-like; 3) beautiful; 4) evil; 5)
sorceress; 6) connected with giants[5.24] From this
point of view, the images of lovers and mistresses in the
songs, the image of a fairy who brings coldness
between them, correspond to the concept of a fairy in
the "Avesta." In G. Askarova's poem, the fairy is
embodied in the form of beautiful girls. In G. Askarova's
poems depicting wedding ceremonies, the image of a
fairy is often depicted.
Just as the views and perceptions of the people
regarding the mythological images described above are
diverse, the mythological foundations and genesis of
the image of Khizr also trace back to examples of oral
folk art, such as legends and epics. Through the image
of "Khizr," in our imagination, a perfect person is
embodied, who is a symbol of goodness and gives
blessings and peace. It is known that even today, our
people have various views and opinions about those
who have been blessed by "Khizr." According to folk
beliefs, in legends, it is said that a person who
encounters Khidr will have great luck, happiness, and
wealth.
There are various opinions on the etymology of the
word "Khizr," and researcher T. Khodzhaev conducted
scientific research on this topic. The scholar collects
and discusses the features characteristic of the image
of "Khizr" by M.Sayidov, B.Sarimsakov, I.Hakkul, and
the etymology of this word.
B. Sarimsakov specifically notes that the etymology of
the word "Khizr" is related to the word fire,
emphasizing that it originates from ancient beliefs
about the purifying properties of fire among many
peoples.[6.18-19]
T.Khodzhaev comes to the conclusion that the word
"Khizr" is etymologically related to greenery. Khizr can
be seen as a mythological image on earth, in the
steppes, among people, in folklore works, epics, fairy
tales, songs. Khidr is manifested in folklore works with
his good qualities. In folk legends and narratives, Khizr
is interpreted as the owner of life's water, eternal, and
extremely powerful compassionate figure who helps
people in difficulty and who seek help through his
name, who can give strength and great power to epic
or fairy tale heroes, who guides and mentors positive
characters in the work.[7.43-48]
In his article "Epic Interpretation of the Image of Khizr
in Uzbek Folk Tales," F. Nurmonov cites the opinions of
a number of scholars, such as V. Barthold, M. Afzalov, I.
Goldzier, K. Imomov, and Tolstov, about Khizr. Among
the opinions, the following quote by the famous
orientalist scholar V. Bartold draws our attention:
"Despite the fact that the legends about Khizr are not
known to people of other religious sects and are
widespread among Muslims, they have characteristics
not typical of Muslims. Khidr's name is not mentioned
in the Quran either. Through the image of Khizr,
legends of different eras and peoples are united." The
question arises: why is Khidr, who has no connection to
Islam, known only to Muslims and not to people of
other religious denominations? What aspects of this
image do they not resemble Muslims? Researcher F.
Nurmonov's quotes from scholars complement each
other, all serving to prove that Khidr has no connection
to Islam. F. Nurmonov reinforces these thoughts in one
of his articles. "In particular, V.V.Bartold, Y.E.Bertels,
M.Afzalov state that the image of Khizr was created
before the Muslim religion, it was the product of the
creative search of working people for a very long time."
Thus, they put forward the idea that the image of Khizr
has nothing to do with the Muslim religion.
Researcher M. Narzikulova interprets the image of
Khizr in several aspects. According to the interpretation
of Eastern mythology, "Khizr is a symbol of blossoming
plants, greenery, and the natural world of spring," the
scholar adds to her opinion with the quote of literary
scholar M.Juraev: "Khizr is depicted in artistic creativity
in the form of an old man with a green robe and turban,
a long spear in his horse-riding hand."
Rabguzi's "Chapter on the Words of Khizr and Elijah"
begins as follows: "The meaning of Khizr is green.
Wherever Khidr (peace be upon him) sat on a stone,
that stone would live on. That's why it was named Khizr.
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
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2771-2273)
They say: Wherever he sat, that place would turn
green. The following statement, that is, Barthold's
opinion that the name Khizr does not exist in the Quran,
is incorrect. Indeed, in Surah Al-Kahf of the Holy Quran,
the stories of the prophets Moses and Khidr are
given.[8.334-337] "This story describes scenes about
Moses' (peace be upon him) pursuit of knowledge and
Khidr's (peace be upon him) blessing with awareness of
the unseen, which was not given to other prophets"
[8.326] - explains Sheikh Alauddin Mansur.
Sh. Turdimov, in the article "The Image of Khizr in the
Cycle of "Gorogly," says that "in the pre-Islamic
mythological system of our people, Khizr was
associated with fire, fire, the sun of the highest status,
brought summer, revived all nature, life, and was
worshipped as a noble spirit that gave them life." This
article also details Khizr's connection with Islam.
The image of Khizr is also found in modern Uzbek
poetry. Our people have beliefs about Khizr coming on
the night of "Laylat ul-Qadr" in the holy month of
Ramadan. It has become customary to wait for his
arrival without sleeping until morning. According to the
elders' belief that "Khizr comes to a clean, clean place,"
they keep houses and courtyards neat and tidy. In O.
Hojieva's "Fashion from the Kindergarten," the life
experiences of a girl who eagerly awaits the visit of
Khizr are also depicted through the image of Khizr, as
noted above:
Qalandarning liboslari,
Sirli soz ham bo‘ldi nihon.
Darvozda turar g‘arib
Bir bechora juldur chopon.
Oyoqyalang, yoqasi chok,
Boshda telpak yag‘ir
-
yarg‘oq.
Ko‘zlarida bechoralig‘,
Qo‘llarida irg‘ay tayoq.
According to folk beliefs, Khizr is an image of a spiritual
guide who helps those in difficult situations, appearing
to people in various forms. Thus, the image of Khizr is
depicted as a symbol of goodness both in folk art and
in written literature. Consequently, figurative
expressions associated with the image of Khizr are also
often found in our classical poetry. In classical poetry,
the image of Khidr is compared to the symbol of
immortality, life, the lips of the beloved, and other
organs. O. Hojiyeva's poem continues:
Qizcha nogoh seskandi-yu
Ko‘zlariga inonmadi:
Zar kiyimli qo‘shiqchi shu
Yirtiq to‘nli insonmidi?
Yer yutdimi? Yutdi osmon?
Chinmidi bu, yoki ro‘yo?
Qizcha yig‘lar hayron
-hayron,
Hiqqillardi: - Xizr bobo! [9.58]
To the lyrical hero of the poetess, Khizr appears in the
form of a Kalandar in a tattered robe, a torn robe, an
old hat, barefoot, holding a stick in his hands, and
suddenly disappears. Z. Muminova has many creative
works devoted to social themes. In particular, in the
poem "The Language of Navoi Repeats in the UN,"
feelings of gratitude are expressed. They are expressing
their dreams and aspirations by wishing for the blessing
of Hazrat Khizr upon our rare language, which has been
polished through centuries. The use of the folk
applause "Dunyo turguncha tur!" creates analytical
folklorism.
Toshlarni sindirib yorib chiqqan nur,
Senga ravo bo‘lsin hazrati Xizr,
Dunyo turguncha tur! Dunyo turguncha tur!
BMTda yangrar Navoiy tili. [10.4]
The poet skillfully uses mythological images in poems
on social themes. It is known that Satan is a religious-
mythological image that leads people astray. Kh.
Akhmedova, in her poem "Yolg'on qasida," presents
the image of the devil:
Qushlar so‘lagidan etilgan paydo,
Makring olovidan
ko‘r barcha qaroq.
Tund yaproqlar ichra yasharsan tokay,
Shayton peshobidan iylangan tuproq. [3.118]
Satan leads people to his forbidden paths. All religions
condemn Satan as a misleader of people. The lyrical
hero also expresses the people who fell for the devil's
deception in the style of "Blind from the fire of your
deception." The dark one emphasizes that he is being
drawn into his trap.
Ko‘zi ochiq ko‘rmasdan,
Shayton yo‘ldan urmasdan,
Otadan yuz burmasdan
Bolaga kitob bering![3.118]
According to religious sources, it was Satan who caused
Adam and Eve to sin, and Allah expelled them from
paradise. However, there are other views about Satan.
For example, I. Haqqul provides information that he
initiated a completely new interpretation of the image
of Satan in Sufi literature, that is, he praised the devil
as "my friend and teacher." Hallaj's recognition of the
Devil as a teacher is due to the Devil's great purpose
and determination, his loyalty to friendship, and his
ability to act based on his own capabilities. As noted in
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
religious sources, such qualities as suffering and
fighting, as well as the devil, demonstrate
steadfastness in his love for God and will never deviate
from the path of love. "Truth says: 'I will subject you to
eternal torment.'" Iblis said: "Will you see me while
subjecting me to torment?" Haq said: "Indeed." Iblis
replied: "Seeing me, looking at me, and your torments
are enough. Thus, Satan is willing to endure endless
torments for the sake of Allah. Indeed, a person does
not always admit their guilt. Even with a deep sense of
guilt, he tries to deceive not only himself, but also
others. To avoid guilt, he uses the devil when there is
no other plaintiff. Z. Muminova is concerned about the
negative impact of social networks on the upbringing of
children. The only treasure that enriches a child's
spirituality is books. That's exactly why they dream of
our children reading books. With his multifaceted
creative works, he encourages reading books and
teaching.
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