The illustrations of Haft Khan of Rostam in the Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp constitute significant examples of the visual representation of Iranian epic narratives, in which mythical and symbolic forms are organized within a complex visual structure. Although previous studies have examined these illustrations from stylistic, narrative, compositional, and mythological perspectives, the structural organization of mythical forms and the relationships among them within the overall visual structure have received comparatively limited attention. Accordingly, this study aims to analyze the mythical forms represented in the illustrations of Haft Khan of Rostam in the Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp and to examine how their interrelationships contribute to the organization of the mythical imaginary, based on Gilbert Durand’s theory of the Anthropological Structures of the Imaginary. The study is fundamental in purpose and descriptive-analytical in nature, employing a qualitative approach. Data were collected through documentary and library research, and six illustrations corresponding to the episodes of Haft Khan were purposively selected and analyzed using analytical indicators derived from Durand’s diurnal and nocturnal regimes. The findings indicate that the selected illustrations are predominantly structured according to the diurnal regime. Negatively valued forms, including animality, darkness, and fall, are positioned in opposition to positively valued forms, including separation, light, and ascension, thereby establishing a symbolic structure centered on confrontation between threatening forces and the hero. Rostam’s successive confrontations with and victories over demonic and destructive forces reinforce a movement from threat and chaos toward overcoming and liberation. In contrast, the nocturnal regime does not constitute a dominant structural pattern in the selected illustrations. Overall, the findings demonstrate that the symbolic meaning of the illustrations does not derive from isolated motifs but from the relationships and structural interactions among mythical forms across the visual sequence. Thus, Durand’s theoretical framework provides a systematic basis for explaining the organization of the mythical imaginary in Persian epic painting
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