Reasons for Metamorphosis in One Thousand and One Nights Stories

One of the common motifs of myths and ancient stories is metamorphosis or transformation of creatures using supernatural forces or magic. Many cases of metamorphosis in stories bear mythological and psychological connotations whose description necessitates listening to the waves of "collective unconscious" in the depth of myths. When investigating into anecdotes of One Thousand and One Nights, we encounter many cases of mental tensions in form of creatures and objects which to some extent indicate the anxiety and pains of man's soul and mind in life. The common functions of metamorphosis in anecdotes of One Thousand and One Nights should be sought in external similarities and the uncommon ones in different truths the individual becomes aware of; the truths which cause the individual to overpower fear, create a sense of worship and make the hero reach an awareness of the nature of time, thought, and unconscious. In this paper, the process of individualism is discussed as the most important psychological factor in metamorphosis. Also, along with humor, secrecy, entertainment, deception, tendency towards eternity is the most important mythological and religious reason for using metamorphosis in stories.