ABSTRACT
The present volume brings together essays about religion(s) in literature(s). But what exactly are we looking for? How can religion (or religions) be present in a literature-in this case Persian literature? On a fi rst level, I would suggest, religion may be present in idioms-e.g. exclamations or admonitions and other allusions to religious fi gures or stories of the Scriptures. On a second level, it may be present in the description of religious customs and rituals such as prayer and pilgrimage. On a third level, religious ‘meta-narratives’ may underlie the structure of the story; thus, the hero’s destiny may be similar to that of a religious fi gure.2 Or, on a fi nal (‘highest density’) level, the literary text may even convey a religious message.
