This article examines the motif of predestined love as it manifests in two foundational works of world literature: the Persian poem "Layli and Majnun" by Nizami Ganjavi (12th century) and the medieval European romance "Tristan and Isolde," particularly in Gottfried von Strassburg's version (early 13th century). Despite originating in distinct cultural and religious contexts—Islamic Persia and Christian Europe—both narratives present love as a force that transcends human will, operating within frameworks of destiny that simultaneously empower and imprison the lovers. The analysis focuses on three key dimensions: the metaphysical status of love as predestination, the role of external forces (society, family, magical agency) in shaping the lovers' fate, and the transformation of the beloved's identity through suffering. Drawing on comparative literary analysis and recent scholarship in Persian and medieval European literature, the article demonstrates that while "Tristan and Isolde" locates predestination primarily in the magical agency of the love potion, "Layli and Majnun" presents love as an ontological condition that precedes and determines the lovers' existence. Both works, however, share a fundamental tension: predestined love is represented as simultaneously liberating (elevating the lovers above ordinary moral constraints) and destructive (leading inevitably to social exile and death). The article concludes that the motif of predestined love serves in both traditions as a vehicle for exploring questions of human agency, social transgression, and the relationship between earthly passion and spiritual transcendence.
Rustam Baxramovich Turakhanov (Wed,) studied this question.