Persian mythology
From Freepedia
The beliefs and practices of the culturally and linguistically related group of ancient peoples who inhabited the Iranian Plateau and its borderlands, as well as areas of Central Asia from the Black Sea to Khotan (modern Ho-t'ien, China), form Persian mythology.
The best collection of old Persian mythology appears in the Shahnama of Ferdowsi, written over a thousand years ago. Much of the information about Persian (old-Iranian) gods can be found in the religious texts from Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) such as the Avesta, and in later sources such as the Bundahishn and the Denkard. The original Avesta dates back to 1400 - 1200 BCE, and was kept in Istakhr until Alexander of Macedon destroyed it. The current version dates from the 13th or 14th century, and contains only a fragment of the original text.
Unlike many other mythologies, Persian mythology has only 2 main gods: Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu. Ahura Mazda was the god of light, construction, and fertility. In contrast, Angra Mainyu was the god of darkness, destruction, sterility, and death. The pair was always in constant conflict. Evil people followed Angra Mainyu, while good people followed Ahura Mazda.
Contents |
Demons
There are many demons or daeva (Farsi div) in the Persian mythology. The root is the Indo-European word deiva meaning "celestial, bright". As among the Aryan Indians, the pre-Zoroastrian Iranians considered the demons as holy and sacred beings; but Zarathustra rejected Daeva and called him evil. Even then the Persians living south of the Caspian Sea continued to worship the demon and resisted pressure to accept Zoroastrianism. The legend of White Demon (Div-e Sepid) of Mazandaran lingers on to this day. The Zoroastrian god of Evil, Ahriman or the Avestan Angra Mainyu (i.e. Evil Thought) has lost its original identity and is sometimes pictured as a Div. Post-Islamic religious paintings show the div as a giant of a man with spotted body and two horns.
Good and Evil
The most famous legendary character in the Persian epics and mythology is Rostam. On the other side of the fence is Zahhak, a symbol of despotism who was finally defeated by Kaveh the Blacksmith who led a popular uprising against him. Zahhak was guarded by two vipers which grew out of his shoulders. No matter how many times they were beheaded, new heads grew on them to guard him. The snake like in many other Oriental mythologies was a symbol of evil. But many other animals and birds appear in Iranian mythology and especially the birds were signs of good omen. Most famous of these is Simorgh, a large beautiful and powerful bird, Homa, a royal bird of victory whose plume adorned the crowns and Samandar, the phoenix.
Pari (Avesta: Pairika), considered a beautiful though evil woman in early mythology, gradually became less evil and more beautiful until the Islamic period she became a symbol of beauty similar to the huris of Paradise. However another evil woman, Patiareh, now symbolizes whores and prostitutes.
Key Texts
Related subjects
- Indo-Iranian mythology
- Hindu mythology
- Persian deities
- Zoroastrianism
- The Cup of Jamshid
- Arash
- Fulad-zereh
References
- Iran almanac and book of facts 1964-1965. Fourth edition, new print. Published by Echo of Iran, Tehran 1965.
