Written and researched by Dominique Perrotta in collaboration with Dr. Hutton and the TCNJ Fall 2020 Arts of Iran students

Iranian Mythology

Iranian mythology includes traditional stories involving extraordinary figures and creatures that usually reflect the attitudes of society across history. These characters and their stories pertain to the actions of heroes and creatures, the performance of god(s), and the confrontation of good and evil. Such topics often have roots in early Iranian customs and religions. Other times, they reflect attitudes of a particular historical period, demonstrating how Iranian society evolved over time. In all instances, mythology was and has remained a key component of Iranian art and literature throughout time.

Glossary

• Zoroastrianism → a monotheistic, pre-Islamic religion of Iran founded by Zoroaster in the 6th century B.C.

• Avesta→ the sacred book of Zoroastrianism which contains the religions cosmogony, law, liturgy, and overall teachings of the prophet Zoroaster

• Shahnameh (i.e. Shahnama)→ the "Book of Kings" is a 10th century medieval epic written by the poet Abul-Qâsem Ferdowsi as a means of recording the myths, legends, history, language, and culture of ancient Iran. The collection contains 990 chapters, 62 stories, and 50,000 rhymed couplets.

• Simurgh (i.e. simorgh) → a mythical bird in Iranian mythology found in all periods of Iranian art and literature

• Djinn (i.e. Jinn or genies)→ mythical, demonic creatures in early pre-Islamic and later Islamic mythology, theology, and iconography that are neither innately evil nor innately good

• Divs (i.e. Dev)→ monstrous creatures in Iranian mythology comparable to demons or ogres

• Zal (i.e. Zaal)→ a legendary Iranian king who is recognized as one of the greatest warriors of the Shahnameh

• Rostam (i.e.Rustam) → the most legendary hero in Persian mythology, the son of Zāl, whose life and work was immortalized in the Shahnameh

• Sohrab (i.e. Suhrab) → is a legendary warrior from the Shahnameh who was accidentally slain at a young age by his father Rostam

General Mythology

Rohani, Neda. “Strange Animals and Creatures in Islamic Miniatures: Focusing on Miniatures of the Conference of the Birds.” Journal of History Culture and Art Research, vol.6, 2017, pp. 112-126.

This source investigates the history of strange creatures in ancient Iranian art as well as their continued appearance in art of the Islamic era. The essay identifies lesser known aspects of Iranian miniatures to find the relationship between culture and story by reviewing details and symbols of animals, particularly that of bird creatures, further analyzing the function of strange elements and symbolism in works of Iranian miniaturists. The article also analyzes when and where these animals were present in both mythology and epics as well as the mystical stories produced during the Islamic era. This source is useful because it identifies specific creatures common within Iranian literature and art and provides a thorough analysis behind their deep cultural symbolism and prevalence throughout history.

Saadi-Nejad, Manya. “Mythological Themes in Iranian Culture and Art: Traditional and Contemporary Perspectives.” Iranian Studies, vol. 42, no. 2, 2009, pp. 231–246. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25597545. Accessed 22 Nov. 2020.

This source examines the relationship between myth and artistic production within contemporary Iran, referencing specific symbols and mythological themes evoked in the artists' works. The essay, and the specific examples by such artists as Aydin Aghdashloo and Shirin Neshat, illustrates the deep connection of modern Iranians with ancient Iranian culture. Here, the artists do not use mythological themes and images to express their original cultural meaning, but rather appropriate details of ancient Iranian culture. They present them within a new context relevant to contemporary issues. Not only does this source provide examples of Iranian Mythology, but it does so within a contemporary context. This source is useful because it touches on aspects of the Iranian mythos and provides an in depth analysis of how said mythos has remained a prominent component throughout Iranian visual culture, providing examples to support the vast claim as well.

Magic

Flowers, Stephen E. Original Magic: the Rituals and Initiations of the Persian Magi. Inner Traditions, 2017.

This book explores the history of Persian magic in early Iran, tackling topics such as an analysis of the Avesta and Zoroastrianism, an overview of gods and deities, and theories behind "magic" in early Iranian literature and art. The text reveals how all other known systems of magic across neighboring cultures, such as Greeks, Romans, Hebrews, Christians, and Chinese, have borrowed from this tradition. Also, the book goes into depth about magical figures, creatures, and deities that make appearances in Zoroastrianism and Iranian mythology. This source is valuable because it provides an in-depth analysis of the magic behind the mythological world of Iranian mythology. By looking at the basis of magic, and thus the magical world, readers can get a better understanding behind the symbolism and deeper meaning of mythological characters, creatures and stories. This analysis of magic also provides better context for Zoroastrian mythology and stories, which have deep connections and cross-contextual use within later Iranian mythology.

Shamsayi, Mahin. "Magic Realism and Shahnameh of Ferdowsi." Journal of History Culture and Art Research, vol. 6, no.3, 2017, pp. 1288-1298.

This source discusses the theory of magic realism, a literary/artistic genre in which realistic narrative is combined with elements of magic or fantasy, and its use throughout Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. This article provides attributes of magic realism and examines its origins in the Shahnameh, as well as Persian literature as a whole. The author further explains how the use of magic became such a key component with the medium of legend and myth. This source is important because it explains more conceptual aspects of Iranian mythology and the environment in which it was presented.

Mythology in the Shahnameh

Ferdowsi Abul-Qâsem, and Dick Davis. Shahnameh: the Persian Book of Kings. Translated by Azar Nafisi, Penguin Books, 2016.

This book is an English translation of the Iranian epic the Shahnameh and presents Iranian mythology within the context of the stories they appear in. The Shahnameh is one of the most notable Iranian texts and as such provides a wealthy array of Iranian literary history. This translation gives those unfamiliar with the iconic Iranian mythos the opportunity to indulge in its layered brilliance. This volume also contains illustrations to support the accompanying stories, and provides visuals to the in-text descriptions of the various heroes and creatures throughout the mythos. This text is useful because it provides in-depth descriptions of various mythological figures within the context of their own stories and provides visual support to further readers' understanding.

Melikian-Chirvani, A. S. “Rostam and Herakles, a Family Resemblance.” Bulletin of the Asia Institute, vol. 12, 1998, pp. 171–199. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/24049102. Accessed 22 Nov. 2020.

This source compares and contrasts the Iranian epic hero, Rostam, with the tradition of Heraklean myth. The essay analyzes the Ferdowsi text as well as several visual records of the titular hero and compares them to examples of Heraklean representations. It also discusses the nature of how the story was altered depending on the geography and how the art changed to fit how the story changed. This source is useful because it provides information regarding the main hero of Iranian mythology, his story, and the variations in said story depending on the area. It also provides an examination of how these differences in story affected visual culture and the various representations of the iconic figure.

Sadeghi, Ali. “Hero and Heroism in the Shahnameh and the Masnavi.” Critique: Critical Middle Eastern Studies, vol. 13, no. 2, 2004, pp. 195–208. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/1066992042000244326.

This text critically analyzes the presentation of heroes and heroism within prominent Iranian literature, such Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. The author also discusses the impact of the Iranian social conditions on the content of classical literature, the evolution of the definition of "hero", and the concept of evil. This information is important because it analyzes the concept of heroes within Iranian mythology as well as focuses on the heroes within one of the most important collections of Iranian literature and mythology. This is worth evaluating because not only do readers get to see how the figure of the hero has evolved throughout the Iranian mythos, but they also get a glimpse of how such an evolution has changed the entire mythos as a whole.

Zoroastrianism

Skjærvø, Prods Oktor. The Spirit of Zoroastrianism. Yale University Press, 2011.

This source provides an in-depth collection of Zoroastrianism's history, fundamental concepts, literature, and evolution throughout different time periods. It provides detailed descriptions of the religion as a whole and the various, complex stories that accompany it, stories that show the roots of popular Iranian mythology and visual references. The article also provides various texts and textual references in which these cross-religious examples appear. This information is important because it shows a direct relationship and evolution of the Zoroastrian references being applied to Iranian mythology and common historic visual culture, while also providing in depth descriptions of the references origins. Plus, the sections explaining the evolution across eras show the evolution of such references and incorporation into larger culture.