Zahhāk or Zahāk () ( fa, ضحّاک), also known as Zahhak the Snake Shoulder ( fa, ضحاک ماردوش, Zahhāk-e Mārdoush), is an evil figure in
Persian mythology, evident in ancient Persian
folklore as Azhi Dahāka ( fa, اژی دهاک), the name by which he also appears in the texts of the ''
Avesta''.
In
Middle Persian he is called Dahāg ( fa, دهاگ) or Bēvar Asp ( fa, بیور اسپ) the latter meaning "he who has 10,000 horses". In
Zoroastrianism, Zahhak (going under the name Aži Dahāka) is considered the son of
Ahriman, the foe of
Ahura Mazda
Ahura Mazda (; ae, , translit=Ahura Mazdā; ), also known as Oromasdes, Ohrmazd, Ahuramazda, Hoormazd, Hormazd, Hormaz and Hurmuz, is the creator deity in Zoroastrianism. He is the first and most frequently invoked spirit in the ''Yasna''. ...
. In the ''
Shāhnāmah'' of
Ferdowsi
Abul-Qâsem Ferdowsi Tusi ( fa, ; 940 – 1019/1025 CE), also Firdawsi or Ferdowsi (), was a Persians, Persian poet and the author of ''Shahnameh'' ("Book of Kings"), which is one of the world's longest epic poetry, epic poems created by a sin ...
, Zahhāk is the son of a ruler named Merdās.
Etymology and derived words
''Aži'' (nominative ''ažiš'') is the
Avestan
Avestan (), or historically Zend, is an umbrella term for two Old Iranian languages: Old Avestan (spoken in the 2nd millennium BCE) and Younger Avestan (spoken in the 1st millennium BCE). They are known only from their conjoined use as the scrip ...
word for "serpent" or "dragon". It is
cognate
In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymology, etymological ancestor in a proto-language, common parent language. Because language c ...
to the
Vedic Sanskrit word ''ahi'', "snake", and without a sinister implication.
The original meaning of ''dahāka'' is uncertain. Among the meanings suggested are "stinging" (source uncertain), "burning" (cf.
Sanskrit ''dahana''), "man" or "manlike" (cf.
Khotanese ''daha''), "huge" or "foreign" (cf. the
Dahae people and the Vedic
dasas). In Persian mythology, ''Dahāka'' is treated as a proper noun, while the form ''Zahhāk'', which appears in the ''
Shāhnāme
The ''Shahnameh'' or ''Shahnama'' ( fa, شاهنامه, Šāhnāme, lit=The Book of Kings, ) is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c. 977 and 1010 CE and is the national epic of Greater Iran. Consisting of some 50,00 ...
'', was created through the influence of the unrelated
Arabic word ''ḍaḥḥāk'' (ضَحَّاك) meaning "one who laughs".
The Avestan term ''Aži Dahāka'' and the Middle Persian ''azdahāg'' are the source of the Middle Persian
Manichaean
Manichaeism (;
in New Persian ; ) is a former major religionR. van den Broek, Wouter J. Hanegraaff ''Gnosis and Hermeticism from Antiquity to Modern Times''SUNY Press, 1998 p. 37 founded in the 3rd century AD by the Parthian Empire, Parthian ...
demon of greed ''Az'', Old Armenian mythological figure ''
Aždahak'',
Modern Persian '
''aždehâ''/''
aždahâ',''
Tajik Persian '
''azhdahâ',''
Urdu '
''azhdahā (اژدها), as well as the
Kurdish ''ejdîha'' (ئەژدیها) which usually mean "dragon".
The name also migrated to Eastern Europe, assumed the form "
azhdaja" and the meaning "dragon", "dragoness" or "water snake" in Balkanic and Slavic languages.
Despite the negative aspect of ''Aži Dahāka'' in mythology, dragons have been used on some banners of war throughout the history of
Iranian peoples.
The
Azhdarchid group of
pterosaurs are named from a
Persian word for "
dragon
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
" that ultimately comes from ''Aži Dahāka''.
Aži Dahāka (Dahāg) in Zoroastrian literature
Aži Dahāka
Zahhāk or Zahāk () ( fa, ضحّاک), also known as Zahhak the Snake Shoulder ( fa, ضحاک ماردوش, Zahhāk-e Mārdoush), is an evil figure in Persian mythology, evident in ancient Persian folklore as Azhi Dahāka ( fa, اژی دهاک) ...
is the most significant and long-lasting of the ''aži''s of the
Avesta, the earliest religious texts of
Zoroastrianism. He is described as a monster with three mouths, six eyes, and
three heads, cunning, strong, and demonic. In other respects Aži Dahāka has human qualities, and is never a mere animal.
Aži Dahāka appears in several of the Avestan myths and is mentioned parenthetically in many more places in Zoroastrian literature.
In a post-Avestan Zoroastrian text, the ''Dēnkard'', Aži Dahāka is possessed of all possible sins and evil counsels, the opposite of the good king
Jam
Jam is a type of fruit preserve.
Jam or Jammed may also refer to:
Other common meanings
* A firearm malfunction
* Block signals
** Radio jamming
** Radar jamming and deception
** Mobile phone jammer
** Echolocation jamming
Arts and entertai ...
(or
Jamshid
Jamshid () ( fa, جمشید, ''Jamshīd''; Middle- and New Persian: جم, ''Jam'') also known as ''Yima'' (Avestan: 𐬫𐬌𐬨𐬀 ''Yima''; Pashto/Dari: یما ''Yama'') is the fourth Shah of the mythological Pishdadian dynasty of Iran acco ...
). The name Dahāg (Dahāka) is punningly interpreted as meaning "having ten (''dah'') sins". His mother is Wadag (or Ōdag), herself described as a great sinner, who committed incest with her son.
In the Avesta, Aži Dahāka is said to have lived in the inaccessible fortress of Kuuirinta in the land of Baβri, where he worshipped the yazatas Arədvī Sūrā (
Anāhitā), divinity of the rivers, and
Vayu divinity of the storm-wind. Based on the similarity between Baβri and
Old Persian
Old Persian is one of the two directly attested Old Iranian languages (the other being Avestan language, Avestan) and is the ancestor of Middle Persian (the language of Sasanian Empire). Like other Old Iranian languages, it was known to its native ...
Bābiru (
Babylon
''Bābili(m)''
* sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠
* arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel''
* syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel''
* grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn''
* he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel''
* peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru''
* elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...
), later Zoroastrians localized Aži Dahāka in Mesopotamia, though the identification is open to doubt. Aži Dahāka asked these two yazatas for power to depopulate the world. Being representatives of the Good, they refused.
In one Avestan text, Aži Dahāka has a brother named Spitiyura. Together they attack the hero Yima (
Jamshid
Jamshid () ( fa, جمشید, ''Jamshīd''; Middle- and New Persian: جم, ''Jam'') also known as ''Yima'' (Avestan: 𐬫𐬌𐬨𐬀 ''Yima''; Pashto/Dari: یما ''Yama'') is the fourth Shah of the mythological Pishdadian dynasty of Iran acco ...
) and cut him in half with a saw, but are then beaten back by the
yazata Ātar, the divine spirit of fire.
According to the post-Avestan texts, following the death of Jam ī Xšēd (
Jamshid
Jamshid () ( fa, جمشید, ''Jamshīd''; Middle- and New Persian: جم, ''Jam'') also known as ''Yima'' (Avestan: 𐬫𐬌𐬨𐬀 ''Yima''; Pashto/Dari: یما ''Yama'') is the fourth Shah of the mythological Pishdadian dynasty of Iran acco ...
), Dahāg gained kingly rule. Another late Zoroastrian text, the ''Mēnog ī xrad'', says this was ultimately good, because if Dahāg had not become king, the rule would have been taken by the immortal demon Xešm (
Aēšma), and so evil would have ruled upon the earth until the end of the world.
Dahāg is said to have ruled for a thousand years, starting from 100 years after Jam lost his
Khvarenah
Khvarenah (also spelled khwarenah or xwarra(h): ae, 𐬓𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬥𐬀𐬵 ') is an Avestan word for a Zoroastrian concept literally denoting "glory" or "splendour" but understood as a divine mystical force or power projected upon and aidi ...
, his royal glory (see
Jamshid
Jamshid () ( fa, جمشید, ''Jamshīd''; Middle- and New Persian: جم, ''Jam'') also known as ''Yima'' (Avestan: 𐬫𐬌𐬨𐬀 ''Yima''; Pashto/Dari: یما ''Yama'') is the fourth Shah of the mythological Pishdadian dynasty of Iran acco ...
). He is described as a sorcerer who ruled with the aid of demons, the
daevas (divs).
The Avesta identifies the person who finally disposed of Aži Dahāka as
Θraētaona son of
Aθβiya, in Middle Persian called Frēdōn. The Avesta has little to say about the nature of Θraētaona's defeat of Aži Dahāka, other than that it enabled him to liberate Arənavāci and Savaŋhavāci, the two most beautiful women in the world. Later sources, especially the
Dēnkard
The ''Dēnkard'' or ''Dēnkart'' (Middle Persian: 𐭣𐭩𐭭𐭪𐭠𐭫𐭲 "Acts of Religion") is a 10th-century compendium of Zoroastrian beliefs and customs during the time. The Denkard is to a great extent considered an "Encyclopedia of Ma ...
, provide more detail. Feyredon is said to have been endowed with the divine radiance of kings (''
Khvarenah
Khvarenah (also spelled khwarenah or xwarra(h): ae, 𐬓𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬥𐬀𐬵 ') is an Avestan word for a Zoroastrian concept literally denoting "glory" or "splendour" but understood as a divine mystical force or power projected upon and aidi ...
'', New Persian ''farr'') for life, and was able to defeat Dahāg, striking him with a mace. However, when he did so, vermin (snakes, insects and the like) emerged from the wounds, and the god
Ormazd told him not to kill Dahāg, lest the world become infected with these creatures. Instead, Frēdōn chained Dahāg up and imprisoned him on the mythical Mt. Damāvand (later identified with
Damāvand
Mount Damavand ( fa, دماوند ) is a dormant stratovolcano, the highest peak in Iran and Western Asia and the highest volcano in Asia and the 2nd highest volcano in the Eastern Hemisphere (after Mount Kilimanjaro), at an elevation of . ...
).
The Middle Persian sources also prophesy that at the end of the world, Dahāg will at last burst his bonds and ravage the world, consuming one in three humans and livestock.
Kirsāsp, the ancient hero who had killed the Az ī Srūwar, returns to life to kill Dahāg.
Zahhāk in the Shāhnāma
In
Ferdowsi
Abul-Qâsem Ferdowsi Tusi ( fa, ; 940 – 1019/1025 CE), also Firdawsi or Ferdowsi (), was a Persians, Persian poet and the author of ''Shahnameh'' ("Book of Kings"), which is one of the world's longest epic poetry, epic poems created by a sin ...
's epic poem, the
Shāhnāmah, written c. 1000 AD and part of Iranian folklore, the legend is retold with the main character given the name of Zahhāk and changed from a supernatural monster into an evil human being.
Zahhāk in Arabia
According to
Ferdowsi
Abul-Qâsem Ferdowsi Tusi ( fa, ; 940 – 1019/1025 CE), also Firdawsi or Ferdowsi (), was a Persians, Persian poet and the author of ''Shahnameh'' ("Book of Kings"), which is one of the world's longest epic poetry, epic poems created by a sin ...
, Zahhāk was born as the son of a ruler named Merdās ( fa, مرداس). Because of his
Arab lineage, he is sometimes called Zahhāk-e Tāzī ( fa, ضحاکِ تازی), meaning "Zahhāk the
Tayyi". He is handsome and clever, but has no stability of character and is easily influenced by his counselors.
Ahriman therefore chooses him as a tool to sow disorder and chaos. When Zahhāk is a young man, Ahriman first appears to him as a glib, flattering companion, and by degrees convinces him to kill his own father and inherit his kingdom, treasures and army. Zahhāk digs a deep pit covered over with leaves in a path to a garden where Merdās would pray each morning; Merdās falls in and is killed. Zahhāk thus ascends to the throne.
Ahriman then presents himself to Zahhāk as a marvelous cook. After he presents Zahhāk with many days of sumptuous feasts (introducing meat to the formerly vegetarian human cuisine), Zahhāk is willing to give Ahriman whatever he wants. Ahriman merely asks to kiss Zahhāk on his two shoulders, and Zahhāk permits this. Ahriman places his lips upon Zahhāk's shoulders and suddenly disappears. At once, two black snakes grow from Zahhāk's shoulders. They cannot be surgically removed, as another snake grows to replace one that has been severed. Ahriman appears to Zahhāk in the form of a skilled physician. He counsels Zahhāk that attempting to remove the snakes is fruitless, and that the only means of soothing the snakes and preventing them from killing him is to sate their hunger by supplying them with a stew made from two human brains every day.
Zahhāk the Emperor
At this time,
Jamshid
Jamshid () ( fa, جمشید, ''Jamshīd''; Middle- and New Persian: جم, ''Jam'') also known as ''Yima'' (Avestan: 𐬫𐬌𐬨𐬀 ''Yima''; Pashto/Dari: یما ''Yama'') is the fourth Shah of the mythological Pishdadian dynasty of Iran acco ...
, the ruler of the world, becomes arrogant and loses his divine right to rule. Zahhāk presents himself as a savior to discontented Iranians seeking a new ruler. Collecting a great army, Zahhāk hunts Jamshid for many years before finally capturing him. Zahhāk executes Jamshid by sawing him in half and ascends to Jamshid's prior throne. Among his slaves are two of Jamshid's daughters,
Arnavāz Arnavāz ( fa, اَرْنَواز) (Arənauuāčī in Avestan) is one of the two daughters (or possibly sisters) of Jamshid, the mythological king of Parsia. Arnavāz and her sister, Shahrnāz first married Zahhāk, but later married Fereydun, a ...
and
Shahrnāz Shahrnāz ( fa, شَهرناز) (Saŋhauuāčī in Avestan) is one of the two daughters (or possibly sisters) of Jamshid, the mythological king of Iran.
In some versions of Shahnameh, including the Moscow version and that of Ṯaʿālebī, Shahrn ...
(the Avestan Arənavāci and Savaŋhavāci). Each day, Zahhāk's agents seize two men and execute them so that their brains can feed Zahhāk's snakes. Two men, called Armayel and Garmayel, seek to rescue people from being killed from the snakes by learning cookery and becoming Zahhāk's royal chefs. Each day, Armayel and Garmayel save one of the two men by sending him off to the mountains and faraway plains, and substitute the man's brain with that of a sheep. The saved men are the mythological progenitors of the
Kurds.
Zahhāk's tyranny over the world lasts for centuries. One night, Zahhāk dreams of three warriors attacking him. The youngest warrior knocks Zahhāk down with his mace, ties him up, and drags him off toward
Mount Damāvand as a large crowd follows. Zahhāk wakes and shouts so loudly that the pillars of the palace shake. Following Arnavāz's counsel, Zahhāk summons wise men and scholars to interpret his dream. His hesitant counsellors remain silent until the most fearless of the men reports that the dream is a vision of the end of Zahhāk's reign at the hands of
Fereydun, the young man with the mace. Zahhāk is thrilled to learn the identity of his enemy, and orders his agents to search the entire country for Fereydun and capture him. The agents learn that Fereydun is a boy being nourished on the milk of the marvelous cow Barmāyeh. The spies trace Barmāyeh to the highland meadows where it grazes, but Fereydun and his mother have already fled before them. The agents kill the cow, but are forced to return to Zahhāk with their mission unfulfilled.
Revolution against Zahhāk
Zahhāk lives the next few years in fear and anxiety of Fereydun, and thus writes a document testifying to the virtue and righteousness of his kingdom that would be certified by the kingdom's elders and social elite, in the hope that his enemy would be convinced against exacting vengeance. Much of the summoned assembly indulge the testimony out of fear for their lives. However, a blacksmith named
Kāva
Kaveh the Blacksmith ( fa, کاوه آهنگر – Kāve Āhangar ), is a 5000-year-old figure in Iranian mythology who leads a popular uprising against a ruthless foreign ruler, Zahāk. His story is narrated in the ''Shahnameh'', the nationa ...
(Kaveh) speaks out in anger for his children having been murdered to feed Zahhāk's snakes, and for his final remaining son being sentenced to the same fate. Zahhāk orders for Kāva's son to be released in a bid to coerce Kāva into certifying the document, but Kāva tears up the document, leaves the court, and creates a flag out of his blacksmith's apron as a standard of rebellion – the
Kāviyāni Banner, ''derafsh-e Kāviyānī'' (درفش کاویانی). Kāva proclaims himself in support of Fereydun as ruler, and rallies a crowd to follow him to the Alborz mountains, where Fereydun is now living as a young man. Fereydun agrees to lead the people against Zahhāk and has a mace made for him with a head like that of an ox.
Fereydun goes forth to fight against Zahhāk, who has already left his capital, which falls to Fereydun with small resistance. Fereydun frees all of Zahhāk's prisoners, including Arnavāz and Shahrnāz. Kondrow, Zahhāk's treasurer, pretends to submit to Fereydun, but discreetly escapes to Zahhāk and reports to him what has happened. Zahhāk initially dismisses the matter, but he is incensed to learn that Fereydun has seated Jamshid's daughters on thrones beside him like his queens, and immediately hastens back to his city to attack Fereydun. Zahhāk finds his capital held strongly against him, and his army is in peril from the defense of the city. Seeing that he cannot reduce the city, he sneaks into his own palace as a spy and attempts to assassinate Arnavāz and Shahrnāz. Fereydun strikes Zahhāk down with his ox-headed mace, but does not kill him; on the advice of an angel, he binds Zahhāk and imprisons him in a cave underneath Mount Damāvand. Fereydun binds Zahhāk with a lion's pelt tied to great nails fixed into the walls of the cavern, where Zahhāk will remain until the end of the world.
Place names
"
Zahhak Castle
Zahhak Castle (or citadel) is a castle in Hashtrud, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. It is named after Zahhak, a figure in Persian mythology. According to various experts, it was inhabited from the second millennium BC until the Timurid era. It w ...
" is the name of an ancient ruin in
Hashtrud,
East Azerbaijan Province,
Iran which according to various experts, was inhabited from the second millennia BC until the
Timurid Timurid refers to those descended from Timur (Tamerlane), a 14th-century conqueror:
* Timurid dynasty, a dynasty of Turco-Mongol lineage descended from Timur who established empires in Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent
** Timurid Empire of C ...
-era. First excavated in the 19th century by British archeologists,
Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization
Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicraft Organization ( fa, وزارت میراث فرهنگی، گردشگری و صنایع دستی ایران, ''Vâzart-e Miras-e Ferhengi-ye, Gârdâshigâri-ye vâ Sânai'-ye Dâsti-ye Iran'') is ...
has been studying the structure in 6 phases.
In popular culture
*The tale of Zahhak's defeat of Jamshid and subsequent defeat to Fereydun serves as the backstory of the 1992 Sega Game Gear video game ''
Defenders of Oasis
''Defenders of Oasis'' is a role-playing video game developed and published by Sega for the Game Gear in 1992. The game's setting is based on ''One Thousand and One Nights'', and the plot centers on a heroic prince and his companions, who set out ...
''. A descendant of Zahhak is a major antagonist in the game's plot.
*In the ''Xenaverse'', Zahhak (referred to as ''
Dahak'') is the supernatural adversary whom both
Xena and later Hercules on ''
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' must defeat in order to save the world from utter destruction. When Dahak appears on Hercules, his appearance is like a crustacean.
*In ''
Final Fantasy Legend III'' (known outside the United States as ''SaGa 3''), intermediate boss Dahak is depicted as a multiple-headed lizard.
*In ''
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within,'' the Prince of Persia flees from a powerful shadowy figure called The Dahaka.
*In ''
Future Card Buddyfight,'' the buddy of the main antagonist is named Demonic Demise Dragon, Azi Dahaka.
*The
Marvel MAX ''
Terror Inc.
''Terror Inc.'' was an American comic-book horror series from Marvel Comics starring the antihero Terror, an eternal entity that absorbs the talents of others through their dismembered limbs. He was created by writers Dan Chichester and Margar ...
'' issues feature an immortal villain named Zahhak, bound to two demonic snakes. Unless fed with other people's brains, they start eating his own.
*In the
Quest Corporation
was a Japanese video game company founded in 1988. Quest is best known for its critically acclaimed tactical role-playing game series ''Ogre Battle''.
In 1990 Quest was merged with the company Bothtec, the latter focusing on the development of ...
video game ''
Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber'', Ahzi Dahaka is a venerable dragon of the Earth element that is commonly encountered during the latter half of the game.
*In ''
High School DxD'', Azi Dahaka is an evil dragon who leads an antagonist group with another evil dragon named Apophis.
*In the light novel series ''
Problem Children Are Coming from Another World, Aren't They?
, also known as , is a Japanese light novel series written by Tarō Tatsunoko and illustrated by Yū Amano. An anime adaptation by Diomedéa aired from January 11, 2013, to March 15, 2013. Part 1 of the series ended on April 1, 2015, with ...
'', Azi Dahaka is represented as a three-headed white dragon and is one of the main antagonists in the series.
*In the ''
Shadowverse
''Shadowverse'' is a digital collectible card game developed and published by Cygames. It was released free-to-play for iOS and Android devices in June 2016. macOS and Windows versions were released in October 2016.
''Shadowverse'' employs an an ...
'' card game Azi Dahaka appear as a legendary Dragoncraft-class card come from Chronogenesis Expansion.
*In the ''
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game'', Dahak is the god of chromatic dragons, and the son of the dragons Apsu and Tiamat. He seeks to kill his father and reign over all dragonkind.
*Aži Dahāka served as an inspiration for the boss Azhdaha () in ''
Genshin Impact'', a legendary dragon (Vishap) sealed underground by Liyue's Geo Archon, Morax.
Other dragons in Iranian tradition
Besides Aži Dahāka, several other dragons and dragon-like creatures are mentioned in Zoroastrian scripture:
* ''Aži Sruvara'' - the 'horned dragon'
*''Aži Zairita'' - the 'yellow dragon,' that is killed by the hero
Kərəsāspa, Middle Persian Kirsāsp. (''Yasna'' 9.1, 9.30; ''Yasht'' 19.19)
* ''Aži Raoiδita'' - the 'red dragon' conceived by
Angra Mainyu's to bring about the
'''
daeva''-induced winter' that is the reaction to
Ahura Mazda
Ahura Mazda (; ae, , translit=Ahura Mazdā; ), also known as Oromasdes, Ohrmazd, Ahuramazda, Hoormazd, Hormazd, Hormaz and Hurmuz, is the creator deity in Zoroastrianism. He is the first and most frequently invoked spirit in the ''Yasna''. ...
's creation of the ''
Airyanem Vaejah''.
(''Vendidad'' 1.2)
* ''Aži Višāpa'' - the 'dragon of poisonous slaver' that consumes offerings to
Aban if they are made between sunset and sunrise (''Nirangistan'' 48).
* ''Gandarəβa'' - the 'yellow-heeled' monster of the sea 'Vourukasha' that can swallow twelve provinces at once. On emerging to destroy the entire creation of ''Asha'', it too is slain by the hero
Kərəsāspa. (''Yasht'' 5.38, 15.28, 19.41)
The Aži/Ahi in Indo-Iranian tradition
Stories of monstrous serpents who are killed or imprisoned by heroes or divine beings may date back to prehistory and are found in the
myths of many Indo-European peoples, including those of the Indo-Iranians, that is, the common ancestors of both the Iranians and
Vedic Indians.
The most obvious point of comparison is that in
Vedic Sanskrit ''ahi'' is a cognate of
Avestan
Avestan (), or historically Zend, is an umbrella term for two Old Iranian languages: Old Avestan (spoken in the 2nd millennium BCE) and Younger Avestan (spoken in the 1st millennium BCE). They are known only from their conjoined use as the scrip ...
''aži''. However, In Vedic tradition, the only dragon of importance is
Vrtra, but "there is no Iranian tradition of a dragon such as Indian Vrtra" (Boyce, 1975:91-92). Moreover, while Iranian tradition has numerous dragons, all of which are malevolent, Vedic tradition has only one other dragon besides - ''ahi budhnya'', the benevolent "dragon of the deep". In the Vedas, gods battle dragons, but in Iranian tradition, this is a function of mortal heroes.
Thus, although it seems clear that dragon-slaying heroes (and gods in the case of the Vedas) "were a part of Indo-Iranian tradition and folklore, it is also apparent that Iran and India developed distinct myths early." (Skjaervø, 1989:192)
Adaptations
*
Persians and I
The trilogy of ''Persians and I'' (Parsian va Man, fa, ) is the first modern Iranian mythical and epic fantasy series novels written by Arman Arian ( fa, , links=no), a Persian author, novelist and researcher.
Since the successive release of 3 ...
*
The Last Fiction
''The Last Fiction'' ( fa, آخرین داستان, Akharín Dāstān) is an animated film adaptation of the story of "Zahhak", a page from the historical identity of Iranians and one of the central tales of ''Shahnameh'' by Ferdowsi. Ashkan Rahg ...
*
The Legend of Mardoush
*
The Mobarak
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
See also
*
Azhdahak (Armenian mythical being), identified as
Astyages
Astyages (Median: ; Akkadian: ; Ancient Greek: grc, Αστυαγης, Astuagēs, , romanized: , , romanized: ; la, Astyages, , ; reigned 585–550 BC) was the last king of the Median Empire. The son of Cyaxares; he was dethroned in 550 BC by h ...
*
Chaos (cosmogony)
Chaos ( grc, χάος, kháos) is the mythological void state preceding the creation of the universe (the cosmos) in Greek creation myths. In Christian theology, the same term is used to refer to the gap or the abyss created by the separation of ...
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Snakes in mythology
Snakes are a common occurrence in myths for a multitude of cultures. The Hopi people of North America viewed snakes as symbols of healing, transformation, and fertility. In other cultures snakes symbolized the umbilical cord, joining all humans t ...
References
Bibliography
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* Ingersoll, Ernest, et al., (2013). ''The Illustrated Book of Dragons and Dragon Lore''. Chiang Mai: Cognoscenti Books. ASIN B00D959PJ0
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Further reading
* Schwartz, Martin. "Transformations of the Indo-Iranian Snake-man: Myth, Language, Ethnoarcheology, and Iranian Identity." Iranian Studies 45, no. 2 (2012): 275-79. www.jstor.org/stable/44860985.
External links
Discussion of ''Az'' at Encyclopedia IranicaA king's book of kings: the Shah-nameh of Shah Tahmasp an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Zahhak
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Ancient Iranian legendary creatures
Legendary serpents
Longevity myths
Mythical many-headed creatures
Persian legendary creatures
Shahnameh characters
Shahnameh stories
Zoroastrian eschatology