Persian Mythology - Research Paper Example

?Running Head: Persian Mythology Persian Mythology [Institute’s Persian Mythology Introduction The “Shah h of Ferdowsi’” (The Epic of Kings) is a book written centuries ago, telling the tales of Persian mythology (Ferdowsi, 2011). It is the key text for Persian mythology, and introduced several colorful characters such as Kaveh the blacksmith, and Zahhak, an evil character who had vipers growing out of each of his shoulders. However, perhaps the most popular amongst the characters in Persian mythology was Rostam. He was the favorite hero of King Kaykaus, a magnificent warrior and prominent character of Persian mythology stories. Perhaps the most famous amongst such stories was the story of Rostam and Sohrab (Firdawsi & Clinton, 1996). Apart from being one of the most well-loved and moving tales which history has passed on, it was also thematically mentioned in the best-seller “The Kite Runner” written by Khalid Hosenni (Ferdowsi, 2011). Summary This tale revolves around the main themes of family ties, betrayal, pride, and loss. It starts when Rostam, restless for an outing, takes his horse Raksh out for a game of hunting. Once his game ended, he decided to take a rest his eyes near a pasture. However, while he was asleep, seven knights of Turan, a nearby land, came across the horse and kidnapped it. It fought and resisted but was outnumbered and led away. Rostam, upon waking up and discovering his trusty steed gone, was dismayed and embarked upon a search to find his horse. Following Raksh’s tracks on the ground, Rostam reached the land of Turan, where he met the King of Samengan and told him of his search. The king promised to help with the search and offered Rostam a place to stay meanwhile. During his stay at the king’s palace, Rostam met the king’s young daughter Tahmina during his stay, and married her. However, shortly after the marriage, his horse was found and he left for his own land. Before going, he gave his wife a clasp of his, to pass on his own child once he or she was born. Nine months later, Tahmina gave birth to Rostam’s son, whom she named Sohrab (Ferdowsi, 2011). This child proved to be like his father from a very young age, and soon grew up to be the finest warrior in the land. He soon figured that his origins were not purely of the land he lived in, and approached his mother to ask her about his father. She told him about Rostam and showed Sohrab the clasp that Rostam had left for him. After this, it became a large ambition for Sohrab to meet his father. Later on, Sohrab and Rostam met in battle. Neither of them knew who the other was, since they had not met before. However, Sohrab had a suspicion that this man, so equally matched in battle skills as Sohrab, could be his father (Ferdowsi, 2011). Thus, he enquired before starting the fight, whether his opponent for Rostam. Rostam, not wishing to daunt the young warrior, lied and said that he was not Rostam. This greatly disappointed Sohrab, who proceeded with the fight with all his might. Sohrab came close to defeating Rostam, but Rostam deceived him into thinking that it was a battle etiquette for the person almost winning to give his opponent another chance to win. This way, Rostam received another chance to battle, and this time came close to defeating Sohrab. When Sohrab realized that his death was near, he became saddened and revealed to his opponent that he was Sohrab, son of Rostam, and was now dying without having fulfilled his biggest wish of seeing his father’s face. Upon hearing this, Rostam was deeply heartbroken, as he realized that he had just taken his own son’s life. The rest of the tale consisted of failed attempts to save Sohrab’s life, and his mother finding out about his demise and eventually dying of grief after a year (Ferdowsi, 2011). Explanations of this Myth This myth may have several different symbolic meanings, expressed through the personalities of the characters, their decisions in life or the lives they chose to live. One possible explanation is that the battle between Rostam and Sohrab represented a struggle for power, and was a meaningful metaphor for the outcomes of such struggles, in terms of the losses and regrets involved. Another explanation relates to Sohrab’s determination and struggle to locate his father. It could be symbolizing the life of a person who does not know their origins, and thus struggles with self-identification. This would be apparent in the fact that Sohrab was so determined to meet his father that when he was dying at the hands of Rostam, the only regret he voiced was dying before being able to see his father’s face. This shows the astounding dedication he had given to discovering his true origins, and how much more importance that regret had as compared to any other unfulfilled wish the man may have had when faced with death at such a young age (Hillmann, 1990). Yet another explanation, as given by Donna Rosenberg, author of ‘Folklore, myths, and legends: a world perspective,’ is that the Ferdowsi (2011) was trying to indicate a common conflict between moral and ethical values, and a person’s own desires. According to Donna’s interpretation, Rostam and Sohrab were both heroes, but had become so for different reasons. Rostam had become a hero in his land because he felt he had a duty to his people and a higher responsibility than his own needs. This is why he left Tahmina in Turan even though she was by then his beautiful wife and future mother of his child. He realized that his duty lied with his land, and he returned to it for this reason. Whereas Sohrab became a hero so that he would have an identity to display to others, for which he would be recognized and remembered. Thus, these differing reasons set both father and son apart, even though they were both heroes. Similarly, Donna also comments on how this may represent a conflict of interest, when a person has to choose between what others require him or her to do, and what the person themselves want to do. A person, no matter what time they grew up in, can relate to when they faced a difficult decision to make in their lives, when forced to choose between such options. The story of Rostam and Sohrab embodies the same dilemma, showing how this conflict can lead the lives of people, if not handled appropriately (Rosenberg, 1997). Alternate Explanation of Origin One can also perceive the story in a much different way, which provides a simpler explanation for its origin. This is related to a moral-based message, which has so far proven to hold timeless value. This story perhaps meant to be warning people against too much ambitiousness or pride. Rostam, with all his pride and desire to win, was the embodiment of free spirit. He married a woman and left her, and never followed up on the birth of his child. When face to face with his son in the battlefield, he did not recognize the person in front of him to be his own flesh and blood, simply due to his own priorities to win and uphold his honor. Even when he started feeling warmly towards the youth standing in front of him, his feelings were quickly replaced by a desire to win and he overcame any feelings, which had initially. This was despite the fact that he initially told Sohrab that he was not Rostam, simply to avoid intimidating the young warrior. This showed that while Rostam did have a compassionate side, and was emotionally affected by his actions, he did not pay attention to these feelings as much as he valued winning and triumph. Thus, he did not learn his lesson until the end, when his drive for victory, earned partly through deceit, led to the death of his son from Rostam’s own sword. This could be one of the explanations of the story, warning man against ignoring certain emotions just to satisfy other needs. There is no doubt that this is yet another timeless message that Persian mythology teaches us, applicable to people’s lives at any time in history. References Ferdowsi, H. A. Q. (2011). Shahnameh (The Epic of Kings) – translated by Helen Zimmern. Iran Chamber Society. Firdawsi and Clinton, J. W. (1996). The tragedy of Sohrab and Rostam: from the Persian national epic, the Shahname of Abol-Qasem Ferdowsi. University of Washington Press. Hillmann, M. C. (1990). Iranian culture: a Persianist view. University Press of America. Rosenberg, D. (1997). Folklore, myths, and legends: a world perspective. McGraw-Hill Professional. Read More