Zahhak
ZahhÄk or ZahÄk[1] (pronounced [zæhÉ’Ëk][2]) (in Persian: ضØّاک‎‎/ذهّاک) or Bivar Asp[3][4] is an evil figure in Iranian mythology, evident in ancient Iranian folklore as Aži DahÄka (Azh dahak), the name by which he also appears in the texts of the Avesta. In Middle Persian he is called DahÄg or BÄ“var-Asp, the latter meaning "[he who has] 10,000 horses". In Zoroastrianism, Zahak (going under the name Aži DahÄka) is considered the son of Angra Mainyu, the foe of Ahura Mazda.[5]
Etymology and derived words
Aži (nominative ažiš) is the Avestan word for "serpent" or "dragon."[6] It is cognate to the Vedic Sanskrit word ahi, "snake," and without a sinister implication. Azi and Ahi are distantly related to Greek ophis, Latin anguis, Russian and Old Church Slavonic уж (grass-snake), all meaning "snake".
The original meaning of dahÄka 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, DahÄka is treated as a proper noun, and is the source of the ḌaḥḥÄk (ZahhÄk) of the ShÄhnÄme.
The Avestan term Aži DahÄka and the Middle Persian azdahÄg are the source of the Middle Persian Manichaean demon of greed Az,[7] Old Armenian mythological figure Aždahak, modern Persian aždehâ / aždahâ and Tajik Persian azhdahâ and Urdu AzhdahÄ (اژدها) as well as the Kurdish ejdîha (ئەژدیها) which usually mean "dragon".
Despite the negative aspect of Aži DahÄka 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 an Persian word for "dragon" that ultimately comes from Aži DahÄka.
Aži DahÄka (DahÄg) in Zoroastrian literature
Aži DahÄka is the most significant and long-lasting of the ažis of the Avesta, the earliest religious texts of Zoroastrianism. He is described as a monster with three mouths, six eyes, and three heads (presumably meaning three heads with one mouth and two eyes each), cunning, strong and demonic. But in other respects Aži DahÄka has human qualities, and is never a mere animal.
Aži DahÄka 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 DÄ“nkard, Aži DahÄka is possessed of all possible sins and evil counsels, the opposite of the good king Jam. The name DahÄg (DahÄka) is punningly interpreted as meaning "having ten (dah) sins." His mother is Wadag (or ÅŒdag), herself described as a great sinner, who committed incest with her son.
In the Avesta, Aži DahÄka is said to have lived in the inaccessible fortress of Kuuirinta in the land of Baβri, where he worshipped the yazatas ArÉ™dvÄ« SÅ«rÄ (AnÄhitÄ), divinity of the rivers, and Vayu, divinity of the storm-wind. Based on the similarity between Baβri and Old Persian BÄbiru (Babylon), later Zoroastrians localized Aži DahÄka in Mesopotamia, though the identification is open to doubt. This could be India and Azi Dahaka could be Adi Sesha. Aži DahÄka asked these two yazatas for power to depopulate the world. Being representatives of the Good, they refused.
In one Avestan text, Aži DahÄka has a brother named Spitiyura. Together they attack the hero Yima (Jamshid) and cut him in half with a saw, but are then beaten back by the yazata Ä€tar, the divine spirit of Fire.
According to the post-Avestan texts, following the death of Jam Ä« XÅ¡Ä“d (Jamshid), DahÄg gained kingly rule. Another late Zoroastrian text, the MÄ“nog Ä« xrad, says that this was ultimately good, because if DahÄg had not become king, the rule would have been taken by the immortal demon XeÅ¡m (AÄ“Å¡ma), and so evil would have ruled upon earth until the end of the world.
DahÄg is said to have ruled for a thousand years, starting from 100 years after Jam lost his xvarÉ™nah, his royal glory (see Jamshid). 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 DahÄka as ΘraÄ“taona son of Aθβiya, in Middle Persian called FrÄ“dÅn. The Avesta has little to say about the nature of ΘraÄ“taona's defeat of Aži DahÄka, other than that it enabled him to liberate ArÉ™navÄci and SavaÅ‹havÄci, the two most beautiful women in the world. Later sources, especially the DÄ“nkard, provide more detail. Feyredon is said to have been endowed with the divine radiance of kings (xvarÉ™nah, New Persian farr) for life, and was able to defeat DahÄg, 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 DahÄg, lest the world become infested with these creatures. Instead, FrÄ“dÅn chained DahÄg up and imprisoned him on the mythical Mt. DamÄvand (later identified with DamÄvand, the highest mountain of the Alborz chain).
The Middle Persian sources also prophesy that at the end of the world, DahÄg will at last burst his bonds and ravage the world, consuming one in three humans and livestock. KirsÄsp, the ancient hero who had killed the Az Ä« SrÅ«war, returns to life to kill DahÄg.
ZahhÄk in the ShÄhnÄma
In Ferdowsi's epic poem, the ShÄhnÄma, written c. 1000 AD and part of Iranian folklore the legend is retold with the main character given the name of ZahhÄk .
ZahhÄk in Arabia

According to Ferdowsi, ZahhÄk (Arabic transliteration: ازدهاق or Azdahaq[8]) was born as the son of an Arab ruler named MerdÄs. Because of his Arab origins, he is sometimes called ZahhÄk-e TÄzi, "the Arabian ZahhÄk." He was handsome and clever, but had no stability of character and was easily influenced by evil counsellors. Ahriman therefore chose him as the tool for his plans for world domination.
When ZahhÄk was a young man, Ahriman first appeared to him as a glib, flattering companion, and by degrees convinced him that he ought to kill his own father and take over his territories. He taught him to dig a deep pit covered over with leaves in a place where MerdÄs was accustomed to walk; MerdÄs fell in and was killed. ZahhÄk thus became both patricidal and king at the same time.
Ahriman now took another guise, and presented himself to ZahhÄk as a marvellous cook. After he had presented ZahhÄk with many days of sumptuous feasts, ZahhÄk was willing to give Ahriman whatever he wanted. Ahriman merely asked to kiss ZahhÄk on his two shoulders. ZahhÄk permitted this; but when Ahriman had touched his lips to ZahhÄk's shoulders, he immediately vanished. At once, two black snakes grew out of ZahhÄk's shoulders. They could not be surgically removed, for as soon as one snake-head had been cut off, another took its place.
Ahriman now appeared to ZahhÄk in the form of a skilled physician. He counselled ZahhÄk that the only remedy was to let the snakes remain on his shoulders, and sate their hunger by supplying them with human brains for food every day otherwise the snakes will feed on his own.
From a psychological point of view the snakes on Zahak's shoulders could represent his lust for killing or a form of sadism which if left unsatisfied would torment Zahak. Also when Zahak is defeated by Fereydun, he cannot think of a better fitting punishment than to simply bound him in cave where the snakes (not being fed) will eat Zahak's own brain symbolizing his inner agony and unsatisfied homicidal lust.
This story is Ferdowsi's way of reconciling the descriptions of DahÄg as a three-headed dragon monster and those stories which treat him as a human king. According to Ferdowsi, ZahhÄk is originally human, but through the magic of Ahriman he becomes a monster; he does, in fact, have three heads, the two snake heads and one human head; and the snakes remind us of his original character as a dragon.
The characterization of ZahhÄk as an Arab in part reflects the earlier association of DahÄg with the Semitic peoples of Iraq, but probably also reflects the continued resentment of many Iranians at the 7th century Arab conquest of Persia.
Unlike the figure of Zahak in Iranian Mythology, the word 'zahhak' in Arabic means to laugh and to smile.
ZahhÄk the Emperor
About this time, Jamshid, who was then the ruler of the world, through his arrogance lost his divine right to rule. ZahhÄk presented himself as a savior to those discontented Iranians who wanted a new ruler. Collecting a great army, he marched against Jamshid, who fled when he saw that he could not resist ZahhÄk. ZahhÄk hunted Jamshid for many years, and at last caught him and subjected him to a miserable death—he had Jamshid sawn in half. ZahhÄk now became the ruler of the entire world. Among his slaves were two of Jamshid's daughters, ArnavÄz and ShahrnavÄz (the Avestan ArÉ™navÄci and SavaÅ‹havÄci).
ZahhÄk's two snake heads still craved human brains for food, so every day ZahhÄk's spies would seize two men, and execute them so their brains could feed the snakes. Two men, called Armayel and Garmayel, wanted to find a way to rescue people from being killed from the snakes. So they learned cookery and after mastering how to cook great meals, they went to ZahhÄk's palace and managed to become the chefs of the palace. Every day, they saved one of the two men and put the brain of a sheep instead of his into the food, but they could not save the lives of both men. Those who were saved were told to flee to the mountains and to faraway plains.

ZahhÄk's tyranny over the world lasted for centuries. But one day ZahhÄk had a terrible dream – he thought that three warriors were attacking him, and that the youngest knocked him down with his mace, tied him up, and dragged him off toward a tall mountain. When ZahhÄk woke he was in a panic. Following the counsel of ArnavÄz, he summoned wise men and dream-readers to explain his dream. They were reluctant to say anything, but one finally said that it was a vision of the end of ZahhÄk's reign, that rebels would arise and dispossess ZahhÄk of his throne. He even named the man who would take ZahhÄk's place: Fereydun.
ZahhÄk now became obsessed with finding this "Fereydun" and destroying him, though he did not know where he lived or who his family was. His spies went everywhere looking for Fereydun, and finally heard that he was but a boy, being nourished on the milk of the marvelous cow BarmÄyeh. The spies traced BarmÄyeh to the highland meadows where it grazed, but Fereydun had already fled before them. They killed the cow, but had to return to ZahhÄk with their mission unfulfilled.
The Revolution against ZahhÄk

ZahhÄk now tried to consolidate his rule by coercing an assembly of the leading men of the kingdom into signing a document testifying to ZahhÄk's righteousness, so that no one could have any excuse for rebellion. One man spoke out against this charade, a blacksmith named KÄva (Kaveh). Before the whole assembly, KÄva told how ZahhÄk's minions had murdered seventeen of his eighteen sons so that ZahhÄk might feed his snakes' lust for human brains – the last son had been imprisoned, but still lived.
In front of the assembly ZahhÄk had to pretend to be merciful, and so released KÄva's son. But when he tried to get KÄva to sign the document attesting to ZahhÄk's justice, KÄva tore up the document, left the court, and raised his blacksmith's apron as a standard of rebellion – the KÄviyÄni Banner, derafsh-e KÄviyÄnÄ« (درÙØ´ کاویانی). He proclaimed himself in support of Fereydun as ruler.
Soon many people followed KÄva to the Alborz mountains, where Fereydun was now living. He was now a young man and agreed to lead the people against ZahhÄk. He had a mace made for him with a head like that of an ox, and with his brothers and followers, went forth to fight against ZahhÄk. ZahhÄk had already left his capital, and it fell to Fereydun with small resistance. Fereydun freed all of ZahhÄk's prisoners, including ArnavÄz and ShahrnavÄz.
Kondrow, ZahhÄk's treasurer, pretended to submit to Fereydun, but when he had a chance he escaped to ZahhÄk and told him what had happened. ZahhÄk at first dismissed the matter, but when he heard that Fereydun had seated Jamshid's daughters on thrones beside him like his queens, he was incensed and immediately hastened back to his city to attack Fereydun.
When he got there, ZahhÄk found his capital held strongly against him, and his army was in peril from the defense of the city. Seeing that he could not reduce the city, he sneaked into his own palace as a spy, and attempted to assassinate ArnavÄz and ShahrnavÄz. Fereydun struck ZahhÄk down with his ox-headed mace, but did not kill him; on the advice of an angel, he bound ZahhÄk and imprisoned him in a cave underneath Mount DamÄvand, binding him with a lion's pelt tied to great nails fixed into the walls of the cavern, where he will remain until the end of the world. Thus, after a thousand years' tyranny, ended the reign of ZahhÄk.
Place names
"Zahhak Castle" is the name of an ancient ruin in Hashtroud East Azarbaijan, Iran which according to various experts, was inhabited from the second millennia BC until the Timurid era. First excavated in the 19th century by British archeologists, Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization has been studying the structure in 6 phases.[9]
In popular culture
- The Konami video game Suikoden V has two references to Zahhak—an evil knight named "Zahhak" as well as a large ship named "Dahak".
- In Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm, there exists a primal zerg that goes by a similar name (Dehaka).
- In the webcomic Homestuck of MS Paint Adventures, Equius Zahhak is a troll with extreme physical strength and a fascination with horses.
- In the visual novel Sekien no Inganock - What a Beautiful People, incorrectly-manifested Kikai are referred to as "Zahhak".
- In the video game series Mass Effect, a Quarian named Professor Zahak was involved in the creation of the Geth, a hive mind consciousness of artificially intelligent machines.
- In the Xenaverse, Zahhak (referred to as Dahak) is the supernatural (and thoroughly Satanic) adversary whom both Xena and later Hercules must defeat in order to save the world from utter destruction.
- 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. 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 Atlus 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.
Other dragons in Iranian tradition
Besides Aži DahÄka, 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 KÉ™rÉ™sÄspa, Middle Persian KirsÄsp. (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's creation of the Airyanem Vaejah. (Vendidad 1.2)
- Aži ViÅ¡Äpa - 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 KÉ™rÉ™sÄspa. (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 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 Vṛtra - 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)
See also
References
- ↑ "zahÄk or wolflike serpent in the Iranian Mythology | khosro gholizadeh". Academia.edu. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
- ↑ loghatnaameh.com. "ضØاک بیوراسب | پارسی ویکی". Loghatnaameh.org. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
- ↑ کجا بیوراسپش همی خواندند / Ú†Ùنین نام بر پهلوی راندند
کجا بیور از پهلَوانی شمار / بود بر زبان دری ده‌هزار - ↑ "Characters of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh". heritageinstitute.com. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
- ↑ "IRAN iv. MYTHS AND LEGENDS – Encyclopaedia Iranica". Iranicaonline.org. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
- ↑ For Azi Dahaka as dragon see: Ingersoll, Ernest, et al., (2013). The Illustrated Book of Dragons and Dragon Lore. Chiang Mai: Cognoscenti Books. ASIN B00D959PJ0
- ↑ Appears numerous time in, for example: D. N. MacKenzie, Mani’s Å ÄbuhragÄn, pt. 1 (text and translation), BSOAS 42/3, 1979, pp. 500-34, pt. 2 (glossary and plates), BSOAS 43/2, 1980, pp. 288-310.
- ↑
- ↑ http://www.chn.ir/news/?section=2&id=31507
Bibliography
- Boyce, Mary (1975). History of Zoroastrianism, Vol. I. Leiden: Brill.
- Ingersoll, Ernest, et al., (2013). The Illustrated Book of Dragons and Dragon Lore. Chiang Mai: Cognoscenti Books. ASIN B00D959PJ0
- Skjærvø, P. O (1989). "AždahÄ: in Old and Middle Iranian". Encyclopedia Iranica 3. New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 191–199.
- Khaleghi-Motlagh, DJ (1989). "AždahÄ: in Persian Literature". Encyclopedia Iranica 3. New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 199–203.
- Omidsalar, M (1989). "AždahÄ: in Iranian Folktales". Encyclopedia Iranica 3. New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 203–204.
- Russell, J. R (1989). "AždahÄ: Armenian Aždahak". Encyclopedia Iranica 3. New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 204–205.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zahhak. |
- Discussion of Az at Encyclopdia Iranica
- A 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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Preceded by Jamshid |
Legendary Kings of the ShÄhnÄma 800-1800 (after Keyumars) |
Succeeded by Fereydun |