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JOURNAL OF CRITICAL REVIEWS ISSN- 2394-5125 VOL 7, ISSUE 10, 2020 AHURĀEAN [GODLY] AND AHRIMANIAN [SATANIC] WORDS IN FERDOWSI’S SHAHNAMEH Dr. ALI ESHGHI SARDEHI1*; SAFURA RAMSHINI2; Dr. SAEED RUZBEHANI3 1Assistant professor, Persian language and literature, Islamic Azad University, Sabzevar Branch, Sabzevar, Iran 2PhD student, Persian language and literature, Islamic Azad University, Sabzevar Branch, Sabzevar, Iran 3Assistant professor, Persian language and literature, Islamic Azad University, Sabzevar Branch, Sabzevar, Iran *[email protected] ABSTRACT Exploration and investigation of the past texts from various aspects causes the maximum recognition and discovery of their unknown capabilities and, besides providing literary pleasure, paves the way for and guides the different users and researchers in line with their creation of better works in future. Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh is one of the most prominent and most valuable works enumerated amongst the first hand artworks in terms of literary, national and semantic value hence one of the subjects that can be pondered and investigated therein is the words’ functions in terms of their positive or negative loads which have been well applied by Hakim Ferdowsi for expanding the breadth of his words; every word is somehow expressive of goodness and beauty or evil and ugliness. Thus, the manifestations of Ahura and Ahriman are indeed indicative of the beauties and ugliness and they have been actually reflective of the deployment of the right against the wrong and goodness and benevolence against badness and filths. Shahnameh is a full-scale mirror of Iran’s brilliant history and ethics and culture and past. Shahnameh is not just an epical work but a response to an internal call for justice and fairness. It is a manifestation of goodness and badness, sweetness and bitterness, human beings’ feelings and subtle pains and so forth; its sage composer has made proper use of words in every corner thereof to well mirror the visage of goodness and evilness. The present study uses a descriptive-analytical method to deal with the role of some of the words in fostering the story in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh and the current study’s researcher intends to represent part of Ferdowsi’s abilities and creativities that have been impressiveness effective in the attractiveness of Shahnameh’s words during the past several hundred years but they have not been focused and explored so far. Keywords: flycam, Geoslope/W, slope failure, safety factor, 3B highway INTRODUCTION Undoubtedly, Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh is an unexampled epical and national work to the Persian speakers and it is valuable from this perspective that, besides being an outstanding literary work and showcasing Iranians’ national identity, it is also notable from the perspective of the original and meaningful words featuring a vast inclusion circle. “The vastness of Ferdowsi’s treasury of words is not hidden to anyone and his proficiency over the Persian language is unprecedented” (Shafi’ei Kadkani, 2006, p.39). One of the methods used for processing the story in Shahnameh is the utilization of words that play a considerable role in indirectly demonstrating the indecencies and beauties in such a way that the reader perceives the actions and deeds of some characters and responds to them upon being confronted with these words. These binary words “have stepped into the area of existence and parallelly left behind the path of perfection and promotion like twins” (Mo’tamen, 1985, p.107). On the other hand, Shahnameh scholars and researchers believe that “the description and illustration are excellent in Shahnameh as compared to all the old Persian texts because the finest images are observed in the form and state of classical Persian poetry in Shahnameh” (Hamidian, 1993, p.401). therefore, it is well evident that Ferdowsi has been well capable of presenting such descriptions and illustrations in such a way that “no other poet has been able to keep pace with him in this regard in Persian language” (Safa, 1999, p.238). A group of highly repeated words in Shahnameh includes the terms symbolizing goodness or evilness; these words will be investigated and discussed herein under the title of Ahurāean and Ahrimanian words. “Ferdowsi generally keeps a constant look on the position and situation of the heroes and heroines hence tries articulating words and expressing sentences in proportion to their moods and states” (Shamisa, 2018, p.700). DISCUSSION Shahnameh has been written and composed based on ancient Iranian beliefs so there is a belief that the world has two poles and two sources, namely good and evil. On the one hand, there is Ahura Mazda (Sepanta Minu) and, on the other hand, there is Ahriman (Angra Minu) and the world is continuously the arena of struggle and fight between these two forces. 2539 JOURNAL OF CRITICAL REVIEWS ISSN- 2394-5125 VOL 7, ISSUE 10, 2020 It has been stated in Gaats that “the onset of a twin was in the thoughts. One represents goodness and the other represents badness in thought, speech and deed. Out of these two essences, the sage chooses truthfulness and correctness and insane and unwise one does the otherwise; so, Sepanta Minu is the incrementing force adding to the universe and Angra Minu is the reductive or destructive force” (Hajizadeh, 2006, p.90). A. Ahura Mazada and Ahriman: Ahura Mazda is an Avestan word and one of the God’s names and it means the great existence-bestowing sage. Zoroaster’s Ahura Mazda is the sagest lord and the loftiest and the most superior quintessence deserving worshipping. In Gaats, Ahura Mazda is the only mighty God and the sole sage creator. He resides the peak of the sky. He has not been born and nobody resembles it. There is nothing beyond him and without him. He is the most superior existence and every other living being borrows his or her or its existence from him. He is the most superior of them all. He is the very one God who adores truthfulness and detests lie. Nobody is superior or identical to him. Nobody denies his superiority and no one claims his position. On the contrary, Ahriman is a malicious and filthy existence that makes efforts for destroying the goodness. In opposition to Ahura, Ahriman always intends to drag mankind to inferiority and abjectness and make him go astray from the right path. Ahriman loves darkness and, in opposition to Ahura who is the sole omniscient and creates sagacity, it supports ignorance, insanity and wastage. In Bundaheshn, Ahriman has been introduced as the generator of badness of any kinds. Based on the ancient beliefs of the Zarvāni creed and other religions after it like Manichaeism, Ahura Mazda and Ahriman are both the children of Zarvān (god of time) and the world has always been the arena of the battle between these two good and evil forces; however, it is Ahura Mazda who will eventually dominate the world and, since Ahura Mazda is the absolute purity and badness has no way to enter into him, every bad thing is Ahrimanic. Based on what was mentioned, in Ferdowsi’s opinion, as well, some elements of epic feature Ahurāean manifestations and some others feature Ahrimanic embodiment and their related words have been accordingly used as symbols of goodness and badness in Shahnameh. Words with Ahurāean Manifestations: Sorush (call): it means obedience and submission and, especially, complying with the God’s commands. It is also the name of an angel which is the manifestation of obedience and submission to the Ahurāean commands. In the latest Zoroastrian books and Persian dictionaries. Sorush is a God’s messenger and carrier of the revelation. It is the angel that brings the good news and messages and it is actually the guide of the mankind in the life’s meandering paths: “By the command of the God, the blessed messenger showed its face to me in sleep last night” (Shahnameh, 2/199) Farr (glory): it is a concept in Iranian myths and it means the divine blessing or light. Besides what is believed in the myths, Farr represents the existence of hope in the superego of Iranians regarding their and their land’s stability and impermeability and it is actually an Ahurāean gift. In Shahnameh and from the story of Kiymarth to the Sassanids’ era, the sovereignty glory and the divine affirmation are the secrets of the persistence and continuation of the sovereigns and heroes and Iranians’ esteem and victory: “When the blessed Fereydun was born, the world was provided with another sovereign” “He was fostered into a straight cedar; the kingship glory was radiating from him” (Shahnameh, 1/247) Or, about Kaykhosow: “The divine glory emerged in him and wisdom’s flag was waving above him” Kherad (wisdom): Ferdowsi has begun Shahnameh by the name of the God who owns the souls and wisdom and it can be understood consequently that he gives a lot of value to the humanity, sagacity and magnificence of the words and credibility of the discourse. “In the name of the God of souls and wisdom for nothing more superior than him can be thought” (Shahnameh, 1/5) Wisdom is of a great importance in Hakim Tus’s idea and Ferdowsi has adopted a scrutinizing and subtle look at the wisdom and astuteness and sagacity of the kings and heroes: “Wisdom is the guide and wisdom is the cheer of the heart; wisdom can help you get your hands to both of the worlds” (Shahnameh, 1/5) Ātash (fire): at the time of Hushang, fire (the divine light) is visited and it is in this way that a huge evolution is created in the human beings: “He said that this god is a light and one should worship it if s/he is wise” (Shahnameh, 1/12) Jamshid commissions a group to the protection of fire and validation of this divine blessing.
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