Zoroastrian elements in "Vis u Ramin".

Z O R O A S T R I A N E L E M E N T S IN V I S U RA M I N by

P a r v i n D oane

Sc h o o l of O r i e n t a l a n d A f r i c a n Stu d i e s

D i s s e r t a t i o n s u b m i t t e d in p a r t f u l f i l m e n t of the r e q u i r e m e n t s for the d e g r e e of M a s t e r of P h i l o s o p h y of the U n i v e r s i t y of L o n d o n

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A b s t r a c t of the d i s s e r t a t i o n

The P e r s i a n p o e m Vi s u Ra m i n is k n o w n to be b a s e d on a lost P a h l a v i w r i t t e n text, w h i c h r e p r e s e n t s in its turn a m i n s t r e l p o e m th a t has b e e n t r a c e d b a c k to a Pa r t h i a n origin. The o b v i o u s Z o r o a s t r i a n e l e m e n t s in the P e r s i a n p o e m h a v e b e e n b r i e f l y m e n t i o n e d by

c o m m e n t a t o r s , b u t it s e e m e d p r o b a b l e that c l o s e s c r u t i n y w o u l d p r o d u c e m o r e such ma t e r i a l . In fact it h a s p r o v e d p o s s i b l e to s h o w in some p a s s a g e s close v e r b a l d e p e n d e n c e on the P a h l a v i ver s i o n , and to b r i n g to l i g h t r e f e r e n c e s to the Z o r o a s t r i a n d i v i n e b e i n g s w h i c h h a d p r e v i o u s l y b e e n o v e r l o o k e d , as w e l l as c e r t a i n p r e c i s e Z o r o a s t r i a n

t r a d i t i o n a l details. Some at least of this mat e r i a l , it ha s be e n argued, m u s t d e r i v e f r o m the o r i g i n a l P a r t h i a n m i n s t r e l poem, s ince it is e s s e n t i a l to the plot. The res u l t s of the i n v e s t i g a t i o n thus c o n t r i b u t e to k n o w l e d g e of Z o r o a s t r i a n soc i e t y an d l i t e r a t u r e at a r e m o t e and l i t t l e - k n o w n p e r i o d of Ir a n i a n history.

A c k n o w l e d g e m e n t

of h e r g r e a t h e l p and a d v i c e to P r o f e s s o r M. B o y c e

C O N T E N T S

Page

A b s t r a c t 2

1. I n t r o d u c t o r y 5

2. M o b a d 17

N o Ruz a n d M i h r a g a n 23

3. S h a h r o 28

S o r u s h in 'Vis u R a m i n1 32

Rasti 40

4. Vis 4 7

P u r i t y in 'Vis u Ramin' 50

The O r d e a l by Fire, s ogand k h w a r d a n ,

a n d S o l e m n O aths 54

F i r e - t e m p l e s (a t a s h g a h ) 66

5. R a m i n 72

m i h r / M i h r in 'Vis u Ramin' 79

6. The N u r s e 8 8

A b b r e v i a t i o n s and B i b l i o g r a p h y 96

Index 98

C H A P T E R O N E I n t r o d u c t o r y

The r o m a n t i c love story 'Vis u Ramin' ha s come down to us t h r o u g h F a k h r - a d Din G u r g a n i ' s P e r s i a n p o e m c o m p o s e d b e t w e e n 1040 a n d 1054 A.C.'*' A t the b e g i n n i n g of this p o e m G u r g a n i te l l s us h o w he came to k n o w the story. He says that it wa s 'a b e a u t i f u l story c o m p i l e d by six w i s e men'.

But, he says, n o t e v e r y o n e c o u l d e a s i l y r e a d the script, P ahlavi, in w h i c h it w a s w r i tten, or if t h e y did, co u l d u n d e r s t a n d the meaning. 'In these p a r t s (Isfahan) pe o p l e re a d that b o o k in o r d e r to le a r n P a h l a v i f r o m i t . '2

It thus a p p e a r s th a t 'vis u Ramin' w a s in o r i g i n p a r t of the p r e - I s l a m i c or a l p o e t r y of Iran, r e c i t e d to m u s i c and w i t h o u t the o r n a m e n t of r h y m e ; and that it s u r v i v e d the

o b l i v i o n into w h i c h m o s t such p o e t r y fell b y b e i n g w r i t t e n down, p r e s u m a b l y in the p e r i o d af t e r the A r a b conquest,

since it seems t h a t in S a s a n i a n times p o e t r y w a s no t recorded.

The w o r k g a i n e d n e w p o p u l a r i t y in G u r g a n i ' s render i n g , and a G e o r g i a n t r a n s l a t i o n wa s ma d e of this, p o s s i b l y as ea r l y as the t h i r t e e n t h c e n t u r y A.C. 3

The a n o n y m o u s a u t h o r of the 'Mujmal at- t a v a r i k h ' locates the story in the time of the s econd S a s a n i a n k i n g Shabuhr, son of Ard a s h l r . But V. M i n o r s k y ' s study of the g e o g r a p h i c a l locations, p o l i t i c a l b a c k g r o u n d and o t h e r d a t a ha s shown that the story is of P a r t h i a n origin. 4 Th e r e are S a s a n i a n

el e m e n t s in the poem, such as No Ruz f a l l i n g in the m o n t h of Adar, an d a s i x - d a y M i h r a g a n Feast, 5 b u t it is a p p a r e n t

that the S a s a n i a n v e r s i o n of this m i n s t r e l p o e m was o n l y a r e - h a n d l i n g of an o l d e r P a r t h i a n original.

In c h a r a c t e r 'Vis u R a m i n1 is a c o u r t l y romance, w h i c h was p r e s u m a b l y c o m p o s e d for the e n t e r t a i n m e n t of P a r t h i a n n o b l e s and t h e i r ladies. The o c c u r r e n c e of the P a r t h i a n w o r d g o s a n 'minstrel' t w i c e in G u r g a n i ' s poem, a n d an

a s s o c i a t e d f o r m three times in the G e o r g i a n one, t e s t i f i e s to this e a r l i e s t tradition. 6 Then, g a i n i n g pop u l a r i t y ,

the story w a s e v i d e n t l y r e t o l d later by S a s a n i a n m i n s t r e l s in t heir turn, a n d so p a s s e d do w n into I s lamic times in a M i d d l e P e r s i a n version. A r c h a e o l o g i c a l and l i t e r a r y

e v i d e n c e ha s shown th a t the Parthians, like their s u c c e s s o r s the Sasanians, w e r e Z o r o a s t r i a n s . The st o r y thus o r i g i n a t e d in a Z o r o a s t r i a n society, an d wa s t r a n s m i t t e d by Z o r o a s t r i a n s do w n the c e n t u r i e s , un t i l it a t t a i n e d its final v e r s i o n in a w o r k by a M u s l i m author. It is t h e r e f o r e a m a t t e r of

c o n s i d e r a b l e i n t e r e s t to e x a m i n e G u r g a n i 's p o e m for

Z o r o a s t r i a n e l e m e n t s w h i c h m a y have s u r v i v e d in his redaction.

Th e m o s t o b v i o u s of such e l e m e n t s have n a t u r a l l y a l r e a d y b e e n n o t e d by the e d i t o r s and t r a n s l a t o r s of the poem; but they ha v e all come to it w i t h a k n o w l e d g e c h i e f l y of I s lamic Iran.

It s eemed p r o b a b l e t h e r e f o r e that more c o u l d be fo u n d out if the w o r k w e r e c l o s e l y st u d i e d ag a i n w i t h Z o r o a s t r i a n b e l i e f s and a t t i t u d e s c o n s t a n t l y in mind, and w i t h the v o c a b u l a r y

and idioms of P a h l a v i l i t e r a t u r e for c o m p a r i s o n .

The r e s u l t s of such a study h a v e b e e n striking; a n d it has n o t b e e n s u r p r i s i n g to fi n d th a t the d i s t i n c t i v e l y

Z o r o a s t r i a n e l e m e n t s a p p e a r m a r k e d l y at c e r t a i n c r u c i a l p o i n t s of the n a r r a t i v e , w h e r e Z o r o a s t r i a n b e l i e f s a n d m o r a l

a t t i t u d e s d i r e c t l y a f f e c t the cou r s e of the story, a n d w h e r e G u r g a n i seems to h a v e b e e n k e e p i n g c l o s e l y to the o r i g i n a l P a h l a v i text. T h e y are, h o w ever, a b s e n t f r o m w h a t a p p e a r to be his ow n e x t e n s i o n s and e l a b o r a t i o n s . W h a t ha s t e n d e d to m a s k this is t h a t m a n y M i d d l e P e r s i a n w o r d s s u r v i v e in

P e r s i a n b u t w i t h a l t e r e d mea n i n g s ; and one finds that G u r g a n i uses some of t h e s e w o r d s in the 'Zoroastrian' p a s s a g e s of his p o e m in t h e i r MP sense, bu t e l s e w h e r e in t h e i r later P e r s i a n

s ignifi c a n c e . S o m e t i m e s it seems that he i n t e n d s a d e l i b e r a t e w o r d - p l a y on the two s e n s e s , of w h i c h on l y a

l is t e n e r w h o k n e w s o m e t h i n g of the o l d e r l a n g u a g e w o u l d have b e e n aware. If, t h e r efore, a m o d e r n r e a d e r ta k e s such wo r d s t h r o u g h o u t in t h e i r P e r s i a n sense, the s p e c i f i c a l l y Z o r o a s t r i a n c h a r a c t e r of p a r t i c u l a r p a s s a g e s is l a r g e l y lost. This is the case g e n e r a l l y in the p u b l i s h e d E n g l i s h v e rsion. E x a m p l e s of such i n s t a n c e s w i l l be g i v e n t h r o u g h o u t the f o l l o w i n g pages, bu t the g e n e r a l p r o p o s i t i o n m a y be i l l u s t r a t e d at on c e by a f e w examples.

A b a s i c Z o r o a s t r i a n d o c t r i n e is th a t A h u r a M a z d a c r e a t e d this w o r l d w i t h a purpose, in a c c o r d a n c e w i t h the co s m i c

p r i n c i p l e of asha, i.e. order, truth, r i g h t e o u s n e s s ; and one

w o r d u s e d in the A v e s t a for his act of c r e a t i o n is viclaraya-, w h i c h m e a n s 'arrange, regulate' r a t h e r than

'make'.^ A P a h l a v i s y n o n y m for this v e r b is a r a y - , w h o s e o r i g i n a l sense is p r e s e r v e d in a v e r y f e w P e r s i a n

c ompounds, e.g. s a f - a r a y l 'marshalling of r a n k s (in b a t t l e ) ', g u l - a r a y l 'arranging of flowers'. O t h e r w i s e it has d e v e l o p e d the m e a n i n g of 'making b e a u t i f u l , a d o r ning', w h i l e its cognate, p l r a y - , has the sense of 'trimming, t i d y i n g 1 . A line f r o m the story M a h m u d va A y a z is u s e d as a s t a n d a r d m n e m o n i c for this d i s t i n c t i o n b e t w e e n the two verbs: a r a s t a n - i sarv ze p i r a s t a n ast 'one m a k e s a c y p r e s s b e a u t i f u l b y t r i m m i n g it';

and G u r g a n i h i m s e l f us e s t h e m t o g e t h e r in one c o u p l e t in a s i milar way:

p . 327 . 9 do zulf u a b r o v a n a s h ~ r a be p i r a s t b u n a g u s h u r u k h a n a s h - r a b y a r a s t

'She t r i m m e d h e r two tre s s e s an d h e r e y e b r o w s [And] p a i n t e d u n d e r h e r ears and h e r cheeks'.

In another, s t r o n g l y r e l i gious, passage, the v e r b a r a y - o c c u r s , however, in a v e r y d i f f e r e n t m e aning. Here the ki n g Mobad-, s p e a k i n g of God, says:

p . 47.40 c h u n a n kaz r asti giti b y a r a s t

'Even as He a r r a n g e d the w o r l d in a c c o r d a n c e w i t h r i g h t e o u s n e s s '

This a p p e a r s to be a close r e n d e r i n g of the lost Pahlavi;

b u t the Z o r o a s t r i a n sense of p u r p o s e f u l c r e a t i o n w h i c h it c o nveys is lost in the E n g l i s h r e n d e r i n g of gi t i b y a r a s t , a c c o r d i n g to the l ater sense of the verb, as 'made the w o r l d

Q

g l o r i o u s 1 . In a n o t h e r line of his poem, w h i c h al s o p r o b a b l y d e p e n d s c l o s e l y on the Pahlavi, G u r g a n i h a s V i s u t t e r the

w o r d s :

p . 348 .3 4 b e d a n I z a d ke g i t i g e r d k a r d a s t

'By the Go d w h o ha s b r o u g h t the w o r l d together' He r e gi t i g e r d k a r d a s t a p p e a r s to ha v e the same e s s e n t i a l m e a n i n g of h a v i n g a s s e m b l e d the earth f r o m e x i s t i n g matter.

T h e r e are o t h e r i n s t a n c e s in the p o e m (notably w i t h ' M i h r / m i h r '), w h e r e t r a n s l a t i o n a c c o r d i n g to P e r s i a n u s a g e even m o r e m a r k e d l y o b s c u r e s the Z o r o a s t r i a n t e n o r of a passage.

These w i l l be c o n s i d e r e d in due course. B u t the f o l l o w i n g

lines sh o w h o w an i n d i r e c t r e f e r e n c e can be lo s t in t r a n s l a t i o n E a r l y in the story w h e n V i s an d Ra m i n talk to each o t h e r for the fi r s t time, vis e x p r e s s e s he r do u b t s a b o u t his l o y a l t y and s a y s :

p . 158.52 b e g a r d a d sal u m a h u to b e g a r d i p a s h i m a n i t b a s h a d zin ke ka r d i 53 ag a r p a y m a n c h u n i n k h w a h a d t b u d a n

che b a y a d in h a m e zari n e m u d a n

'The y e a r an d the m o n t h w i l l tu r n a n d y o u w i l l c h a n g e [And then] yo u w i l l re g r e t w h a t y o u h a v e done.

If this is h o w y o u r p a c t will be,

W h y s hould y o u do all this l a m e n t i n g? 1

T h e n Ra m i n swears th a t his p a c t w i l l n e v e r be w e a k ened, p. 159 .74 ke ta ba d l v a z a d b a r k u h s a r a n

va ya abi r a v a d bar ju y b a r a n

7 5 n a m a n a d ba s h ab-i tire syahl

1 0

.

n a p u s a d da r d a r u n - i juy m a h i 76a r a v e s h d a r a d s etare as m a n b a r ...

'As long as the w i n d bl o w s on the m o u n t a i n s , Or w a t e r c o n t i n u e s to fl o w in the streams, D a r k n e s s of the n i g h t does n o t last,

Fi s h do no t rot w i t h i n brooks, Stars m o v e in the sky ...

A n d then it seems a l m o s t c e r t a i n th a t in the n e x t hal f - l i n e , w h i c h c o n c l u d e s this p a s s i o n a t e a s s e v e r a t i o n b y so m a n y

p e r m a n e n t p h e n o m e n a of the n a t u r a l world, he m u s t m e n t i o n the sun, w h i c h is n e v e r o v e r l o o k e d , e s p e c i a l l y s i n c e this m e e t i n g takes p l a c e in d a y t i m e {p.156.12). So he go e s on to say,

76b h a m i d u n m i h r d a r a d tan be jan b a r

This m e a n s 'as long as M i h r has a b o d y (i.e. the sun) for his soul'. 9 This e x p r e s s i o n w a s p r e s u m a b l y u s e d in the P a h l a v i

o r i g i n a l so t h a t a r e f e r e n c e c o u l d be m a d e b o t h to the sun and to Mithra, the yazata. For this is an o a t h of loy a l t y w h i c h R a m i n is m a king, a n d a v e r y i m p o r t a n t one for him, that s u p e r s e d e s all others. A n y o a t h of l o y a l t y is n a t u r a l l y the c o n c e r n of Mihr, w h o shows h i m s e l f as the soul (j a n ) of the sun. One m a y c o m p a r e the t h o u g h t in the M i h r Y a s h t (v.142):

10 'Mihr in the m o r n i n g lights up his b o d y 1 .

It is n o t at all lik e l y that m i h r h e r e m e a n s 'love', for the idea of the p a c t is f u rther e m p h a s i z e d in R a min's n e x t w o r d s :

p. 1 59.77 n a g a r d a d ba r v a f a ramin p a s h i m a n na h a r g e z b e s h k a n a d ba dust p a y m a n

'Ramin w i l l no t r e g r e t his loyalty,

N o r w i l l he ever b r e a k his p a c t w i t h his beloved.

G u r g a n i c a n n o t h a v e b e e n u n a w a r e of the r e l i g i o u s s i g n i f i c a n c e of this pact; for e v e n now, ni n e c e n t u r i e s later, there ex i s t folk songs of love such as one th a t c o n t a i n s the f o l l o w i n g l i n e s :

b i y a b e r l m sh a h - i c h e r a g h ahdi b e b a n d i m h a r k u d u m a h d b e s b k a n i m k a m a r n a b a n d i m

’L e t us go to 'Shah-i Cheragh' an d m a k e a p a c t w h i c h e v e r of us b r e a k s the p a c t s h o u l d no t we a r the b e l t. 1

’S hah-i C h e r igh', t o d a y a M u s l i m shrine, m u s t h a v e be e n o r i g i n a l l y a Z o r o a s t r i a n one, 11 and the k a m a r is an o b v i o u s s u b s t i t u t e for k u s t i , the b a d g e of Z o r o a s t r i a n i s m . 12 Even

t h ough the Z o r o a s t r i a n r e f e r e n c e is t h i n l y veiled, the r e l i g i o u s n a t u r e of the p a c t is not. G u r g a n i h i m s e l f does not e m p h a s i z e this e l e m e n t b u t it seems f r o m his p h r a s e o l o g y th a t he is aware of it. In o t h e r ca s e s the u s e of w o r d s in t h e i r MP m e a n i n g s ca r r i e s no r e l i g i o u s signifi c a n c e , but s i m p l y h e l p s in

i d e n t i f y i n g p a s s a g e s w h i c h seem p a r t i c u l a r l y cl o s e to the

P a h l a v i text. One such w o r d is fa r y a d w h i c h oc c u r s som e t i m e s in its MP sense of ja-^cjsyH*or| h e l p , s o m e t i m e s in its d e v e l o p e d P sense of any loud o u t c r y or lamentation, as is i l l u s t r a t e d in the f o l l o w i n g citations. W h e n the R o m a n e m p e r o r has v i o l a t e d a p e a c e treaty, an d b e g u n to lay w a s t e the land, a mo b b r e a k s into the I r a n i a n k i n g ' s presence:

p . 230.15 k h r u s h a n sar be sar f a r y a d k h w a h a n ze b l d a d - i zamane d a d k h w a h a n

'Shouting one an d all, a s k i n g for help,

A s k i n g for j u s t i c e a g a i n s t the i n j u s t i c e of the times' Here (and on pp. 167.86; 169.119; 107.27; 396.103; 384.18)

f a r y a d seems to m e a n 'help'. In other p l a c e s (pp. 225.215;

231.40; 188.11 a n d 499.29) the w o r d is u s e d in the P sense of any loud cry:

p . 499.29 guraz a s h o f t e shud az b a n g u f a r y a d be l a s h g a r g a h - i s h a h a n s h a h dar of t a d

'The b o a r b e c a m e c o n f u s e d by the n o i s e and screaming, He fell u p o n the ca m p of the k i n g of kings.'

p . 2 8 0 . 1 1 6 k u n a m az b l d e l i u b a k h t f a ryad

m a g a r m a d a r m a r a bi b a k h t u del zad

'I cry a l o u d for b e i n g w i t h o u t m y h e a r t and w i t h o u t f o r t u n e . W a s I b o r n of m y m o t h e r w i t h o u t h e a r t an d fortune?' A l t h o u g h f a r y a d in the sense of 'help' c o u l d be u s e d w i t h o u t k h w a d a n , as in the f o l l o w i n g instance:

p . 420 . 1 24 be a t a s h - s u z g e r d ay a d h a m e kas to h a m f a r y a d - i a t a s h - s u z - i ma n ras

'Every one g a t h e r s a r o u n d a fire [to h e l p put it o u t ] . You too come to the h e l p of my fire (i.e. my b u r n i n g h e a r t ) 1,

it is o f t e n a c c o m p a n i e d b y k h w a d a n (call for) or k h w a s t a n (ask f o r ) , and is a s s o c i a t e d w i t h d a d (justice) an d b i d a d ( i n j u s t i c e ) , w h i c h b r i n g to m i n d the a n c i e n t kings' h a l l of justice

1 3

.

(d a v a r g a h , see M i h r b e l o w ) . (In P the p h r a s e d a d u b i d a d n o w has o n l y the sense of noisy, i n d i g n a n t talk.)

O c c a s i o n a l l y al s o a d i s t i n c t i v e P a h l a v i f o r m survives, w h i c h l i k e w i s e h e l p s to i d e n t i f y p a s s a g e s w h e r e G u r g a n i is k e e p i n g c l o s e to his original. F o r example, d o r o s t i h a o c c u r s once; it is a P a h l a v i a d v e r b u s e d c o r r e c t l y b y the p o e t to m e a n

'prpperly, r i g h t l y ’ (p.68.15); and d o s h k h w a r ' d i f f i c u l t1

a p p e a r s once (p.223.184) i n s t e a d of the s t a n d a r d P d o s h w a r (pp. 115.145; 368.365). Both d o r o s t i h a a n d d o s h k h w a r m a y be p r e s u m e d to d e r i v e d i r e c t l y from the P a h l a v i text. One also

finds o c c a s i o n a l l y the P a h l a v i c o n s t r u c t i o n of a p o s s e s s i v e p r o n o u n b e i n g s u f f i x e d to the first w o r d of a clause, w h e r e in P e r s i a n it w o u l d be s u f f i x e d to the r e l e v a n t noun, e.g.

p . 276 .49 h a m l d a n i s t k a s h r a m i n be b a g h ast

- - 13

'She r e a l i z e d t h a t R a m i n was in h e r garden'

G u r g a n i ' s h a n d l i n g of the s u b j e c t - m a t t e r a l s o sug g e s t s f a i t h f u l n e s s to his o r i g i n a l in all e s s e n t i a l s , as we shall see w h e n c o n s i d e r i n g it i n c i d e n t by incident. His own c o n t r i b u t i o n s in this field ap p e a r to h a v e c o n s i s t e d of

e x p a n s i o n an d e l a b o r a t i o n , rat h e r than in a l t e r a t i o n or innovation;

and in g e n e r a l his p r e s e n t a t i o n is s t r a i g h t f o r w a r d , w i t h no c r i t i c a l comments, ev e n w h e n cu s t o m s are i n v o l v e d (notably k h w e d o d a h ) w h i c h run c o u n t e r to Islamic m o r a l i t y . O n l y once, it seems, does he o f f e r any c o n d e m n a t i o n of the a n c i e n t faith, and that is w h e n he m a k e s Vi s say, q u i t e out of character:

p . 443.529 ag a r sad sal g a b r a t a s h f u r u z a d h a m u r u z i b e d a n a t a s h b e s u z a d

'If an i n fidel (g a b r ) k i n d l e s fire for a h u n d r e d y e a r s Some da y he w i l l b u r n in that same fire ( i . e f in

f lames of h e l l ) ,'

Th e s e w o r d s are so i n a p p r o p r i a t e in th e i r c o n t e x t t h a t it seems that G u r g a n i (if it wa s r e a l l y he wh o c o m p o s e d them) i n s e r t e d the line at r a n d o m here f r o m fear of g e n e r a l censure. In the ma i n he a p p e a r s to h a v e i n v o l v e d h i m s e l f s y m p a t h e t i c a l l y w i t h the Z o r o a s t r i a n b e l i e f s a n d tho u g h t s of hi s cha r a c t e r s ; and it

is o n l y at the v e r y e n d of the p o e m th a t he as k s the r e a d e r to pr a y for his soul, a n d to e n t r e a t God on h i s b e h a l f n o t to p u n i s h h i m for h a v i n g c o m p o s e d this b e a u t i f u l story (p.512.

58-60).

Al l this b e i n g so, it is p o s s i b l e to h o p e to g a i n f r o m the P e r s i a n 'Vis u Ramin' a very fair idea of the e s s e n c e of a P a r t h i a n r o m a n c e c o m p o s e d b y Z o r o a s t r i a n m i n s t r e l s for the p l e a s u r e of Z o r o a s t r i a n hearers; and c l e a r l y the s tudy is one we l l w o r t h p u r s u i n g in all p o s s i b l e detail, since so little

survives of a Z o r o a s t r i a n l i t e r a t u r e of e n t e r t a i n m e n t f r o m any a n c i e n t period.

The p l o t of the p o e m can be r e d u c e d to f a i r l y simple e l e m e n t s :

Mobad, the h i g h king, w h o lives in Marv, is p r o m i s e d the h a n d of S h a h r o 's u n b o r n daughter. Shahro is q u e e n of Ma h (Media).

She bears a daughter, Vis, an d e n t r u s t s he r to the care of a

n u r s e (d a y e ) , w h o takes the girl to K h u z a n a n d b r i n g s her b a c k w h e n she r e a c h e s a m a r r i a g e a b l e age. F o r g e t t i n g her p r o m i s e to Mobad, S h ahro g ives Vi s in m a r r i a g e to h e r son vlro, Vis' brother. T h e r e u p o n M o b a d fi g h t s a n d d e f e a t s Viro, an d sends his y o u n g e r brother, Ramin, to b r i n g Vis to Marv.

R a m i n and vi s fall in love. T h e y m e e t s e c r e t l y w i t h the h e l p of the nurse. M o b a d d i s c o v e r s their love, an d p u n i s h e s Vis an d the nurse. F o r m a n y y e a r s the two l o v e r s live in fear of the king, b u t m e e t s e c r e t l y as o f t e n as th e y can. F i n a l l y M o b a d dies, an d Ra m i n b e c o m e s the ki n g in h i s p l a c e an d lives h a p p i l y w i t h vi s as his q u e e n for the r e m a i n d e r of th e i r days.

Since there are m a n y i n c i dents and e l a b o r a t i o n s in this story, b u t c o m p a r a t i v e l y f e w c haracters, the c l e a r e s t wa y to e x a m i n e the p o e m in d e t a i l has s e e m e d to be to c o n c e n t r a t e on the m a i n c h a r a c t e r s , an d to t race the o c c u r r e n c e of

Z o r o a s t r i a n e l e m e n t s as th e s e a p p e a r in c o n n e c t i o n w i t h them.

A study of t h e s e c h a r a c t e r s w i l l a c c o r d i n g l y p r o v i d e the f r a m e w o r k for the fi r s t p a r t of the f o l l o w i n g analysis.

16

N O T E S TO C H A P T E R ONE

1. The e d i t i o n of M. Minovi, T e h r a n 1935 ha s be e n use d ^ h e r e . A n o t h e r e d i t i o n wa s p u b l i s h e d by M.

Mahjub, T e h r a n 1959. T h e r e is a F r e n c h t r a n s l a t i o n by H e n r i Massd, he R o m a n de Wis et R a m i n , Paris 1959, an d an E n g l i s h t r a n s l a t i o n by G e o r g e M o r r i s o n , N e w Y o r k a n d L o n d o n 1972.

2. M i n o v i ed., p . 26.29 - p . 27.59. F o r t h e s e lines see Mi n o r s k y , 'V u R I 1, 2-3, n o t e 3.

3. T h e r e is an E n g l i s h t r a n s l a t i o n of th e G e o r g i a n text b y O l i v e r W a r drop, O r i e n t a l T r a n s l a t i o n Fund, L o n d o n

1914.

4. Fo r a d e t a i l e d c o n s i d e r a t i o n of the p o e m ' s o r i g i n see V. M i n o r s k y , 'Vis u Ramin, a P a r t h i a n Romance', art. I, BS O A S XI (1946), 754-763; art. II, B S O A S XII (1947), 20-35; art. Ill, B S O A S XVI (1954), 91-92.

5. See S.H. T a q i z a d e h a p u d Minorsky, 'V u R II', BSOAS XII 35; M. Boyce, 'On the C a l e n d a r of Z o r o a s t r i a n Feasts', B S O A S X X X I I I (1970), 527-528.

6. See M. B o y c e , ' T h e P a r t h i a n go s a n an d I r a n i a n M i n s t r e l T r a d i t i o n ' , JRAS (1957), 10-45.

7. cf. Boyce, HZ I, 131, w i t h note 4.

8. M o r rison, 33.

9. Mor r i s o n , 110: 'and b o d y has love in its soul'.

10. I. G e r s h e v i t c h , AHM, 145.

11. 'Shah-i Cheragh' m e a n s l i t e r a l l y 'king of the L a m p (s)', a n d is a c o m m o n name for a small M u s l i m shrine in

S h i r a z . This type of shrine u n d o u b t e d l y c o n t i n u e s in Z o r o a s t r i a n usage. L amps are r e g u l a r l y lit at

Z o r o a s t r i a n shrines, see Boyce, Stro n g h o l d , 278 s.v.

' lamp's' .

12. Vis w e a r s k u s t i (p.279.92).

13. Or 'she k n e w that her Ramin was in the garden', Mo r r i s o n , 190; the a m b i g u i t y is c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of P a h l a v i .

1 7

.

C H A P T E R TWO M o b a d

M o b a d is k i n g of kings, ruling, in t h e o r y at least, over va s s a l kings. His na m e a p p e a r s three ti m e s in the p o e m w i t h an a t t r i b u t e w r i t t e n in A r a b i c s c ript as m n y k1n . 1 This has

be e n r e a d as 'Manikan' or 'Manekan', 'i.e. d e s c e n d e d f r o m M a n l k ( M a n e k ) , a na m e n o t d i r e c t l y a t t e s t e d e i t h e r in P e r s i a n h i s t o r y or in ep i c t r a d i t i o n 1. 2 This is c l e a r l y not v e r y

sa t isfactory; a n d a m o r e c o n v i n c i n g i n t e r p r e t a t i o n w o u l d seem to be that m n y k 1n r e p r e s e n t s a m i s r e a d i n g of a P a h l a v i

* m r w y k 'n

<rv i r* ’

I

K a ' b a - y i Z a r d u s h t it wa s w r i t t e n in P a h l a v i as t w s r , r e p r e s e n t i n g TjLisar, not Tansar, tn s r b e i n g a m i sreading.) A P a h l a v i w o r d m r w y k 1n w o u l d h a v e the m e a n i n g 'of M a r v '; an d M o b a d does i n deed r e s i d e in Marv, h i s ca p i t a l city. 3 A g a i n s t this e x p l a n a t i o n

it can be said that in b o t h the o c c u r r e n c e s of 'Marv' in the s u r v i v i n g P a h l a v i texts the place name is w r i t t e n w i t h 3 n °t

i 4

J ; b u t th e r e are w e l l - a t t e s t e d i n s t ances of P a h l a v i w o r d s w h i c h are w r i t t e n a c c o r d i n g to scribal c h o i c e w i t h e i t h e r fo r m of the le t t e r 'r' (e.g. the c o m m o n i d e o g r a m for gow-

'say'). Possibly, mor e o v e r , by the time the MP p o e m came

to be w r i t t e n down, the m e a n i n g of * M a r v i k a n h a d b e e n forgotten, and the s cribe felt free to w r i t e the w o r d as he pleased.

It is an i n t e r e s t i n g p o i n t th a t in ’V i s u Ramin' the e p i t h e t f o llows the k i n g ' s p r o p e r n a m e w i t h o u t l i n k i n g i z a f e , this b e i n g P a r thian, n o t P e r s i a n usage.

The k i n g ' s p r o p e r name h a s also c a u s e d p e r p l e x i t y , however, since 'Mobad' is the S a s a n i a n ti t l e of a Z o r o a s t r i a n h i g h

p r i e s t (OP *m a g u p a t i , P a r t h i a n ( m o g b e d y, and is n o t a t t e s t e d e l s e w h e r e as a p e r s o n a l name. One m i g h t s u p p o s e that it came a b o u t as a b y - n a m e for a v e r y p i o u s k i n g (thus the d e v o u t P a r t h i a n king, T i r i d a t e s I of A r m e n i a , is c a l l e d a

'magus' in one c l a s s i c a l source ); bu t in fa c t the p i c t u r e 5

of K i n g M o b a d w h i c h is gi v e n in the p o e m is n o t one of a v e r y e s t i m a b l e or d e v o u t man. On the contrary, his own v a s s a l s

g and even so l d i e r s a p p e a r to r e g a r d h i m w i t h contempt.

Thus w h e n V i r o is e n g a g e d in b a t t l e w i t h h i m o v e r V i s , a

b a t t l e in w h i c h V i r o ' s fa t h e r Qa r i n has b e e n slain, V i r o says:

p . 63.68 ha n u z In p a y k a r - i v a r o n be p a y a s t h a n u z In m o b a d - i jadu be jayast

* • • •

70 ke m a n zang az g o h a r k h w a h a m z u d u d a n be k i n e r i s t k h e z u ra n e m u d a n

71 ji h a n ra az b a d a s h az a d k a r d a n r a v a n - i Q a r i n az v a y shad k a r d a n

'Still this u n r i g h t e o u s figure is standing, Still this s o r c e r e r M o b a d lives.

For I w i s h to r e m o v e the stain f r o m the jewel In r e v e n g e to sh o w h i m the r e s u r r e c t i o n ,

Fr e e the w o r l d f r o m his evil

A n d s a t i s f y Q a r i n ' s soul c o n c e r n i n g him.'

Pa y k a r m e a n s 'figure' (in this case e m b o d i m e n t ) , 'body', 'statue'. This m e a n i n g m a y be e x t e n d e d to i n c l u d e a d e s i g n on cloth, a n d so a flag, 7 b u t u n l e s s we c a n be c e r t a i n th a t

Viro, over h e a p s of d e a d bodies, is p o i n t i n g at M o b a d ' s flag, we m u s t a s s u m e th a t he is r e f e r r i n g to M o b a d himself, w h o is the c ause of the battle. F o r p a r a l l e l u s a g e s cf • Firdosi:

pas an p a y k a r - i r u s t a m - i shir k h w a r be b u r d a n d n a z d i k - i sam-i savar

'Then th e y c a r r i e d the 'person' of s u c k l i n g R u s t a m To the p r e s e n c e of Sa m the cavalier.

a n d again:

y e k i tlz k h a n j a r b e z a d bar sa r a s h be k h a k a n d a r a m a d sar u p a y k a r a s h

'He s t ruck h i m on the h e a d w i t h a sharp dagger, His h e a d an d b o d y fell unto the d u s t . '

G u r g a n i h i m s e l f says in a n o t h e r passage:

p . 41.34 c h u m a d a r did r u y - i d u k h t a r a s h - r a sahl b a l a vu n i k u p a y k a r a s h - r a ...

'When the m o t h e r saw the face of h e r d a u g h t e r Her c y p r e s s stature and b e a u t i f u l b o d y ...'

go h a r (jewel, pearl) is s o m e t h i n g pure, as in the f o l l o w i n g s i m i l e :

p . 32.28 chu g ohar pak u bl ahu u d a r - k h o r

'Like a jewel pure, w i t h o u t f a u l t and d e s e r v i n g. 1

A s a d i s a y s :

be k h u b i p a r i u be p a k i gohar

'In b e a u t y a 'pari' and in p u r i t y a jewel.'

H e n c e the r e s u r r e c t i o n (r i s t k h e z ) that V i r o in t e n d s to b r i n g a b o u t w i l l d e s t r o y M o b a d as an impurity, a sinner. This is the o r i g i n a l Z o r o a s t r i a n doctrine, w h i c h still p r e v a i l e d , it seems, in P a r t h i a n times. 8 The a d j e c t i v e w h i c h q u a l i f i e s

p a y k a r , i.e. v a r o n , d e r i v e s f r o m the f r e q u e n t l y o c c u r r i n g P a h l a v i a b a r o n 'unrighteous, wicked'. In a p a r a l l e l u s a g e vis, r e p r o a c h i n g R a m i n for h a v i n g v i o l a t e d his oa t h of l o y a l t y to her, says:

p , 453.33 c h e r a k a r k i c h u n l n va r o n e k i r d a r

ke n a n g a s t ar be g u y a n d a s h be g o f t a r 'Why d i d y o u c o m m i t so w i c k e d a d e e d

T h a t it is s h a m e f u l to speak of it in words?'

It is p e r h a p s o n l y n a t u r a l that Viro, f i g h t i n g M o b a d to d e f e n d his ow n bride, s h o u l d thus a c c u s e the k i n g of b e i n g wicked? b u t to call h i m 'sorcerer' seems less e a s i l y

exp l i c a b l e . However, we find ot h e r v a s s a l - k i n g s of M o b a d also t r e a t i n g h i m w i t h d i s r e spect. Thus, a l t h o u g h they all g a t h e r d u l y at his No Ruz feast, they did not, we are told, fully a c k n o w l e d g e his a u t h o r i t y in th e i r o w n p r o v i n c e s , as his b r o t h e r Zard lea r n s w h e n he j o urneys to Mah. He r e p o r t s to M o b a d :

p . 54 .44 to - r a naz s h a h r y a r a n m i s h o m a r a n d g r u h i k h w a d be m a r d a t mi n a d a n a n d

'They do no t c o u n t you am o n g kings, Some do not even r e g a r d yo u as " m a r d " .'

This last word, l i t e r a l l y ‘m a n ’ , has c o n n o t a t i o n s of p o s s e s s i n g cou r a g e an d l i b e r ality, q u a l i t i e s to be e x p e c t e d of a king, a m e m b e r of the 'warrior' class; and this p a r t i c u l a r insult s u g gests the p o s s i b i l i t y th a t 'Mobad' wa s a b y - n a m e g i v e n to a k i n g w h o wa s n o t t h o u g h t fit for the p o s i t i o n he held.

This i n t e r p r e t a t i o n seems to be s u p p o r t e d by Z a r d 's f u rther w o r d s to him:

p . 54.45 g r u h i m o b a d a t k h w a n a n d u d a s t u r c h u k h w a n a n d a t g r u h i m o b a d - i zur

'There are some w h o call yo u "mobad" and "dastur", As th e r e are some wh o call y o u the "false mobad".' 'Dastur' is a n o t h e r title gi v e n to a Z o r o a s t r i a n p r i e s t w i t h authority; and the w o r d zur 'false', common in P a h l a v i texts, can be taken to imply the o p p o s i t e of w h a t is in a c c o r d w i t h r i g h t order, a s h a . 'Mobad-i zur' m i g h t also i mply t h a t he a c q u i r e d p o w e r by force, unjustly. This w o u l d be a NP i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of the term. Further, a h i g h p r i e s t m i g h t be r e g a r d e d by the laity as p o s s e s s i n g m y s t e r i o u s powers, and so th e r e ma y

c o n c e i v a b l y be a link b e t w e e n 'false h i g h priest' and V i r o ' s 'sorcerer'. The P e r s i a n w o r d for 'sorcerer', j a d u , d e r i v e s from OIr y a t u , m e a n i n g o r i g i n a l l y 'demon', 9 and has k e p t

o v e r t o n e s of evil. In the p o e m it is o f t e n u s e d in c o n n e c t i o n w i t h the c h a r a c t e r i s t i c Z o r o a s t r i a n t erms of a h r i m a n and d i v .

The lines just q u o t e d ab o v e are li k e l y to d e r i v e d i r e c t l y from the P a h l a v i original, b e c a u s e they are v i t a l to the

story, since th e y spark off the ba t t l e b e t w e e n the ar m i e s of M o b a d and Viro. In this battle, as we h a v e seen, Qarin,

2 2

.

father of V i r o and vis, is killed; an d a l t h o u g h M o b a d succeeds in s e c u r i n g V i s as his bride, she r e f u s e s to let h i m a p p r o a c h h e r for a w h o l e year, b e c a u s e she is m o u r n i n g h e r father; an d she p e r s u a d e s he r n u r s e to m a k e a t a l i s m a n to k e e p h i m f r o m her, since she can n o t e v i d e n t l y t r u s t to his f iner feelings.

M o b a d is thus g e n e r a l l y r e p r e s e n t e d in a v e r y p o o r light.

S trict c o n s i s t e n c y in the p o r t r a y a l of a c t i o n s and c h a r a c t e r is p e r h a p s h a r d l y to be expected, however, in a m i n s t r e l p o e m of such long -transmission; a n d there m u s t h a v e b e e n a t e n d e n c y at w o r k to b l a c k e n Mobad, as the rival in love of the h e r o Ramin. We sho u l d n o t t h e r e f o r e be too s u r p r i s e d by the fact that the p o e m p r o p e r b e g i n s w i t h M o b a d p r e s i d i n g over a g r e a t spring feast, as a h i g h k i n g should, m a g n i f i c e n t l y liberal and splendid, b e s t o w i n g l avish gifts on the g l i t t e r i n g co u r t w h i c h has g a t h e r e d r o u n d h i m from all o v e r his re a l m s to he l p c e l e b r a t e it. One e x p l a n a t i o n for this i n i t i a l royal d i g n i t y m i g h t be that then M o b a d still ha d his k i n g l y gl o r y (f a r r ) , w h i c h he lost t h r o u g h m a k i n g the p a c t w i t h Shahro; bu t this does no t e x p l a i n w h y he is c a l l e d a s o r c e r e r (j a d u ) . A d i f f e r e n t e x p l a n a t i o n ^ a l s o d e p e n d e n t on this i m p roper act, m i g h t be that this p a c t r e c a l l e d ot h e r stories, in w h i c h a w i z a r d a p p e a r s to a m a n who c a n n o t find a d e s i r e d gi f t for his small d a u g hter, or to a w o m a n wh o c a n n o t b e a r a child, solves the p r o b l e m by sorcery, and in r e t u r n e x t r a c t s a promise, s e e m i n g l y u n l i k e l y at the time to be fulfilled, that he w i l l be gi v e n the girl in q u e s t i o n w h e n she is of age

(Shahro has no d a u g h t e r w h e n she m a k e s the p a c t ) . The p r o m i s e is a l w a y s f o r g o t t e n and i n e v i t a b l y the sor c e r e r a p p e a r s at the d o o r of the girl at the m o s t c r i t i c a l m o m e n t of h e r life. It is l i k e l y that M o b a d 1s p a r t in the r o m a n c e invites c o n f u s i o n w i t h the s o r c e r e r s of o t h e r tales. The fact t h a t he is h i m s e l f a h a p l e s s v i c t i m of the n u r s e ' s w i t c h ­ c r a f t te n d s to show that c a l l i n g h i m a s o r c e r e r is o n l y an e l a b o r a t i o n of his b a d repu t a t i o n ; no s p e c i f i c act of s o r c e r y is a s c r i b e d to him. Y e t if the p a c t w i t h S h a h r o wa s h e l d to c o n t a i n an e l e m e n t of b l a c k magic, this w o u l d j u s t i f y the s y m p a t h e t i c t r e a t m e n t of Vi s and R a m i n in the story.

No Ruz a n d M i h r a g a n

The p a s s a g e c o n c e r n i n g M o b a d ' s s p ring fe a s t is l i k e l y to

10

de r i v e d i r e c t l y f r o m the P a r t h i a n m i n s t r e l poem. This

p a s s a g e e m b o d i e s a d e l i g h t f u l d e s c r i p t i o n of N o Ruz c e l e b r a t e d as a Z o r o a s t r i a n f e a s t by the k i n g and his people:

p . 28.4 che k h o r r a m jashn b u d an d a r b a h a r a n be ja s h n a n d a r sar a s a r n a m d a r a n

p . 29.6 g u z l d e h a r che dar iran b u z u r g a n az a z a r b a y g a n u ray u g u rgan 7 h a m i d u n az k h o r a s a n u k u h i s t a n

ze shiraz u si f a h a n u d i h i s t a n

• » t *

p . 30.24 agar che b u d b a z m - i shah k h o r r a m d i g a r b a z m a n n a b u d az b a z m - i u k a m 25 k u j a dar b a g h u ra g h az n a m d a r a n

ze am-i m a y h a m i b a r i d b a r a n

ha m e kas r a f t e az k h a n e be sahra b u r u n b u r d e h a m e saz-i t a masha

ze h a r b a g h i u h a r r aghl u rudi be gu s h am a d d i g a r - g u n e surudi

zamin az bas gul u sabze c h u n a n b u d ke g o f t i p u r - s e t a r e as m a n bu d

ze lale h a r k a s i ra ba r sar a f s a r ze b a d e h a r y e k i ra ba r kaf a k h g a r g u r u h i dar n i s h a t u asb tazi

gu r u h i dar sama’ u pay bazi g u r u h i m a y kh w a r a n . dar■ b u s t a n i g u r u h i g u l - c h e n a n dar g u l s e t a n i g u r u h i dar k e n a r - i r u d - b a r i g u r u h i dar m i y a n - i lalezari

b e d a n - j a rafte h a r yek k h o r r a m i ra ch u d l b a k a r d e k i m o k h t - i zami ra

'What a d e l i g h t f u l feast it was in s p r i n g - t i m e In the fe a s t all the m e n of g r e a t name

Al l the g r e a t me n of Iran [were t a k i n g part]

F r o m A z a r b a y j a n , Ray and G u r g a n L i k e w i s e fr o m K h o r a s a n and K u h i s t a n

A n d f r o m Shiraz and Isfahan a n d Dihistan.

A l t h o u g h the k i n g ' s feast was del i g h t f u l , O t h e r f easts w e r e no less than his.

For in g a r d e n s and m e a d o w s g r e a t men

S h o w e r e d w i n e cups s c a t t e r e d as th i c k as r a i n d r o p s E v e r y o n e h a d gone out from his h o u s e to the fields,

T a k e n ou t w i t h h i m his a c c o u t r e m e n t for e n j o y m e n t P r o m e v e r y g a r d e n and m e a d o w a n d r i v e r - b a n k

O n e w o u l d h e a r a d i f f e r e n t k i n d of song, The e a r t h w a s so full of f l owers and green,

T h a t one w o u l d th i n k it was the s t a r - f i l l e d sky.

E v e r y o n e h a d a c r o w n of t ulips on hi s head,

E v e r y o n e h a d the g l o w i n g e m b e r of w i n e in hi s hand.

Some e n j o y e d g a l l o p i n g horses,

Some l i s t e n i n g to m u s i c and d a n cing, Some d r a n k w i n e in an orchard,

Some p i c k i n g r o s e s in a garden, Some sat on the b a n k s of a stream, Some in the m i d s t of tulips.

E v e r y o n e h a d gone there for enj o y m e n t ,

A n d h a d m a d e the s u rface of the e a r t h like b r o c a d e . '

G u r g a n i does no t a c t u a l l y call the f e a s t 'No R u z ' b u t simply a 'spring feast'; th e r e is s c h o l a r l y d e b a t e a b o u t w h e t h e r in P a r t h i a n ti m e s No Ruz was in fact c e l e b r a t e d in spring or autumn. E l s e w h e r e in the p o e m (p.44.24) th e r e is a c l e a r a l l u s i o n to the late S a s a n i a n No Ruz in A d a r Mah, b u t this c l e a r l y b e l o n g s to the MP version.

T h o u g h M i h r a g a n is not e x p l i c i t l y m e n t i o n e d in the m a i n pa r t of the poem, Vis sees Ra m i n at a fe a s t w h i c h was e v i d e n t l y M i h r agan, a l t h o u g h in the text as we h a v e it, it is M i h r a g a n as a S a s a n i a n feast, t h a t is, a si x - d a y festival, w i t h

'Greater Mihragan' c e l e b r a t e d on the 6th d a y of the festival,

— 11

the day 'Ram'. This f e a s t too is d e s c r i b e d g l oriously:

p . 14 8.1 chu r u z - i r a m s h a h a n s h a h - i k i s h v a r be m a y b e n s h a s t ba g u r d a n - i la s g a r

2 s a r a y a s h p u r setare g a s h t u p u r m a h ze ba s k h u b a n u s a l a r a n - i d a r g a h

'When on the da y R a m the k i n g of k i n g s of the land Sat do w n to d r i n k wine w i t h the g e n e r a l s of his army, His p a l a c e b e c a m e full of stars a n d full of m o o n s T h e r e w e r e so m a n y i l l u s t r i o u s m e n a n d c h a m p i o n s in

his c o u r t . ' Ramin e n t e r s M o b a d ' s camp to join the c e l e b r a t i o n s on the day R a m (which G u r g a n i i d e n t i f i e s with a M u s l i m touch, as a

S a t u r d a y ) :

p . 502.22 be shadl ru z - i r a m u r uz-i s h a n b a d frud amad be l a s h g a r ga h - i m o b a d 25 chu abrl b u d d a s t a s h n o b a h a r i

h a m i b a r i d d u r r - i s h ahvari

'In joy on the da y R a m and the da y S h a n b a d He a r r i v e d at the m i l i t a r y ca m p of M o b a d His h a n d w a s like a spring c l o u d

W h i c h r a i n e d re g a l jewels.'

Thus we h a v e two i m p o r t a n t Z o r o a s t r i a n f e s t i v a l s f i g u r i n g

l a rgely in the poem. B o t h are gr e a t o c c a s i o n s for joy. The d e s c r i p t i o n s g i v e n in the p o e m agree w i t h w h a t we k n o w f r o m S a s a n i a n s o urces that all g r e a t me n of the r e a l m w o u l d a t t e n d such feasts. The two feasts are both i m p o r t a n t to the story, and f igure l a r g e l y and n a t u r a l l y in Z o r o a s t r i a n life at all e p o c h s .

2 7

.

N O T E S TO C H A P T E R TWO

1. p p .33.1, 34.31, 58.3.

2. Mi n o r s k y , 'V u R I', 754.

3. See i b i d .

4. A y a d g a r i Z a r e r a n . P a h l a v i Texts I, 3: ^

S h a h r e s t a n i h a i E r a n , P a h l a v i Te x t s I, 19: \ \ ^

5. See a p u d D e b e v o i s e , A P o l i t i c a l H i s t o r y of P a r t h i a , 192.

6. See the text, p . 4 96.11-12, and f u r t h e r below, p . 33.

7. He n c e M o r r i s o n , p . 44: 'But y o n d e r s i n i s t e r flag s till stands; still the so r c e r e r M o u b a d is in his place. F o r I shall w i p e the s tain f r o m our

e s c u t c h e o n , a n d by v e n g e a n c e ma k e Q a r i n live again.

I shall free the w o r l d f r o m M o u b a d ' s a f f l i c t i o n and g r a t i f y the soul of Q a r i n at his e x p e n s e 1.

8. See Boyce, HZ X, 242-3.

9. See Boyce, HZ I, 85.

10. M o r r i s o n , 19, note 3.

11. See M i n o r s k y , 'V u R I', 74 7, n o t e 2.

C H A P T E R TH R E E S h a h r o

Ye a r s later S hahro b e a r s a d a u g hter, Vis, w h o gr o w s up to be v e r y b e a u t i f u l . By this time S h a h r o h a s q u i t e f o r g o t t e n the p a c t w i t h Mobad? and she d e c i d e s t h a t n o t o n l y is th e r e no m a t c h w o r t h y of v i s in all Iran e x c e p t h e r b r o t h e r Viro, b u t that b r i n g i n g a b o u t a m a r r i a g e b e t w e e n the n o b l y m a t c h e d pa i r w o u l d be a g o o d d e e d on h e r p a r t and as such w o u l d b r i n g h e r fortune. W i t h this b r o t h e r - a n d - s i s t e r m a r r i a g e we e n c o u n t e r a c h a r a c t e r i s t i c Z o r o a s t r i a n m o t i f w h i c h is i n t r i n s i c to the p l o t .

N e x t - o f - k i n m a r r iage, an e s t a b l i s h e d Z o r o a s t r i a n p r a ctice, is a t t e s t e d for the P a r t h i a n p e r i o d by the A v r o m a n p a r c h m e n t s , w h i c h we r e f ound in 1909 in a sealed jar n e a r A v r o m a n in

K urdistan. Two of these p a r c h m e n t s are in G r e e k an d one in Parthian. In the two G r e e k d o c u m e n t s the d a t i n g f o r m u l a s c o n t a i n the th r o n e na m e (Arsaces) of the r e i g n i n g P a r t h i a n Ki n g of K i n g s an d the n a m e s of his chief wives. In the o l d e r one these run: 'In the r e i g n of the Ki n g of Ki n g s A r s a c e s ...

a n d the q u e e n s Siace, his c o m p a t e r n a l si s t e r and wife, and A r y a z a t e s u r n a m e d Automa, d a u g h t e r of the g r e a t k i n g T i g r a n e s and his wife, and of Azate, his c o m p a t e r n a l s i s t e r and wife'.

O t h e r b r o t h e r - a n d - s i s t e r m a r r i a g e s are r e c o r d e d a m o n g the v a s s a l s of the A r s a c i d s , a n d their Z o r o a s t r i a n n e ighbours.

G u r g a n i a c c e p t s this c u s t o m as a fact a n d does no t m a k e any

c o m m e n t on i t .

S h a h r o c o n s i d e r s this m a r r i a g e a u s p i c i o u s , an d says to Vis:

p . 4 3.6 to u - r a joft b a s h u dide be f r u z v a z i n p a y v a n d f a r r o k h k u n m a r a ruz

'Be his w i f e an d r e j o i c e in this u n i o n (lit. l ight u p y o u r eyes) A n d by this u n i o n m a k e m y days g lorious.'

Th e r e is no d o u b t t h a t vi s an d Vi r o w e r e b o r n of the same

mother, as is c l e a r l y u n d e r s t o o d t h r o u g h o u t the story a n d in d e e d is s tated b y Vi s in these e x a c t w o r d s (p.71.42). Bu t it

a p p e a r s that t h e y are not the c h i l d r e n of the same father.

For a l t h o u g h S h a h r o 's g e n e a l o g y is i m peccable, a n d Vis is o f t e n c o m p l i m e n t e d on hers, V i r o does not share th e s e com p l i m e n t s . Mobad, s u s p e c t i n g t h a t V i r o is r e s p o n s i b l e for

v i s

p . 186.61 to az g o h a r h a m i m a n i be as t a r ke chun p u r s a n d fakhr ar a d be m a d a r

'In li n e a g e you are like a mu l e

Who, w h e n asked, w o u l d b o a s t a b o u t h e r m o t h e r . '

V i r o does no t d i s p u t e the s u b s t a n c e of this insult, b u t replies:

p . 191.34 d i g a r ta'ne zadi ba r g o h a r - i ma n ke b e h t a r b u d ze b a b a m m a d a r - i m a n 35 g o h a r m a r d a n ze n a m - i k h w i s h g i r a n d

chu m a r d i u k h r a d dar pi s h g i r a n d

'Another [point] is that y o u r i d i c u l e d m y lineage, S a y i n g that m y m o t h e r was g r e a t e r t h a n my father.

M e n g a i n r e n o w n t h r o u g h th e i r o w n name, If t h e y live w i t h v a l o u r and w i s d o m . '

This last line is an a l l u s i o n to M o b a d 's o w n p o o r r e p u t ation.

O t h e r e v i d e n c e is p r o v i d e d by M o b a d t e l l i n g V i s th a t S hahro has h a d some t h i r t y - o d d c h i l dren, no two of t h e m f r o m the

same h u s b a n d (p.173.46), t h a t e v e r y one of t h e m w e r e c o n c e i v e d in i m p r o p r i e t y (p.173.48), an d that o n l y v i s w a s d e s c e n d e d fr o m Jarashid ( Y i m a ) .

Since v i s is S h a h r o 1s last c h i l d and Q a r i n is he r

h u s b a n d w h e n he di e s in the ba t t l e w i t h Mobad, and Vi s i n tends to m o u r n for h i m for a y e a r , it seems safe to d e d u c e that he is vis' f a t h e r a n d no t Viro's. This p a r t i c u l a r k h w e d o d a h m a r r i a g e is thus one b e t w e e n a h a l f - b r o t h e r a n d sister. It would, one w o u l d think, h a v e b e e n an ea s y m a t t e r for G u r g a n i

to alter this c l o s e r e l a t i o n s h i p , of a type d i s a p p r o v e d of u n d e r Islam, to a m a r r i a g e b e t w e e n f i r s t cousins, w h i c h is w h o l l y a c c e p t a b l e to Muslims. The fact t h a t he d i d not do

so seems p a r t of his g e n e r a l f a i t h f u l n e s s to the P a h l a v i s tory in its e s s e n tials.

S h a h r o ' s co u r t a s t r o n o m e r s ch o o s e the d a y 'Dai' of the m o n t h A z a r for the we d d i n g , that is, a d a y dur i n g the season of No Ruz, h e l d by Z o r o a s t r i a n s to be a time

a u s p i c i o u s for m a r r iages. 2 (Either D a i - p a d - A z a r , the e i g h t h day of the month, or D a i - p a d - M i h r , the f o u r t eenth, w o u l d

3 have f allen w i t h i n the t w e n t y o n e - d a y p e r i o d of the festival.) On the c h o s e n day, 'six h o u r s after d a y b r e a k ' , i.e. at noon,

31

.

Shahro, h o l d i n g the h a n d s of V i s and Viro, co m e s out into the p o r t i c o of the p a l a c e and, it seems, h e r s e l f c o n d u c t s their m a r r i a g e ceremony:

p . 44 .27 b a s l kar<j a f a r l n ba r pak d a d a r pas a n g a h d l v - r a n e f r l n - i b e s y a r 28 s o r u s h a n - r a be n a m - i nik b e s t u d

n y a y e s h h a - y i bl a n d a z e b e n m u d

’She u t t e r e d m a n y b l e s s i n g s of the H o l y Creator, A n d th e n m a n y i m p r e c a t i o n s on the Div.

She p r a i s e d the div i n e b e i n g s (s o r u s h a n ) b y t h e i r a u s p i c i o u s names, A n d u t t e r e d m a n y long p r a y e r s. 1

To bl e s s O h r m a z d and to curse A h r i m a n is c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of the d a i l y Z o r o a s t r i a n 'kusti' prayers, w h i c h n e c e s s a r i l y

p r e c e d e e v e r y r e l i g i o u s ceremony; and th e s e lines are p r o b a b l y t a k e n a l m o s t v e r b a t i m f r o m the o r i g i n a l P a h l a v i text, as a c o n d e n s e d a c c o u n t of the c e r e m o n y of m a r r i a g e (although one ma y be r e a s o n a b l y c e r t a i n that there p r i e s t s w o u l d have a p p e a r e d to c o n d u c t i t ) .

The s t r i k i n g l y u n t r a d i t i o n a l fea t u r e of these lines, is the t e r m u s e d for the Z o r o a s t r i a n d i v i n i t i e s , n a m e l y

'sorushan', i.e. the p l u r a l of the p r o p e r na m e of the y a z a t a Srosh or Sraosha. He wa s the on l y Z o r o a s t r i a n d i v i n i t y w h o s e n a m e r e m a i n e d in M u s l i m P e r s i a n l i t e r a t u r e as that of

an a ngel or m e s s e n g e r of God; and a c c o r d i n g l y G u r g a n i a p p e a r s to h a v e u s e d it in the p l u r a l to re n d e r e i t h e r the P a h l a v i aij p l u r a l y a z d ^ n (this b e i n g u s e d in P e r s i a n as a s i n g u l a r for

God H i m s e l f ) , or the u n f a m i l i a r A m a h r a s p a n d a n . The same u s a g e a p p e a r s a g a i n in the p o e m in the i m a g e r y of a b a t t l e scene, w h e n the c l a m o u r e v o k e s the f o l l o w i n g simile:

p . 58.22 va ya d i v a n be g a r d u n bar d a v i d a n d ke a v a z - i s o r u s h a n m i s h e n i d a n d

'Or as if di v s (demons) were r u n n i n g aw a y up to the sky Fo r t h e y c o u l d h e a r the v o i c e s of the " s o r u s h e s " . '

S orush in 'Vis u R a m i n

A l t h o u g h in b o t h the ab o v e p a s s a g e s 'sorush' is u s e d in the p l u r a l as a c o m m o n noun, in o t hers w h e r e the w o r d a p p e a r s in the s i n g u l a r it is c l e a r t h a t G u r g a n i ' s 'sorush' r e p r e s e n t s a p r o p e r n a m e in the P a h l a v i original, t h a t of the g r e a t

y a z a t a himself. T h u s in this w e d d i n g c e r e m o n y Shahro, h a v i n g prayed, says to Vis and Viro:

p . 44 .32 g a v a t a n bas b u v a d d a d a r - i d a v a r

s orush u m a h u m i h r u c h a r k h u a k h t a r

'For w i t n e s s e s it is e n o u g h th a t y o u ha v e the j u d g i n g C r e a t o r , S o r u s h and Mihr, and the moon, f i r m a m e n t and stars.' Here it seems li k e l y that in the P a h l a v i text the di v i n e

w i t n e s s e s in v o k e d for the c o v e n a n t of m a r r i a g e w e r e in fact simply M i h r the J u d g e and h i s c o n s t a n t c o m p a n i o n Srosh.

Thus in one of the P e r s i a n r i v a y a t s sent f r o m Iran to the Parsis, the s t a t e m e n t occurs: 'If t here is a r e l i g i o u s af f a i r and if any d e f i c i e n c y ar i s e s in it, then th e r e is a d i s g r a c e b e f o r e M i h r the J u d g e (Davar-i Mihr) and S r o s h' . 4 G u r g a n i m o s t p r o b a b l y u n d e r s t o o d P a h l a v i d a d b a r 'judge' as r e f e r r i n g