We told you that wizardry and witchcraft are among the outstanding elements of myths which play a major role in folk literature.

We also said that spells and charms are the words recited loudly and are considered as a negative power in Iranian folk stories. In these stories, magicians are opposite to the heroes and the latter try to struggle against them.
Magicians are able to do extraordinary jobs. For example, they can fly. In the famous book “Eskandarnameh” we read: “The magician recited a name and the woods were lifted and ascended to the sky until they reached the seventh heaven.”
Magicians can also change the climatic conditions and intervene in natural elements by tricks. For example, in the book “Saamnameh” by Khajouye Kermani, there is a magician who makes a loud thunder and a bright lightning via spelling out certain words.
Another characteristic of magicians is transformation. By transformation we mean using supernatural powers. In folk stories in addition to fairies, magicians also use spells and charms. They appear in different forms and use different animals for transformation. In the book” One Thousand and One Nights” we see many examples of transformation by magicians. Even in “Eskandarnameh” we see such examples frequently. In the story of Amir Arsalan Namdar, there is a vizier which appears in the form of a dragon.
In this section we continue relating the story of “Kachal Mam Siyah” from the valuable book of “Iranian Myths”.
As you might remember we said that once upon a time there was a boy called Mam Siyah who lived with his poor mother. The only precious thing they had was a weapon inherited from his father who had died years earlier. Once Mam Siyah took the weapon, set out and hunted an exotic creature half of which lit and the other half sang and played music. The king heard the story of such a hunt and asked Mam Siyah to give him the strange creature in return for something else. The king himself suggested Mam Siyah to be appointed as his vizier; a suggestion that angered the vizier and urged him to dissuade the king and send Mam Siyah to bring the king the milk of forty mares saying that the one who can hunt such an exotic creature, could also bring the milk of the forty mares. And it was said that the one who goes after the milk of the forty mares, never comes back…..
And now the rest of the story.
So the king asked Mam Siyah to come to his palace. Thinking that he would be appointed as the vizier of the king, Mam Siyah went to the palace happily and said:
“Your Majesty! Is there anything else I could do for you?”
The king answered:
“Our promises about your appointment are kept in place, but before that I want to send you to bring the milk of forty mares. We thought you are the only one who could do the job since you have recently hunted a creature which no one has ever done.”
Mam Siyah was taken aback by the king’s suggestion, but he agreed without saying anything.
As he arrived home, Mam Siyah packed his baggage and told the story of his journey to his mother. Mam Siyah’s startled mother told him:
“What are you talking about? Bringing the milk of forty mares?! They want to send you to death! Do you know how many heroes have gone after the milk and haven’t come back yet?”
Mam Siyah answered:
“I have to go. I have no other choice.”
His mother answered:
“If you are determined to do so, go to the palace and ask him to give you forty goatskin water bags, forty bags of lime and forty sacks of cotton. Then come back to me to show you the way to forty mares.”
Mam Siyah did so and went back home. His mother advised him:
“Dear son! Take the drinks, the lime and the cotton to the sea. Pour them into the sea and then dig out a hole and hide inside. After a while you would see the sky becomes dark, the sea roars and halves into two parts. At that time, a mare like jumps out of water like a mountain and thirty nine other mares follow her grazing in the desert. Then they get thirsty and come back to the sea to drink. After they get sips of the water, they move as fast as wind. And then you have to ride on one of them and guide them to the city.”
Mam Siyah did so and came back home riding on a horse.
At home Mam Siyah milked the mare and sent the milk for the king.
There was an old female gossiper who had heard the story of the forty mares in Mam Siyah’s home. She immediately informed the king of the story and the king summoned Mam Siyah.
The king asked Mam Siyah:
“We’ve heard that you have brought forty mares at home. Is that right?”
Mam Siyah answered:
“Yes; they have informed you truly.”
The king said:
“So bring them here. They have to be in our stable, not yours.”
Mam Siyah accepted.
The king then told his vizier:
“Then you should give your position to Mam Siyah.”
The vizier then told the king:
“He will take my position by tomorrow.”
That night the vizier went to his bedroom to consult with his hat about what had happened.
The hat listened to the vizier’s story and said:
“Don’t worry. The solution is as easy as a piece of cake. Listen to me! You have to send Mam Siyah to kill the great dragon which keeps scaring the king. No one has ever survived the battle with the dragon.”
The vizier was happy and went to sleep.
ME