Hello everyone and welcome to the 87th weekly episode of the series Iranian Stories and Fables. In this episode we take a look at myths and legends in Iran and then take you to the land of Iranian stories.

In the previous episodes, we talked about the practice of wizardry and witchcraft in legends and myths. Another characteristic trait of these stories is the presence of demons. Demons symbolize devilish phenomena, falsehood, deceit, poverty, famine, starvation and oppression. In Iranian stories, demons are the symbol of Satan and are against God. Ferdowsi, the highly revered Persian poet in his epic of Shahnameh, has called demons as evil creatures.

The characters which are mentioned for demons are the same as the ones seen in folk literature.

Demons and devils are imaginary creatures. They have both human and non- human characters. The fact that they have supernatural powers reflects their non-human characters. For example they can be anywhere they want at one moment or they can transform into plants or animals. They can also disappear. They can speak in any language they wish. They are aware of any secret or hidden treasury. Thus, demons can assist or harm human beings.

The existence of supernatural creatures is part of the culture of any society and some parts of the society’s beliefs and attitudes are related to these creatures. Today some of these beliefs are faded away or completely altered.

Next time we will talk about the issue more and now it is time to relate the rest of the story of “Kachal Mam Siyah”. Do stay with us.

Once upon a time there was a bald boy called Kachal Mam Siyah who lived with his poor mother. One day he took the weapon inherited from his father out to the desert to hunt something for eating. However he hunted an exotic creature half of which was shining and the other half could sing and make musical sounds. The king heard the story of hunting such an extraordinary creature and ordered Mam Siyah to give him the animal. The king suggested that he could take the post of the vizier in return for the special hunt. The vizier, who didn’t want to lose his job, hatched a plot and asked the king to send Mam Siyah to a journey to fetch the milk of forty mares where no one has ever come back from. Mam Siyah went on the trip and did what the king had asked for. On the day Mam Siyah was to be appointed as vizier, the king’s vizier once again asked the king to order Mam Siyah to fetch the great dragon which scared the king. This was while no one had ever survived the battle with the dragon. Mam Siyah defeated the dragon and took its corpse to the palace for the king. The next time Mam Siyah was summoned to the palace and was ordered to bring the daughter of the king of the neighboring land to the palace; the job no one had ever been successful to do. And now the rest of the story.

Mam Siyah for another time started packing his baggage to go on a journey no one had ever gone. Bringing the princess of a land would be a difficult task! This time Mam Siyah went to his mother to take her advice. Shocked by Mam Siyah’s story, her mother told him:

“Stop doing so! This is an impossible job! And I don’t have any advice for you since I don’t know anything about the princess of the neighboring land.”

Having the feeling of mixture of hope and frustration, Mam Siyah began the journey no one had ever dared. He covered valleys and deserts until he reached a sea where a man had dipped his head in the sea and was drinking water. By every sip, he drank liters of water! Mam Siyah went forward and said:

“What kind of drinking is that?”

The man who was called “Sea Drier” answered:

“You cannot see me drinking like this, but you can see Mam Siyah hunting an exotic animal!!? If I find Mam Siyah I would be his servant forever!”

Mam Siyah then said:

“I am Mam Siyah.”

And then they both went to the journey to bring the princess of the neighboring land to the king.

On their way to the other land, Mam Siyah and the Sea Drier faced a man who was holding a wreath of heavy stones around his neck and smashed anyone he saw on his way.

Mam Siyah said:

“Oh look at this fool!”

The man who was called Stone Thrower, reacted:

“You are fool yourself! You cannot see my heavy stones, but you can see Mam Siyah hunting an exotic animal!!? If I find Mam Siyah I would be his servant forever!”

Mam Siyah then said:

“I am Mam Siyah myself.”

So the three continued their trip to the palace of the king of the neighboring land.

On their way, Mam Siyah and his two servants, The Sea Drier and the Stone Thrower saw a man who was holding a sling and throwing any object to people on his way by his sling. He was called Slinger. Mam Siyah then said:

“Oh look at that crazy man!”

“You are crazy yourself! You cannot see me throwing objects everywhere I want, but you can see Mam Siyah hunting an exotic animal!!? If I find Mam Siyah I would be his servant forever!”

Mam Siyah then said:

“I am Mam Siyah myself.”

So the Slinger became Mam Siyah’s servant and joined the three on their journey. They went on and on until they saw a man with giant ears who put one of his ears beneath his body as a mattress and put his other ear on himself as a blanket. He was called Blanket Ear. As he saw Mam Siyah staring at him, he volunteered to say:

“You cannot see me blanket myself with my ears, but you can see Mam Siyah hunting an exotic animal!!? If I find Mam Siyah I would be his servant forever!”

Mam Siyah then said:

“I am Mam Siyah.”

So he became Mam Siyah’s servant and joined the other men to go to the king’s palace.

Mam Siyah and his servants went on and on until they reached to the other land where the gates were closed and guarded by the king’s soldiers. While Mam Siyah started thinking to find a solution for penetrating to the land, the Slinger came forward and said:

“It’s an easy job, men!”

He then put all the soldiers in his sling and threw them away!

All the soldiers were scattered and Mam Siyah and his servants could get into the land.

The king was sitting on his bed when he spotted his soldiers floating in the sky. He summoned his men and asked them the reason. His soldiers told him that five men from the neighboring land had entered his palace to take his girl away.

The king was left alone when Mam Siyah and his servants came to the palace.

The king volunteered to say:

“Come here tomorrow and I will give you my daughter.”

Then they left the palace.

Perplexed to do anything, the king went to his vizier to find a solution for getting rid of Mam Siyah and his servants.

The vizier suggested the king to hold a big ceremony in the city and invite everyone to the party including Mam Siyah and his men where the cooks would poison their food….

AE/RM/EA