Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of Iranian Stories and Fables coming to you every week with a sweet Iranian story.

As usual we start our program by discussing Iranian myths and legends and then take you to the land of stories. We hope you enjoy the program.

We said that in oral literature and in myths in particular demons attribute to supernatural creatures including the jinn, Lucifer, Satan and devil. We told you that the Holy Quran mentions that the jinn are born out of fire and so have the ability to be invisible. This quality makes the jinn to be able to appear in human form.

Because of having supernatural characteristics, the jinn are able to create bizarre phenomena. They have also the ability to give news about the future and the past. It is also said that the jinn can capture human soul while human can capture the jinn by practicing sorcery and witchcraft.

According to what was said, there are similarities between the jinn and demons though they are two different creatures. After the entry of Arabs into the Iranian territory, the definition of the demons and the jinn changed. What we hear today like the words, Satan, Lucifer, devil or ghoul is the combination of Iranian and Arab cultures on this word which shows that they have the same basis.

Well dear listeners here we stop this discussion and go to the next part that is relating the rest of the story of Malek Mohammad and one-footed demon. Keep us company until the end.

We said that once upon a time there was a king who had seven sons the youngest of whom Prince Malek Mohammad was from the king’s second wife. Once the king sent his sons to fetch him a parrot with a golden cage. The six princes failed to bring the parrot, but Malek Mohammad set out to fetch the parrot, determined to achieve what he was looking for. As he arrived the other land, he heard that there was a demon who would come to the city every month and seize people’s properties including their food and girls and this month it is supposed to take the princess of the land to his residence. Upon hearing this, Malek Mohammaad went to war with the demon and defeated him. He then married the princess, but the day after the wedding ceremony, he left the bride to look for the parrot with the golden cage. On his way to find the parrot Malek Mohammad encountered a fairy who helped him in his way. The young prince also faced a dervish who gave him his magic tools. Malek Mohammad then began another journey along with the fairy who had transformed herself into a dove. They went on and on until they reached a castle of demons. And now the rest of the story….

As Malek Mohammad stood in front of the large gate of the castle, the one-footed demon who was once defeated by Malek Mohammad appeared. The demon started shivering out of fear as he looked at Malek Mohammad.

Malek Mohammad then said:

“Don’t be scared! You are safe! Just let me get in.”

The demon then said:

“Ok come in. I let you pass five gates, but the last gate is guarded by my brother. If you want to pass that gate, you have to take a souvenir with yourself.”

Malek Mohammad agreed and passed the gates until he got to the last one which the brother of the one-footed demon was guarding.

The demon asked for something to eat. Then Malek Mohammd filled the demon’s mouth with sweets. Then the demon let him enter the castle.

As Malek Mohammad entered the castle, he went in a room where a fairy was sleeping. Above her, a golden cage was hanging with a parrot in it. Then he took the cage and left a letter which read: “I took your parrot to my land. If you want it, you can come to my land. We will welcome you there.”

Then he left the castle and flew over the fairy who had transformed herself into a dove.

As Malek Mohammad’s brothers heard that he had found the parrot with the golden cage, they decided to hatch a plot against him and gain the parrot by any hook or crook.

Therefore the six brothers gathered at the desert and called Malek Mohammad to accompany them. In the desert, they sent Malek Mohammad to bring them water from the well. As he dropped the bucket down the well, his brothers pushed him down into the well. They all then fled.

However Malek Mohammad survived and went up the well by a merchant who had sent a bucket into the well. After he came up, Malek Mohammad decided to accompany the merchant on his way home.

EA