In this edition once again we focus on myths and legends in Iran and then start the Iranian story of the Simorgh or Phoenix.

In the previous stories we spoke of different elements of Iranian myths and legends. As you know one of the major elements of these types of stories is the presence of supernatural creatures like fairies, demons, phoenixes or dragons. Dragons are considered as devilish creatures across the world except in China. In some stories we read that dragons are the symbol of drought which by capturing clouds stop them from raining and make ground for spoiling the nature. Therefore defeating a dragon in the stories are considered as fighting with drought.

Mythologists say heroes' fight against dragons, results in bliss. That is why well- known heroes by defeating dragons, bring back the greenery to the nature. A dragon is a mythological representation of a reptile. In antiquity, dragons were mostly envisaged as serpents, but since the Middle Ages, it has become common to depict them with legs, resembling a lizard.

Dragons are usually shown in modern times with a body like a huge lizard, or a snake with two pairs of lizard-type legs, and able to emit fire from their mouths.

In Iranian culture, dragons are described as a huge lizard which own two wings and send out fire out of their mouths. These creatures usually guard the treasury underneath the earth. In myths, dragons are either a reptile or a bird. They have a hawk's wings, a lion's paw, a snake's tale and a fire- breathing mouth which are all represented in most of the countries.

In most of myths and stories whether in Iran or in other cultures, dragons live in a cave and guard treasury. Sometimes we hear that dragons guard a miraculous spring inside the cave. The hero of the story should defeat the dragon in order to gain the treasury. By defeating the dragon, the hero of the story also brings back peace to people.

In most of Iranian epics especially in Ferdowsi's magnum opus Shahnameh, dragons have an active presence. Shahnameh's heroes like Rostam, Esfandiar, Gashtasb, and Saam all fight with the dragon and defeat it. In Iranian folk literature, solar and lunar eclipse are attributed to dragons. In these stories, it is believed that dragons bite the sun and the moon and the eclipse happens.

Now it's time for this week's new story of Simorgh or Phoenix. Stay with us.  

Once upon a time there was a poor man who lived with his wife and children. Once his wife got angry and told him:

"Go after a job and stop staying home."

The man went out, looked around, but didn’t find any job. As he knew if he comes back home empty-handed his wife would be angry, he went to the sea shore in order to get drowned. He said the last words of his life and jumped into the sea. As he was struggling in the sea, a phoenix which was flying by went toward him and saved him from drowning. After realizing that the man was poor, the phoenix gave the man a fish,

The poor man who was wet from head to heels then set off home. On his way home, the man encountered a person who told him that he would barter the fish with flour. The poor man became happy and exchanged the fish with flour.

At home, the poor man's wife took the flour and asked the man to come home with flour every night.  

The day after the poor man went out again to look for a job. As he became tired of looking for job, once again went by the sea shore and decided to commit suicide by drowning in the sea. This time again the phoenix was flying by and saved the man from drowning. The phoenix once again gave the poor man a fish and went home.

The poor man like the previous day encountered a man who asked him to barter his fish with flour. The poor man exchanged the fish and went home with flour.

At home his wife became happy and asked his husband to come home with flour every night.

On the third day, the poor man went out to look for a job but he didn't find any. For another time, he went by the sea shore in order to get drowned. Then the phoenix did the same and the man went home with the flour he had gained by exchanging the fish.  

On the fourth day that the man had come by the seashore to commit suicide, the phoenix went forward and told the man why he had lost his opportunities.

The man who was surprised by the phoenix's words said that they were just fish and could not make him wealthy!

The phoenix then said that the inside the fish he had given the man was great amounts of jewelries……

AE/ME