Hushang

For people with the name, seeHushang (name).

Hushang Slays the Black Div. Miniature bySoltan Mohammadfrom theShahnamehof Shah Tahmasp

Hushang(Persian:هوشنگ;Middle Persian:Hōšang), also spelledHōshang,is an early hero-king in Iranian mythology. He is known fromAvestan,Middle Persian,and Sasanian-based Persian and Arabic sources. He appears to have been one of several 'first man/king' figures in different Iranian traditions, along withJamshid,Keyumars,andTahmuras.In theAvesta,he is calledHaoshyanghaand is given the epithetParaδāta,whence Persianpishdad.While this title is given only to Hushang in the Avesta, in later tradition the first Iranian dynasty (thePishdadians), including Hushang's predecessor and successors, are called by this title. According toFerdowsi'sShahnameh,which drew from the traditional history developed in the late Sasanian period, Hushang was the second king of the Pishdadian dynasty and the grandson of the first man and king Keyumars.

Etymology

In theAvesta,Hushang is called Haoshyangha (𐬵𐬀𐬊𐬱𐬌𐬌𐬀𐬢𐬵𐬀Haošyaŋha). Older sources interpreted the second part of the name as-šyaŋh,composed ofši-'dwelling' and-aŋh'giving rise to', thus meaning 'he who produces good dwellings' or 'promoter of culture and sedentary living'. According to another interpretation, the second part of the name is-šiiah-a variant ofčiia-'selecting, deciding', giving the whole name *hu-šiiah-the meaning 'good (religious) choice'. Hushang's epithetParaδāta/Pishdad(Pēšdād) was interpreted in Sasanian times as meaning 'he who first set the law of sovereignty', which has been accepted by some modern scholars. Others interpret the name as meaning 'set at the beginning' in the sense of 'first man'. Some have noted the similarity between the nameParaδātaandParalatos,the name of the progenitor of theParalataeor "RoyalScythians"who was a grandson of Targitaus, the first man according toScythian mythology.Hushang is calledUshanjorUshhanjin Arabic sources.

Sources

Hushang is known fromAvestan,Middle Persian,and Sasanian-based Persian and Arabic sources. Within the Avesta, the main collection of sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, he is mentioned in theYashtsand in theVendidad.The 10th-century Middle PersianDenkardsummarizesChihrdad,a lost book (nask) of the Avesta, which mentions Hushang. TheBundahishn,a Middle Persian compilation, also mentions Hushang. Arabic-language sources such asal-Tabari'schronicle,al-Tha'alibi'sGhurar akhbār mulūk al-Furs wa-siyarihim,andal-Biruni'sThe Remaining Signs of Past Centuriesgive information about Hushang. The story of Hushang is given inFerdowsi'sShahnameh.Hushang has no equivalent in the Indian tradition and is therefore considered a purely Iranian figure.

Traditions

Hushang's original status is uncertain. He appears to have been one of several 'first man/king' figures in different Iranian traditions, along withJamshid,Gayomard/Keyumars,andTahmuras.The more prevalent tradition attested in Ferdowsi'sShahnamehmakes Hushang the successor of Gayomard, but Hushang's status as the first king is directly stated in some sources and implied by others. In the olderYashts, the lists of heroes or kings who received divine favor always begin with Hushang.This suggests that Hushang was considered the first king of the world at the time of theYashts' creation.Several later sources associate Hushang with the beginning of Iranian sovereignty. Hushang's epithetParaδāta/Pishdad,which is only applied to him in the Avesta, is later used for the first Iranian dynasty, thePishdadians,which includes Hushang's predecessor and successors. In the Middle PersianBundahishn,Hushang is referred to as the progenitor of the Iranians and the first ruler of the Seven Climes. Additionally, despite placing Hushang after Keyumars, theShahnamehuses the phrase "down from the time of Hushang" to mean "from the first king" and quotesKhosrow Parvizas calling the Iranian religion "the Creed of Hushang."

Painting of Hushang in theShahnamehof Shah Tahmasp

In a different (and, according toA. Shapour Shahbazi,likely older) tradition recorded in theFravardin Yasht,the list of kings begins with Yima (Jamshid) and ends with Kavi Hausrava (Kay Khosrow), then lists "Hushang the Valiant [taxma-] "as one of several venerated heroes. In both traditions, he is said to have defeated demons (daēvas). In the oldYashts, particularly in theAban Yasht,Hushang is depicted as a great king who made sacrifices to the gods and received from them thekhvarenah(divine royal glory), then with the gods' assistance defeated thedaēvas (demons or false gods) and their worshippers in Mazana and Varena, located on the western and eastern edges, respectively, of the land of the Aryans. He is said to have defeated princes and priests who opposed him. TheYashts give no information about Hushang's genealogy, and there is great variety in the later sources on this issue.Besides Ferdowsi'sShahnameh,most other sources place three generations (Mashya,Siamakand Fravak) between Hushang and Gayomard.In the summary of the lost book of the Avesta Chihrdad in theDenkard,he is made a son of Mashya and grandson of Gayomard. TheBundahishncalls him the son of Fravak, grandson of Siamak, great-grandson of Mashya, and great-great-grandson of Gayomard.

In Ferdowsi'sShahnameh,Hushang is the son of Siamak and the grandson of Gayomard, the first man and king of the world. He served his grandfather as a beloved advisor. Siamak was killed by demons, but was avenged by Hushang, who acquired the divine glory, subdued the forces ofAhriman,and succeeded his grandfather Gayomard, reigning for forty years. He was succeeded byTahmuras,who is Hushang's son in theShahnamehand the son ofVivanghanand the descendant of Hushang in other sources.He is credited with the invention of iron-working, architecture, the domestication of beasts, irrigation, and agriculture. A later addition to theShahnameh,believed to be a popular story,also credits Hushang with the accidental discovery of fire, which happened after he hurled a flint rock to kill a venomous black serpent. Missing the serpent, the rock struck another flint to produce fiery sparks. Hushang learned how to make fire this way and taught his people. In honor of the discovery, they established theSadehfestival.He is sometimes regarded as the founder of Susa and Babylon and the initiator of the festivals ofTirganandKhorram-ruz.Hisham ibn al-Kalbicalled Hushang a descendent ofNoahthrough his sonSam.

External links

• A King's Book of Kings: The Shah-nameh of Shah Tahmasp,an exhibition catalog from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Hushang