Zahhak

For theHomestuckcharacter, seeEquius Zahhak.

"Zahak" redirects here. For the city in southeastern Iran, seeZehak.For the village in Hormozgan Province, seeZahak-e Pain.

Shah Zahhak A king of Iranian myths and legends
Zahhak in theShahnameh
Other names	Azhi Dahāka Bēvar Asp
Spouse	Arnavaz Shahrnaz
Parent	Mardas (father)

Zahhak awakens in terror from his nightmare at the birth ofFereydun.

ZahhākorZahāk(pronounced[zæhɒːk]) (Persian:ضحّاک), also known asZahhak the Snake Shoulder(Persian:ضحاک ماردوش,romanized:Zahhāk-e Mārdoush), is an evil figure inPersian mythology,evident in ancient PersianfolkloreasAzhi Dahāka(Persian:اژی دهاک), the name by which he also appears in the texts of theAvesta.InMiddle Persianhe is calledDahāg(Persian:دهاگ) orBēvar Asp(Persian:بیور اسپ) the latter meaning "he who has 10,000 horses".InZoroastrianism,Zahhak (going under the name Aži Dahāka) is considered the son ofAhriman,the foe ofAhura Mazda.In theShāhnāmehofFerdowsi,Zahhāk is the son of a ruler named Merdās.

Etymology and derived words

Aži(nominativeažiš) is theAvestanword for "serpent" or "dragon".It iscognateto theVedic Sanskritwordahi,"snake", and without a sinister implication.

The original meaning ofdahākais uncertain. Among the meanings suggested are "stinging" (source uncertain), "burning" (cf.Sanskritdahana), "man" or "manlike" (cf.Khotanesedaha), "huge" or "foreign" (cf. theDahaepeople and the Vedicdasas). In Persian mythology,Dahākais treated as a proper noun, while the formZahhāk,which appears in theShāhnāme,was created through the influence of the unrelatedArabicwordḍaḥḥāk(ضَحَّاك) meaning "one who laughs".

The Avestan termAži Dahākaand the Middle Persianaždahāgare the source of the Middle PersianManichaeandemon of greedAž,Old Armenian mythological figureAždahak,Modern Persian'aždehâ/aždahâ',(اژدها)Tajik Persian'aždaho',(аждаҳо)Urdu'aždahā'(اژدہا), as well as theKurdishejdîha(ئەژدیها) which usually mean "dragon".

The name also migrated to Eastern Europe,assumed the form "ažhdaja"and the meaning" dragon "," dragoness "or "water snake"in Balkanic and Slavic languages.

Despite the negative aspect ofAži Dahākain mythology, dragons have been used on some banners of war throughout the history ofIranian peoples.

TheAžhdarchidgroup ofpterosaursare named from aPersianword for "dragon"that ultimately comes fromAži Dahāka.

Aži Dahāka (Dahāg) in Zoroastrian literature

12th–13th century bowl depicting King Zahhak with snakes protruding from his shoulders, likely from NorthwesternIran.Modifiedc. 1926, as many medieval pieces were to make them more attractive.

Aži Dahākais the most significant and long-lasting of theažis of theAvesta,the earliest religious texts ofZoroastrianism.He is described as a monster with three mouths, six eyes, andthree heads,cunning, strong, and demonic. In other respects Aži Dahāka has human qualities, and is never a mere animal.

Aži Dahāka appears in several of the Avestan myths and is mentioned parenthetically in many more places in Zoroastrian literature.

In a post-Avestan Zoroastrian text, theDēnkard,Aži Dahāka is possessed of all possible sins and evil counsels, the opposite of the good kingJam(orJamshid). The name Dahāg (Dahāka) is punningly interpreted as meaning "having ten (dah) sins ".His mother is Wadag (or Ōdag), herself described as a great sinner, who committed incest with her son.

In the Avesta, Aži Dahāka is said to have lived in the inaccessible fortress of Kuuirinta in the land of Baβri, where he worshipped the yazatas Arədvī Sūrā (Anāhitā), divinity of the rivers, andVayudivinity of the storm-wind. Based on the similarity between Baβri andOld PersianBābiru (Babylon), later Zoroastrians localized Aži Dahāka in Mesopotamia, though the identification is open to doubt. Aži Dahāka asked these two yazatas for power to depopulate the world. Being representatives of the Good, they refused.

In one Avestan text, Aži Dahāka has a brother named Spitiyura. Together they attack the hero Yima (Jamshid)and cut him in half with a saw, but are then beaten back by theyazataĀtar,the divine spirit of fire.

According to the post-Avestan texts, following the death of Jam ī Xšēd (Jamshid),Dahāg gained kingly rule. Another late Zoroastrian text, theMēnog ī xrad,says this was ultimately good, because if Dahāg had not become king, the rule would have been taken by the immortal demon Xešm (Aēšma), and so evil would have ruled upon the earth until the end of the world.

Dahāg is said to have ruled for a thousand years, starting from 100 years after Jam lost hisKhvarenah,his royal glory (seeJamshid). He is described as a sorcerer who ruled with the aid of demons, thedaevas(divs).

The Avesta identifies the person who finally disposed of Aži Dahāka asΘraētaonason ofAθβiya,in Middle Persian called Frēdōn. The Avesta has little to say about the nature of Θraētaona's defeat of Aži Dahāka, other than that it enabled him to liberate Arənavāci and Savaŋhavāci, the two most beautiful women in the world. Later sources, especially theDēnkard,provide more detail. Feyredon is said to have been endowed with the divine radiance of kings (Khvarenah,New Persianfarr) for life, and was able to defeat Dahāg, striking him with a mace. However, when he did so, vermin (snakes, insects and the like) emerged from the wounds, and the godOrmazdtold him not to kill Dahāg, lest the world become infected with these creatures. Instead, Frēdōn chained Dahāg up and imprisoned him on the mythical Mt. Damāvand(later identified withDamāvand).

The Middle Persian sources also prophesy that at the end of the world, Dahāg will at last burst his bonds and ravage the world, consuming one in three humans and livestock.Kirsāsp,the ancient hero who had killed the Az ī Srūwar, returns to life to kill Dahāg.

Zahhāk in the Shāhnāma

InFerdowsi's epic poem, theShāhnāmah,written c. 1000 AD and part of Iranian folklore, the legend is retold with the main character given the name of Zahhāk and changed from a supernatural monster into an evil human being.

Zahhāk in Persia

Persianpainting, depicting Zahhāk ascending on the royal throne.

According toFerdowsi,Zahhāk was born as the son of a ruler named Merdās (Persian:مرداس). Because of hisArablineage, he is sometimes calledZahhāk-e Tāzī(Persian:ضحاکِ تازی), meaning "Zahhāk theTayyi".He is handsome and clever, but has no stability of character and is easily influenced by his counselors.Ahrimantherefore chooses him as a tool to sow disorder and chaos. When Zahhāk is a young man, Ahriman first appears to him as a glib, flattering companion, and by degrees convinces him to kill his own father and inherit his kingdom, treasures and army. Zahhāk digs a deep pit covered over with leaves in a path to a garden where Merdās would pray each morning; Merdās falls in and is killed. Zahhāk thus ascends to the throne.

Ahriman then presents himself to Zahhāk as a marvelous cook. After he presents Zahhāk with many days of sumptuous feasts (introducing meat to the formerly vegetarian human cuisine), Zahhāk is willing to give Ahriman whatever he wants. Ahriman merely asks to kiss Zahhāk on his two shoulders, and Zahhāk permits this. Ahriman places his lips upon Zahhāk's shoulders and suddenly disappears. At once, two black snakes grow from Zahhāk's shoulders. They cannot be surgically removed, as another snake grows to replace one that has been severed. Ahriman appears to Zahhāk in the form of a skilled physician. He counsels Zahhāk that attempting to remove the snakes is fruitless, and that the only means of soothing the snakes and preventing them from killing him is to sate their hunger by supplying them with a stew made from two human brains every day.

Zahhāk the Emperor

ArmenianPrincess Tigranuhi, daughter ofOrontes I Sakavakyats,before wedding withAjdahak.Azhdahak is identified asAstyagesin Armenian sources.

At this time,Jamshid,the ruler of the world, becomes arrogant and loses his divine right to rule. Zahhāk presents himself as a savior to discontented Iranians seeking a new ruler. Collecting a great army, Zahhāk hunts Jamshid for many years before finally capturing him. Zahhāk executes Jamshid by sawing him in half and ascends to Jamshid's prior throne. Among his slaves are two of Jamshid's daughters,ArnavāzandShahrnāz(the Avestan Arənavāci and Savaŋhavāci). Each day, Zahhāk's agents seize two men and execute them so that their brains can feed Zahhāk's snakes. Two men, called Armayel and Garmayel, seek to rescue people from being killed from the snakes by learning cookery and becoming Zahhāk's royal chefs. Each day, Armayel and Garmayel save one of the two men by sending him off to the mountains and faraway plains, and substitute the man's brain with that of a sheep. The saved men are the mythological progenitors of theKurds.

Ajdahak dream

Zahhāk's tyranny over the world lasts for centuries. One night, Zahhāk dreams of three warriors attacking him. The youngest warrior knocks Zahhāk down with his mace, ties him up, and drags him off towardMount Damāvandas a large crowd follows. Zahhāk wakes and shouts so loudly that the pillars of the palace shake. Following Arnavāz's counsel, Zahhāk summons wise men and scholars to interpret his dream. His hesitant counsellors remain silent until the most fearless of the men reports that the dream is a vision of the end of Zahhāk's reign at the hands ofFereydun,the young man with the mace. Zahhāk is thrilled to learn the identity of his enemy, and orders his agents to search the entire country for Fereydun and capture him. The agents learn that Fereydun is a boy being nourished on the milk of the marvelous cow Barmāyeh. The spies trace Barmāyeh to the highland meadows where it grazes, but Fereydun and his mother have already fled before them. The agents kill the cow, but are forced to return to Zahhāk with their mission unfulfilled.

Revolution against Zahhāk

Fereydun defeats Zahhak

Main article:Kāve

Zahhāk lives the next few years in fear and anxiety of Fereydun, and thus writes a document testifying to the virtue and righteousness of his kingdom that would be certified by the kingdom's elders and social elite, in the hope that his enemy would be convinced against exacting vengeance. Much of the summoned assembly indulge the testimony out of fear for their lives. However, a blacksmith namedKāva(Kaveh) speaks out in anger for his children having been murdered to feed Zahhāk's snakes, and for his final remaining son being sentenced to the same fate. Zahhāk orders for Kāva's son to be released in a bid to coerce Kāva into certifying the document, but Kāva tears up the document, leaves the court, and creates a flag out of his blacksmith's apron as a standard of rebellion – theKāviyāni Banner,derafsh-e Kāviyānī(درفش کاویانی). Kāva proclaims himself in support of Fereydun as ruler, and rallies a crowd to follow him to the Alborz mountains, where Fereydun is now living as a young man. Fereydun agrees to lead the people against Zahhāk and has a mace made for him with a head like that of an ox.

Fereydun goes forth to fight against Zahhāk, who has already left his capital, which falls to Fereydun with small resistance. Fereydun frees all of Zahhāk's prisoners, including Arnavāz and Shahrnāz. Kondrow, Zahhāk's treasurer, pretends to submit to Fereydun, but discreetly escapes to Zahhāk and reports to him what has happened. Zahhāk initially dismisses the matter, but he is incensed to learn that Fereydun has seated Jamshid's daughters on thrones beside him like his queens, and immediately hastens back to his city to attack Fereydun. Zahhāk finds his capital held strongly against him, and his army is in peril from the defense of the city. Seeing that he cannot reduce the city, he sneaks into his own palace as a spy and attempts to assassinate Arnavāz and Shahrnāz. Fereydun strikes Zahhāk down with his ox-headed mace, but does not kill him; on the advice of an angel, he binds Zahhāk and imprisons him in a cave underneath Mount Damāvand. Fereydun binds Zahhāk with a lion's pelt tied to great nails fixed into the walls of the cavern, where Zahhāk will remain until the end of the world.

Place names

"Zahhak Castle"is the name of an ancient ruin inHashtrud,East Azerbaijan Province,Iranwhich according to various experts, was inhabited from the second millennia BC until theTimurid-era. First excavated in the 19th century by British archeologists,Iran's Cultural Heritage Organizationhas been studying the structure in 6 phases.

In popular culture

• The tale of Zahhak's defeat of Jamshid and subsequent defeat to Fereydun serves as the backstory of the 1992 Sega Game Gear video gameDefenders of Oasis.A descendant of Zahhak is a major antagonist in the game's plot.
• In theXenaverse,Zahhak (referred to asDahak) is the supernatural adversary whom bothXenaand later Hercules onHercules: The Legendary Journeysmust defeat in order to save the world from utter destruction. When Dahak appears on Hercules, his appearance is like a crustacean.
• InFinal Fantasy Legend III(known outside the United States asSaGa 3), intermediate boss Dahak is depicted as a multiple-headed lizard.
• InPrince of Persia: Warrior Within,the Prince of Persia flees from a powerful shadowy figure called The Dahaka.
• InFuture Card Buddyfight,the buddy of the main antagonist is named Demonic Demise Dragon, Azi Dahaka.
• TheMarvel MAXTerror Inc.issues feature an immortal villain named Zahhak, bound to two demonic snakes. Unless fed with other people's brains, they start eating his own.
• In theQuest Corporationvideo gameOgre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber,Ahzi Dahaka is a venerable dragon of the Earth element that is commonly encountered during the latter half of the game.
• InHigh School DxD,Azi Dahaka is an evil dragon who leads an antagonist group with another evil dragon named Apophis.
• InHomestuck,Equius Zahhak is the name of one of theTrolls
• In the light novel seriesProblem Children Are Coming from Another World, Aren't They?,Azi Dahaka is represented as a three-headed white dragon and is one of the main antagonists in the series.
• In theShadowversecard game Azi Dahaka appear as a legendary Dragoncraft-class card come from Chronogenesis Expansion.
• In thePathfinder Roleplaying Game,Dahak is the god of chromatic dragons, and the son of the dragons Apsu and Tiamat. He seeks to kill his father and reign over all dragonkind.
• Aži Dahāka served as an inspiration for the boss Azhdaha (Chinese:Nhược đà long vương) inGenshin Impact,a legendary dragon (Vishap) sealed underground byLiyue's Geo Archon, Morax.
• InFate/Grand Order,Aži Dahāka is one of the Divine Spirits infused into the Alter Ego-class Servant Grigori Rasputin, and appears in his Noble Phantasm Zazhiganiye Angra Mainyu.
• InThat Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime,Azi Dahaka, Lord of Evil Dragons is the Ultimate Skill of Vega.
• In the novelization ofGod of War II,Zahhak is mentioned as a false god worshipped by an army of Persians that the Greeks defeated.
• The appearance of two snakes sprouting from the shoulders, and eating body parts, is strongly presented in the 2007 videogame The Darkness.

Other dragons in Iranian tradition

Besides Aži Dahāka, several other dragons and dragon-like creatures are mentioned in Zoroastrian scripture:

• Aži Sruvara- the 'horned dragon'
• Aži Zairita- the 'yellow dragon,' that is killed by the heroKərəsāspa,Middle Persian Kirsāsp.(Yasna9.1, 9.30;Yasht19.19)
• Aži Raoiδita- the 'red dragon' conceived byAngra Mainyu's to bring about the 'daeva-induced winter' that is the reaction toAhura Mazda's creation of theAiryanem Vaejah.(Vendidad1.2)
• Aži Višāpa- the 'dragon of poisonous slaver' that consumes offerings toAbanif they are made between sunset and sunrise (Nirangistan48).
• Gandarəβa- the 'yellow-heeled' monster of the sea 'Vourukasha' that can swallow twelve provinces at once. On emerging to destroy the entire creation ofAsha,it too is slain by the heroKərəsāspa.(Yasht5.38, 15.28, 19.41)

The Aži/Ahi in Indo-Iranian tradition

See also:Proto-Indo-European religion

Stories of monstrous serpents who are killed or imprisoned by heroes or divine beings may date back to prehistory and are found in themythsof many Indo-European peoples, including those of the Indo-Iranians, that is, the common ancestors of both the Iranians andVedic Indians.

The most obvious point of comparison is that inVedic Sanskritahiis a cognate ofAvestanaži.However, In Vedic tradition, the only dragon of importance isVrtra,but "there is no Iranian tradition of a dragon such as Indian Vrtra" (Boyce, 1975:91-92). Moreover, while Iranian tradition has numerous dragons, all of which are malevolent, Vedic tradition has only one other dragon besidesVṛtra-ahi budhnya,the benevolent "dragon of the deep". In the Vedas, gods battle dragons, but in Iranian tradition, this is a function of mortal heroes.

Thus, although it seems clear that dragon-slaying heroes (and gods in the case of the Vedas) "were a part of Indo-Iranian tradition and folklore, it is also apparent that Iran and India developed distinct myths early." (Skjaervø, 1989:192)

Adaptations

• Persians and I
• The Last Fiction
• The Legend of Mardoush
• The Mobarak

See also

• Azhdahak (Armenian mythical being),identified asAstyages
• Chaos (cosmogony)
• Snakes in mythology

Bibliography

• Boyce, Mary (1975).History of Zoroastrianism, Vol. I.Leiden: Brill.
• Ingersoll, Ernest, et al., (2013).The Illustrated Book of Dragons and Dragon Lore.Chiang Mai: Cognoscenti Books. ASIN B00D959PJ0
• Skjærvø, P. O (1989)."Aždahā: in Old and Middle Iranian".Encyclopedia Iranica.Vol. 3. New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 191–199.
• Khaleghi-Motlagh, DJ (1989)."Aždahā: in Persian Literature".Encyclopedia Iranica.Vol. 3. New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 199–203.
• Omidsalar, M (1989)."Aždahā: in Iranian Folktales".Encyclopedia Iranica.Vol. 3. New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 203–204.
• Russell, J. R (1989)."Aždahā: Armenian Aždahak".Encyclopedia Iranica.Vol. 3. New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 204–205.

Further reading

• Schwartz, Martin. "Transformations of the Indo-Iranian Snake-man: Myth, Language, Ethnoarcheology, and Iranian Identity." Iranian Studies 45, no. 2 (2012): 275-79. www.jstor.org/stable/44860985.

External links

• Discussion ofAzat Encyclopedia Iranica
• 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 Zahhak