Old Lessons for Today's Politicians — Ahmad Sadri
The epic poem, Shahnameh, a 1010 CE compendium of pre-Islamic national myths and legends, has been the center of attention in Iran—and not merely as the source of the nation’s foundation myths
By April 4, 2013
The epic poem, Shahnameh, a 1010 CE compendium of pre-Islamic national myths and legends, has been the center of attention in Iran—and not merely as the source of the nation’s foundation myths. Successive Iranian kings commissioned new, lavishly illustrated copies (for instance, the sumptuous 16th Century, Shah Tahmasp copy) in the hopes of glorifying their own office. The Pahlavi dynasty, deposed in 1979 by the Islamic Revolution, was no exception to this rule.
Reacting against the favor Shahnameh received from Iran’s previous rulers, some contemporary Shiite clerics have claimed that the book is a pagan relic. Recently, the religious authorities of the Shiite Shrine of Imam Reza in the city of Mashahd painted over the Shahnameh-related graphic art that had been commissioned by municipal officials. The clerics either don’t know or don’t care that the author of Shahnameh, Abolghasem Ferdowsi, was, like them, a Shiite Muslim. Ferdowsi (940-1020 CE) incorporated Islam into his book though his Islamic theology was Mu`tazili (rationalist and thus unorthodox) and apophatic.
Like many Iranians, my first encounter with Shahnameh occurred at an early age. I was seven and exploring a relative’s neighborhood when I came upon the performance of a public reciter of Shahnameh. The gauntnaghal wore a leather vest and wielded a short cane that magically turned into a sword, a mace, and a royal scepter. He produced a range of sound effects for galloping horses, clashing swords, and collapsing rocks. And, while intoning the poems of the Shahnameh, he played all of the parts from a battle scene.
Shahnameh is the essence of Iranian nationhood. It has been argued that Iranians were able to hold on to their Persian language and calendar even after they converted to Islam because their national character was not fully invested in their pre-Islamic faith. Rather, their identity was tied to the ancient body of myths and legends that was converted from prose to verse by Ferdowsi over a period of thirty-three years. His magnum opus, consisting of 120.000 lines, is arguably the longest poem ever written by a single human being.
Shahnameh is unique among ancient texts because its author does not claim to have been possessed by some spirit or muse when he wrote it. The sober voice of Ferdowsi brackets every story with moral and philosophical commentary. His voice occasionally breaks through the narrative to offer lessons that might be drawn from the action. Nor is he above using his authorial voice to complain of his poverty, the indignities of old age, or fears about his prospects of finishing the Shahnameh.
How does this old book fare in light of changes over the past millennium? Scientific, industrial and politico-social revolutions have inaugurated global systems such as capitalism and democracy and shrunken the world with improved communication and transportation. The rise of individualism and the discourse of human rights have altered our worldview but wars and bureaucratically-managed genocide keep us humble about our ability to overcome our internal demons.
Today, we ask about the ways in which race, gender, and nationalism are treated in texts like Shahnameh. Given its age, it fares remarkably well in all three areas.
Illustrating its progressive views on gender, Rudabeh, Tahmineh and Manizhe, the heroines of Shahnameh’s love stories aggressively initiate romance and succeed in their sexual conquest of the enemy. The word enemy is chosen advisedly as all of these stories move across national boundaries. As for its treatment of race and nationalism, Shahnameh’s iconic hero, Rostam, is born to a mother descended from a hated Arab serpent king and a father who was suspected of being demonic.
In any case, not all Iranian kings are exalted in the Shahnameh. Two kings (Jamshid and Nowzar) are depicted as having lost their thrones to hubris and indolence. One king (Goshtasp) is described as obsessed with power and another (Kay Kavous) is so foolish and ill tempered that his knights repeatedly excoriate him.
In a lesson that many of today’s politicians would do well to note: Shahnameh, the nationalistic epic of Iran, treats its archenemy, Turan, with fairness and empathetic insight. To be sure there are some Turnian villains in the story. But a knight like Piran is portrayed as an impeccable soldier and a moral man who is respected by kings and knights on both sides of the conflict. The touching scene of Piran’s demise and the eulogy offered at his funeral by the king of Iran is one of the most beautiful passages of the Shahnameh.
Like many Iranians, my first encounter with Shahnameh occurred at an early age. I was seven and exploring a relative’s neighborhood when I came upon the performance of a public reciter of Shahnameh. The gauntnaghal wore a leather vest and wielded a short cane that magically turned into a sword, a mace, and a royal scepter. He produced a range of sound effects for galloping horses, clashing swords, and collapsing rocks. And, while intoning the poems of the Shahnameh, he played all of the parts from a battle scene.
Shahnameh is the essence of Iranian nationhood. It has been argued that Iranians were able to hold on to their Persian language and calendar even after they converted to Islam because their national character was not fully invested in their pre-Islamic faith. Rather, their identity was tied to the ancient body of myths and legends that was converted from prose to verse by Ferdowsi over a period of thirty-three years. His magnum opus, consisting of 120.000 lines, is arguably the longest poem ever written by a single human being.
Shahnameh is unique among ancient texts because its author does not claim to have been possessed by some spirit or muse when he wrote it. The sober voice of Ferdowsi brackets every story with moral and philosophical commentary. His voice occasionally breaks through the narrative to offer lessons that might be drawn from the action. Nor is he above using his authorial voice to complain of his poverty, the indignities of old age, or fears about his prospects of finishing the Shahnameh.
How does this old book fare in light of changes over the past millennium? Scientific, industrial and politico-social revolutions have inaugurated global systems such as capitalism and democracy and shrunken the world with improved communication and transportation. The rise of individualism and the discourse of human rights have altered our worldview but wars and bureaucratically-managed genocide keep us humble about our ability to overcome our internal demons.
Today, we ask about the ways in which race, gender, and nationalism are treated in texts like Shahnameh. Given its age, it fares remarkably well in all three areas.
Illustrating its progressive views on gender, Rudabeh, Tahmineh and Manizhe, the heroines of Shahnameh’s love stories aggressively initiate romance and succeed in their sexual conquest of the enemy. The word enemy is chosen advisedly as all of these stories move across national boundaries. As for its treatment of race and nationalism, Shahnameh’s iconic hero, Rostam, is born to a mother descended from a hated Arab serpent king and a father who was suspected of being demonic.
In any case, not all Iranian kings are exalted in the Shahnameh. Two kings (Jamshid and Nowzar) are depicted as having lost their thrones to hubris and indolence. One king (Goshtasp) is described as obsessed with power and another (Kay Kavous) is so foolish and ill tempered that his knights repeatedly excoriate him.
In a lesson that many of today’s politicians would do well to note: Shahnameh, the nationalistic epic of Iran, treats its archenemy, Turan, with fairness and empathetic insight. To be sure there are some Turnian villains in the story. But a knight like Piran is portrayed as an impeccable soldier and a moral man who is respected by kings and knights on both sides of the conflict. The touching scene of Piran’s demise and the eulogy offered at his funeral by the king of Iran is one of the most beautiful passages of the Shahnameh.
References
To view the first forty-three pages of the fully illustrated Shahnameh:
http://theepicofthepersiankings.com/
To learn more about the destruction of Shahnameh-related graphic art in Mashahd:
http://victoriaazad.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=893
To see images of the Shah Tahmasp copy of Shahnamah: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/shnm/hd_shnm.htm
http://theepicofthepersiankings.com/
To learn more about the destruction of Shahnameh-related graphic art in Mashahd:
http://victoriaazad.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=893
To see images of the Shah Tahmasp copy of Shahnamah: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/shnm/hd_shnm.htm
Author Ahmad Sadri is Professor of Sociology and James P. Gorter Chair of Islamic World Studies at Lake Forest College. He has recently abridged and translated Shahnameh.