Introduction

The monster I have selected for my exhibit is the serpent king, Zahhak, a predatory ruler from Firdawsī's epic poem, Shahnameh. In this passage, Zahhak is described as a malicious ruler, in which wickedness and evil flourishes. Those who are pure-hearted thrive for justice but must hide from the darkness that plagues the world:

‘Zahhak reigned for a thousand years, and from end to end the world was his to command. The wise concealed themselves and their deeds, and devils achieved their heart’s desire. Virtue was despised and magic applauded, justice hid itself away while evil flourished; demons rejoiced in their wickedness, while goodness was spoken of only in secret.’ (Firdawsī, Davis & Nafisi, 2016, pp. 3).

In this passage, readers learn that Zahhak feast on the brains of humans – peasants and nobles alike. However, two brave men, Armayel and Garmayel, attempt to disguise themselves as cooks in order to save those brought in to be sacrificed. The two men succeed in feeding Zahhak sheep brains, subsequently saving thirty victims a month. This passage ultimately highlights the monstrous terror that Zahhak imposes, and the desperate attempt to put a stop to his reign, and the murder of innocent lives. In this passage, Firdawsī portrays Zahhak’s monstrosity in a very particular way – by connecting it to a world of magic and mysticism. Firdawsī portrays Zahhak’s rulership as guided by not only magical entities, but demons as well. Overall, Firdawsī constructs the world in Shahnameh as one in which mysticism poses a threat if yielded with evil intentions.

In this exhibit, I will focus on the contrasting depictions of Zahhak as both a monster and a human, supporting this with a comparison of the character Grendel in Beowulf. I will also highlight the role of mysticism within Shahnameh, specifically the construction of astrology and magic as a “darkness” in the world. My primary object of analysis is an ewer, ca. 1180-1210, thought to come from Iran or Afghanistan (The Metropolitan Museum of Art). As the Metropolitan Museum states, this ewer is inscribed with astrological imagery of the twelve zodiac signs, as well as the ruling planet of each sign. This object highlights the fact that mysticism was of significance in the Middle East during the Medieval period, especially for those in power.