Analysis

My exhibit brings into conversation a passage from Firdawsī’s Shahnameh, and a tenth-century Iranian ewer, inscribed with the twelve zodiac signs and their planetary rulers. The passage from Shahnameh appears at the beginning of The Reign of Zahhak, in which Firdawsī paints a harrowing image of the terror under Zahhak’s rule. Zahhak preys on those living in his kingdom, as he kidnaps individuals and feeds their brains to his snakes. No one is protected under his rule, as he kidnaps women, children, nobles, and peasants alike. Zahhak relies on interpretations from magicians and astrologers to stay in power. Throughout this passage, Firdawsī directly refers to Zahhak as a monster, and one that relies on magic to harness evil.

Like the Reign of Zahhak passage, the ewer focuses on the reliance and belief in astrology during the medieval era. This ewer was specifically constructed for elites, and was most likely used for ceremonial or ritual events (The Metropolitan Museum of Art). Therefore, my artifact and chosen monster bring into conversation the role of magic, but it also shows that there was autonomy in choosing to use magic for good versus evil. While at first glance, a reader may interpret Firdawsī’s work as blaming Zahhak’s wickedness on magic, it’s apparent that magic was relied on by morally good characters within Shahnameh as well. Firdawsī therefore highlights Zahhak’s true monstrosity as himself. He is an evil ruler who chooses to harness magic to cause destruction.

Ultimately, what brings this text and artifact together is their focus on mystical forces, such as magic and astrology. Both the text and object highlight the significance of these ideologies within the Persian Medieval era, however they also reveal that there are two sides to it. It’s a disservice to both the artifact and the text if the reader views mysticism as a dark, evil force. Firdawsī clearly constructs the use of magic as reliant on the one who yields it. While Feraydun uses a spell to stop a boulder from crushing him, Zahhak uses magic to bring death and destruction to the world. Both characters have the autonomy to choose how to use magic, and it’s ultimately up to their morality whether or not they construct themselves as ‘monsters’.