Introduction

A Wise and Prudent Man Striveth Not with Dragons Lest He Become a Dragon Himself

The selected monster for this exhibit is the dragon in Shahnameh, a Persian epic poem written by Abu’l Qasim Firdausi, commonly referred to as “The Book of Kings”. The passage selected for analysis is one in which Sekandar (Alexander the Great) slays a dragon. To accompany the passage is a manuscript folio, an illustration from the Shahnahmeh of Shah Tamasp, which depicts King Feridun in the form of a dragon. Firstly, this exhibit will analyze the monster’s characteristics within the given translation and passage. Then, it will compare and contrast this representation with additional depictions of the dragon and other serpents in an alternate translation of the Shahnameh and in Beowulf, connecting the text and monster to material artifacts. Ultimately, it will argue that when the dragon – moreover, the serpent in general – appears, it has a moral to share about kingship.