A Sense of Protection, Under His Wings

By Hanns-Peter Schmidt - Press TV - Tehran, Iran
Thursday, October 18, 2007

Simorgh is a mythical Persian bird, which can be seen in numerous Persian literary works from Pahlavi texts to contemporary stories.

The name is derived from the Avestan bird 'Saêna', which was originally a raptor, either an eagle or a falcon.

Just like the deity of victory wraps worshippers in fortune by giving them wealth in the form of cattle, the selfless Simorgh showers rain from watery clouds, bringing prosperity to farmers. (Avesta, the Zoroastrian holy book).

Avesta also refers to the Simorgh's tree as being an all-healing medicine, which holds the seeds of all plants.

In Pahlavi stories, the Simorgh makes his/her nest in the forest at the time of resurrection when the earth becomes flat and waters stand still and finally retires from the task of distributing plant seeds.

Simorgh has an evil bird counterpart named Kamak, which acts in the exact opposite manner of Simorgh.

Kamak spreads his wings over the world so that all the rain in the world falls on his wings. Then he abandons the living and goes back to the sea, leaving springs, rivers and wells dry. Kamak devours men and animals as a bird pecks grain.

Simorgh also has its presence in folktales, mystical literature and post-Sassanid epics like Ferdowsi's Shahnameh, in which Simorgh is the savior, tutor and guardian of Zal, the son of Sam.

After Zal was born as an albino, his father exposed him in the Alborz Mountains because he believed his son had a demonic origin.

The albino boy was found by the female bird Simorgh when she was searching for food for her young. The bird developed a feeling of love for the boy and took him to her nest to rear him with her own young.

When Zal grew up, Simorgh returned the young man to his father and gave him one of her feathers to burn whenever he needed help.

Simorgh is similar to the deity of victory as it conveys a sense of protection by helping those who are in need. There are similar Kurdish and Armenian Simorgh myths, which have their roots in Iranian Simorgh stories.

The mythical bird has also been mentioned in classical and modern Persian literature, especially in Sufi mysticism, standing as a metaphor for God.

The Sufi Simorgh is believed to be male. The most famous Sufi literary work is Mantiq al-Tayr, translated by Peter Avery as 'the Speech of the Birds'. The masterpiece of Farid al-Din Attar recounts the story of thirty birds (si morgh) that survive a hard and perilous journey to reach their king, Simorgh.

According to Attar, Simorgh lives in an inaccessible dwelling behind Qaf mountains, and gives light to the earth with its Sun-like radiance.

When the thirty birds of the outer world reach their king and face his majesty, the birds realize they are actually one with the Simorgh of the inner world.

Although the Simorgh portrayed by Ferdowsi, Attar and other Islamic authors may be a myth, this unique bird remains to be a source of inspiration in Persian literature.

[Pictures: Simorgh, a mythical Phoenix-like bird; Ferdowsi, Iran's great epic poet; Iran's mystic poet Attar; Simorgh printed on a silk Sassanid textile.]