Shamshir-e Zomorrodnegar, the emerald-studded sword, is mentioned in the Persian epic of Amir Arsalan. In the story, Fulad-zereh, a giant horned Ifrit, is led astray from his duties as head general to the King of the Peri by his fondness for beautiful women. In love with the queen, he takes advantage of the King’s death to turn the heir to the Peri king’s throne and all his castle’s inhabitants to stone. After spending time flying around trying to whisk away more lovely ladies, he learns that the hero Amir Arsalan is the only one who can slay him. The Ifrit’s powerful witch of a mother enchants his body to resist all weapons, with one notable exception: Zomorrodnegar.

The emerald-studded magic shamshir had originally belonged to King Solomon, and both worked as a magic charm and inflicted wounds treatable only with a potion made from brains. Fulad-zereh’s brains, to be exact.

Not eager to have his only weakness exposed, the Ifrit keeps Zomorrodnegar for himself, but falls in battle to Amir Arsalan, who then creates a gruesome concoction of the burnt remains of Fulad-zereh and his mother. The hero sprays the potion over the petrified castle, rescuing the court.

A shamshir like Zomorrodnegar has a deeply curved blade and is typical of swords from the 16th century in Persia and India. Prior to the 9th century, swords in Persia were straight and double-edged. The curved edge of a shamshir facilitated slashing attacks while on horseback.

As over the top as jewels on a sword might sound, ornate weapons that worked more as pieces of art than the means to kill other people are hardly rare, as the example at the top of this post (from the Metropolitan Museum of Art) demonstrates.

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Demons in the Persian tradition go by many names, such as Div and Daeva, and are a class of supernatural creatures associated with wickedness and deceit. In some texts, the land of the Div is known as Mazandaran, not to be confused the present-day province in contemporary Iran.

Beautiful (and demon-free!) modern-day Mazandaran.

Being the devilish creatures that they are, the Div are known for doing the opposite of what’s asked of them. They sleep during the day, and can change into dragons or even onagers (even though a venom-spitting giant serpent might be more of an impressive shape than a wild ass). Although they often try to trap people with magic, the Div may sometimes agree to serve humans as supernatural servants, usually after losing a battle.

The original term Daeva comes from Zoroastrian scripture, and early references describe the Div as false or lesser gods. Later references describe beings similar to the Western Christian view of devils, as sources of evil and destruction. Certain Div were associated with negative human attributes such as Eshm (wrath) and Varun (unnatural lust).

The Persian epic The Shahnama contains multiple stories of great battles between human heroes and ferocious Div, such as this confrontation with the White Demon, also known as the Div-e-Sepid, pictured below.

Although devils in the Western tradition are almost always associated with the color black and darkness, some of the demons in The Shahmaneh are linked instead to the color white. The Div were said to be born with light hair, a superstition that caused Sam, one of the main characters of The Shahmana, to reject his albino son Zal. Despite the pleas of Zal’s birth mother, Sam sent his white-haired child away to be left to die on a mountaintop. Fortunately for Zal, his lack of melanin wasn’t an issue for his adoptive mother the Simurgh, a giant bird who raised the future hero in a huge nest on Mount Damavand, the highest peak in Iran (and the highest volcano in Asia).

The Persian and Arabic equivalent to the Western Satan is Iblis. In some sources, he’s described a Jinn who rebels against God and refuses to bow to Adam. Here he appears in a Persian painting:

On a lighter note, here’s a fairy-tale type rendition of a young hero facing down a giant Div as a design on a stamp from Azerbaijan.

Check out more fantastic photos in the stunning The Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp: The Persian Book of Kings, by Sheila Canby.

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Faravahar symbol on a Fire Temple in Yazd

The winged symbol of the Faravahar, a national symbol of Iran, is a winged disk associated with Zoroastrianism, the state religion of ancient Iran.

Faravahar at Persepolis

“Farvahar001” by Roodiparse

The components of the symbol are linked to Zoroastrian theology, with a man stretching his hand to heaven to symbolize wisdom, a ring for faithfulness, wings to give flight to the soul, and two trailing banners, which represent the individual’s choice between good and evil.

The symbol is thought to represent a Fravashi, similar to a guardian angel. Its true origins may date even further back than the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism, since it may be influenced by royal seals from the Bronze Age.

Even after the Islamic conquest of Iran, Zoroastrian culture and festivals remained important in the country. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when earlier symbols of the monarchy were banned, the symbol’s popularity continued to spread. Today it remains a popular item among Iranians both in the country and outside, seen on necklaces,

and iPhone cases,

and even tattoos!

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