Literary Interdisciplinary Research

The derivation of Siavash's narrative in Indian myths

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Alireza Mozaffari

Professor of Persian Language and Literature. Faculty of Literature and Humanities. Urmia University

10.30465/lir.2025.49241.1882
Abstract
Introduction
One of the common principles in Indo-Iranian mythology with common roots is the repeatability and novelty of the identification of heroes: Esfandiar, by repeating the rescue of his two sisters from the clutches of the Turanian Arjasb, is a new manifestation or identification of Fereydoun, Keykavus, by building a fortress with the characteristic of immortality on top of the Alborz, Siavash, by building the fortress of Kang, is another manifestation of Jamshid.
Review
One of our Iranian narratives that seems to have a very long history in Indo-Iranian mythology and even beyond that in the history of Indo-European people is the narrative of "Siavash". Mehrdad Bahar considers Siavash's narrative to be a reflection of the Mesopotamian narrative of Tammuz and considers Siavash as a plant god. Since there is no other indication in Siavash's narrative other than the growth of a plant from his blood that he is similar to plant gods, in this article, we will seek to find a prototype for Siavash's narrative in Indian mythology.
Methodology
The methodology of this research is citation-based and relies on the examination of documents, books and comparative study of Iranian and Indian sources to find the common roots of Siavash's narrative.
Discussion
In the Vedic tradition, Parithavi and Dyaus are said to be the parents of a number of great Indian gods, including Agni and Indra. In India, during the Vedic period, Dyaus was the god of the sky, but in later periods, due to his ineffectiveness, he gave way to Varuna and eventually to Vishnu and Shiva; just as in Iranian mythology, Zartosht, through his religious reforms, abandoned or demoted the great celestial gods of the previous periods and replaced them with more objective and dynamic gods. In the Mahabharata, it is stated that Dyaos was transformed into a human due to a curse; that is, by degrading Dyaos, he was given human status. In terms of similarity in name and behavior, one cannot ignore the similarity between Dyaos and Key Us (Kavi- Osծan or Kᾱus). The idea of ​​his unity with Dyaos, the god of the sky, then makes it more likely that we see him ascending to heaven to regain his former, heavenly position. But since his divine position is already occupied by more powerful gods, he is prevented from accessing that position.
But Paritahvi in ​​the Vedas has the role of creator and is the wife of Dyaos and the mother of gods such as Agni and Indra and the earth goddess or Mother Earth. The special role of this woman is the goddess of fertility. Siavash's mother is the Iranian version of Paritahvi in ​​Vedic mythology. Paritahvi had a lower position compared to Dyaos, the sky god who had a higher position, due to his affiliation to the earth. This point is reported in Siavash's narrative as the affiliation of Siavash's mother to the land of Turan. In the Shᾱhnameh, Siavash's mother did not live long after giving birth to Siavash. Perhaps the reason for Siavash's mother's early death can be found in Kretschmer's opinion. According to Kretschmer, the sacred marriage between the God of Heaven and the Mother of Earth leads to the destruction of the Mother of Earth by giving birth to fire; that is, if Kavus and his wife are the representatives of the gods of heaven and earth, then their child Siavash must be the representative of fire, after whose birth his mother is removed from the narrative. On the other hand, if Kavus represents the god of the sky and his wife Farᾱnag, the mother of Siavash, represents the earth and the god of fertility, it must be accepted that in mythological narratives, Iran could have been the sky and Turan the earth. This can lead us to the reason why most mothers or wives of Iranian kings and heroes are attributed to Turan, the land of motherhood and fertility.
If Dyaus and Paritahvi are the Indian prototypes of Keykaus and his wife, then their two sons, Agni and Indra, who later take their father's place, must be the Indian prototypes of Siavash and Keykhusrow. The signs of copying Siavash's narration from Agni's narration are much clearer than the Mesopotamian narration that Mehrdad Bahar presented. Agni, in Vedic belief, is the god of fire and the protector of the sacrificial ritual. In Vedic traditions, Agni is always depicted and imagined riding a black goat, just as in Iranian mythology, Siavash is imagined riding a black horse, the Śabrang e Behzad. If in the Mazdai narrative, Azar, the god of fire, is the son of Ahura Mazda, and in Indian mythology, Agni is the son of Dyaus, the god of the sky, then Siavash is also the son of Kavus, the representative of the god of the sky. We see a deeper connection between Siavash and fire in the story of Sudabeh's accusation and his passage through fire. Siavash's entry into the fire is a later account of the ritual of purification and baptism. In the Rig Veda, the attribute of purification is repeatedly attributed to Agni. It is a fact that in purification rituals, fire was sometimes used instead of water. John the Baptist is quoted as saying, “I baptize you with water, but He who is more powerful than I will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Luke 3:16). James George Frazer, in his book The Golden Bough, provides many examples of fire purification rituals. Interestingly, Fraser himself admits that fire festivals were held in Europe in the name of John the Baptist. But the fundamental question is why fire is used for baptism in such rituals? Such rituals seem to be closely related to purification rituals, including Siavash's passage through fire. In the Christian reading, probably, based on the similarity between the fates of Siavash and John, John has replaced Siavash, but Siavash's fire still remains in the purification ritual. What ties Yahya and Siavash together is the beheading of an innocent person and the bloody consequences of their revenge.
The story of Siavash's migration to the land of Turan, his motherland, is a recreation of the story of the descent of Agni, the god of fire, from heaven - his father's abode - to earth - his mother's abode, Paritahvi. Siavash is the fire that goes from the heavenly home of his father Keykavus to his motherland of Turan, where he is extinguished.
Conclusion
Based on what has been said, Siavash in Iranian mythology is considered to represent the Vedic god of fire i.e. Agni, rather than representing the character of vegetable deities.

Keywords

Siavash
Shahnameh
Agni
Mythology
Fire
Subjects
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