Epic Knowledge and Wisdom

Abstract This article explores the parallels between Rostam, the legendary hero of the Shahnameh, and Mitra, the ancient Iranian and Indo-Iranian deity. Drawing on Avestan texts—especially the Mihr Yašt—the author demonstrates that Rostam, as a heroic human figure, embodies the epic representation of Mithra’s attributes and functions. Mithra is depicted in the Mihr Yasht as a warrior deity, guardian of oaths, bestower of xvarǝnah (divine glory), and protector of the Iranian land—qualities that are fully reflected in Rostam’s character. Through historical, geographical, and mythological evidence, the article highlights the eastern Iranian origins of both Mithraic traditions and the Saka (Scythian) roots of Rostam, suggesting the profound influence of Mithraism on the shaping of Iran’s national epic. Although the author does not claim that Rostam is a direct transformation of Mitra, it is argued that his character and stories evolved in a cultural context heavily influenced by Mithraic beliefs. Thus, Rostam emerges as the most prominent epic embodiment of the divine archetype that Miϑra represents.

Abstract This study explores the possibility of reinterpreting Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh in the contemporary era, employing a multidisciplinary theoretical framework to analyze the challenges and opportunities of such a rereading. Drawing on Cassirer’s philosophy, myth and epic are understood as symbolic forms embedded within specific historical epistemes, which poses epistemological challenges for modern readers. Meanwhile, Althusser’s concept of the "problematic" underscores the necessity of reconstructing the ideological and historical conditions of meaning production to fully grasp the text’s significance. By integrating Gadamer’s theory of the "fusion of horizons" and Jameson’s historicism, this research argues that the Shahnameh is not merely a static historical artifact but a living text capable of engaging in a dialectical dialogue with contemporary readers, addressing present-day questions. The findings demonstrate that, despite the epistemic gap between the text’s world and modern readers, hermeneutic and historicist approaches can facilitate a dynamic and creative interaction with the epic. Ultimately, the study concludes that the tension between the text’s historical rootedness and the necessity of modern interpretation is not an obstacle but an opportunity for the continuous reinvention of meaning. As an interpretively open text, the Shahnameh retains its relevance and can contribute to redefining Iranian identity in today’s world.

Abstract The context of the geographical location of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province is based on tribal relations. In this province, the head of each tribe is addressed with the title of "Kay". Due to the privileged position that Ferdowsi's Shahnameh has had among the people of this land, the pattern of behavior, tribal and class relations has been adjusted based on the stories of the Shahnameh and various works in poetry and prose have emerged in this field. The epic work "Jang-nama Khavanin Kohgiluyeh" is a poem by Mullah Nazar Ali, following Ferdowsi's Shahnameh, about the type of thinking of the people of that time, the policy of the ruling system, the economic situation, the type of taxes, the way the rulers were chosen. The manuscript of this war letter was written in the years 1318 to 1323 AH by Mohammad Ibrahim Akhund Mulla Nazar Ali. The importance of this war letter can be traced to the influence of meter, the epic style of the Shahnameh, the use of the structure of the stories of the Shahnameh in the narration of local wars, and the use of local vocabulary. In addition to the literary and narrative values of the work, the problems of rhythm and rhyme, grammatical errors, weakness of authorship and mistakes in the structure of words, have reduced the eloquence and expressiveness and consequently the beauty of the words.

Abstract Ferdowsi's Shahnameh is one of the prominent poetic works of Iran in the fourth century, which played a significant role in the growth and expansion of Iranian culture and has been of great interest throughout Iranian history, especially in the present day. One of the most telling and obvious signs of cultural identity formation is the Shahnameh reading gatherings, which, in addition to introducing different generations to this valuable book, are also considered a valuable model in behavior, character, ethics, etc. The purpose of this article is to introduce the tradition of Shahnameh reading and Shahnameh readers in the city of Baft in the last century. Baft is a mountainous region with a population of more than ninety thousand people, located in the southwest of Kerman. The four-season climate, rivers, mountainous structure, and extensive pastures have provided the basis for the entry of various Iranian tribes and tribes into this region. Since the era of the Seljuk kings, when the first nomadic groups were engaged in animal husbandry, and also among the natives of the Baft region, whose occupation was agriculture, "Shahnameh reading" has been widespread and widespread among the people of this region, and the authors of this research have attempted to collect their names and places in the last century through fieldwork.

Abstract Rostam is the most important warrior and one of the most significant characters of epic literature in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh, a significant part of this epic includes descriptions of his appearance and stories, which have been the basis for Iranian illustrators to create many images. Shahnamehs of Baysangri, Tahmasabi and Davari, in addition to having many and significant paintings, are considered to be the most important works of painting schools, which belong to the periods of development, prosperity and decline of Iranian painting, respectively. Therefore, the study of these Shahnamehs has been considered in this research. Among the weapons, Rostam's helmet has the ability to be investigated more due to its diversity in content and image. The question is: what visual characteristics have the authors of Shahnameh Baysangri, Tahmasabi and Davari shown in the drawing of Rostam's helmet? The results of the research show that during the development period, attention to the literary text of the Shahnameh was considered by the artist; but from this time onward, under the influence of the artist's imagination, the decorative and representational aspects of Rostam's helmet have become stronger and less follow the narrative.

Abstract Analysis of normative elements in the ancient Borzunamah
Abstract
The ancient Borzunameh, with the theme of the war between father and son (battle with relatives), is one of the additional stories of the Shahnameh with a structure similar to the story of Rostam and Sohrab, which was composed (from 570 to 680 AH) by Shams al-Din Mohammad Kusaj (Kuseh) and has two parts: the birth, battle, and captivity of Borzu (Sohrab's son) with the Iranians, and the second part is the battle, Pilsom, and Susan Rameshgar with the Iranian heroesThe findings of this descriptive-analytical study of the Borzunamah show that this work includes some elements and elements of the epic, such as making the agricultural class a hero in comparison with the ancient heroes; simulating and linking it to the epic of Sohrab; the weakness of the causal relationship; not observing the chastity of words and actions; the hero's truthfulness and honesty; rebuilding social institutions, justice, and security destroyed by the invasion of foreigners; self-interest and strengthening Iranian nationalism; abandoning the idea of the supremacy of the monarchy by showing their weakness and emphasizing the populism of the nobles and the people of Fatwa; religious and religious tendencies; patriotism; linguistic and structural weaknesses and simplicity and fluency of language; and the depiction of the life of the urban middle class and the professional community, from which most nobles emerged, all of which make the Borzunamah a link between epic and history, and the texts of the nobles and epic.