Document Type : Research article
Authors
1 Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Islamic Azad University Jiroft, Jiroft, Iran
3 Ph.D Condition, Department of Persian Language And Literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
Abstract
Highlights
The Nozarian Shah in the National Narratives (Tus in Myth, Epic and History)
Dr. Mohammad JafarYahaghi
Dr. Hamid Tabasi
AzamMohammadiShakouri
Introduction
The narratives of Tus, the hero and prince of the Nowzarid dynasty, have undergone many transformations from the time of the Avesta to the period of historical writings and the national epic of Iran. In the Avesta, Tus is depicted as a renowned hero and a warrior, but in the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi, he is portrayed as a prince who has been desprived of the throne and is known for his foolishness and rashness. This duality in his character might stem from differences in the accounts of the Nowzarid family. Ferdowsi's account of the Nowzarids significantly differs from both earlier and later texts of the Shahnameh.
The earliest reference to Tus appears in the AbanYasht, which contains the oldest national historical narratives. There is no precise explanation regarding the meaning and origin of the name Tus. The name appears in the Avesta, but his family and lineage are not mentioned. In the AbanYasht, Tus is referred to as "Tus of the Tahm of the warriors," and only some Pahlavi texts mention his lineage, referring to him as "Tus, son of Nowzar" or "Tus of the Nowzarids."
Although the Avesta does not specifically mention Tus as a member of the Nowzarid family, there are many similarities in the narratives of Tus between mythology and epic, which suggest that despite the changes between myth and epic, Tus in the epic tradition is the same as Tus in the Avesta and Pahlavi texts. In the AbanYasht, Tus, in praising Anahita, requests victory over the sons of Viseh, strength for the horses, and alertness against the enemies. These requests can also be found in later historical and epic texts, reinforcing the idea that the Tus in the historical, epic, and Avesta traditions is a single, unified character from the Nowzarid family.
Discussion
The most fundamental change in the Nowzarid narratives is their exclusion from kingship and their transfer to the class of warriors. Based on the Shahnameh and some historical texts, after Nowzar, his descendants are removed from the throne on the grounds that they lack divine grace (Farr-e Izadi). This shift marks the beginning of Tus's presence in Iranian epic narratives. Earlier texts do not address this change, and the narratives suggest that Tus and Gustaham belonged to the warrior, not the ruling class. The loss of grandeur for Tus and the transformation of the Nowzarid narrative resulted from the formation of national historical traditions, the influence of the narrators on the texts, and the mixing of different sources.
A significant change from myth to epic is the transfer of actions and attributes from one character to another. An example of this is the transfer of the defeat of Manuchehr by Afrasiab to Nowzar in the Shahnameh. This battle, which in most previous narratives is attributed to Manuchehr, is moved to the reign of Nowzar in the Shahnameh, which seems to have contributed to the diminished portrayal of the Nowzarids in Iran's national epic.
The discrepancies and differences found in the various narratives may be a result of personal interventions by the narrators in the original texts, as well as discrepancies in the diverse sources they relied on. The Nowzarids, who in the Avesta have both religious and heroic aspects, are transformed into tyrannical princes in the course of the formation of national history and the completion of the epic, with the negative aspects of the era of Manuchehr and his defeat by Afrasiab being transferred to the Nowzarids. In fact, the changes in the Manuchehr narrative have led to an enhancement of his divine heritage, while the transformation within the Nowzarid family falls under the category of reversal or conversion, creating a negative view of the Nowzarids.
Another important issue in the Nowzarid narratives is the rivalry between the Nowzarids and the Gudarzids. Both families are influential in the epic narratives. The stories of these two groups, in the Shahnameh and in texts before and after it, exhibit significant differences.
These differences can be examined in two areas: first, the transfer of the Nowzarid narratives to the Gudarzids, and second, the conflict and debate between the Nowzarids and the Gudarzidson the selection of the king. This issue is especially evident in the story of Farud, one of the major events during Tus's position as the army commander. This part of the story is deeply connected to historical events. The Nowzarid family, which has a faint trace in the Avesta, was transformed with the purpose of glorifying and praising the Gudarzids. It is likely that the minstrels and praise singers of the Gudarzid family included the victories and achievements of the Nowzarids in the Gudarzid records. This blending and transformation does not have a specific time frame, and considering that different versions of the Khodaynameh existed during the Sassanid period, it is possible that during this period, the stories of the Parthian heroes were mixed with the stories of the Kianids, and that the ShahnamehofAbumansuri, and subsequently Ferdowsi’sShahnameh, was based on this version.
Various texts describe Tus's immortality and Zarineh-Kafsh (golden boots).
References to Pahlavi texts concerning Tus are primarily found in accounts related to the events of the end of the world, where he is consistently counted among the immortals and the eternal. This characteristic is shared among many warriors of world epics.
The title "Golden-Booted" (Zarineh-Kafsh) in the Shahnameh is most frequently associated with Tus and is used throughout the epic. This title also appears in other epic works, often borrowed from Shahnameh verses and used to describe kings and princes. In the storytelling scrolls (Tomars) of narrators, this title is repeatedly applied to Tus and his lineage, who are referred to as the "Golden-Booted Clan," "Golden-Booted Lineage," or simply the "Golden-Booted."
The narratives of Tus underwent significant transformations during the transition from mythology to epic, resulting in a dualistic characterization of him. These transformations stem from the evolution of myths into epics and the changes and adaptations of the narratives. The Shahnameh's account differs substantially from that of the Avesta and pre-Shahnameh historical texts. The existence of various versions of the Khoday-Namak and Ferdowsi's reliance on sources different from historical texts are key reasons for these differences.
Conclusion
The Shahnameh is more closely tied to the vibrant and dynamic tradition of oral and sometimes written narratives from eastern Iran than to the traditions of the Avesta and Zoroastrian Pahlavi texts. This distinction explains the significant differences between the Shahnameh and Avestan or Zoroastrian Pahlavi literature.
Keywords: Tus, Nozarians, narratology, myth, epic, Shahnameh, historical texts.
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