Serpents and Sorcery
Humanity, Gender, and the Demonic in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9979103 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Laurie Pierce (University of Chicago, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 349-367 |
| Publication date | 2015-02-06 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Iranian Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0021-0862 • E-ISSN: 1475-4819 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00210862.2014.1000629 |
| OpenAlex | W2020400276 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 9 |
The demonic plays an integral role in the Shahnameh , manifesting itself in countless forms. Early kings and heroes fight demons at every turn, and in one of the most memorable tales in the poem—the story of Zahhāk—Iran itself falls under the rule of demonic forces. But demons are not always physical creatures; we also encounter them as immaterial forces of temptation, distraction, and fate. One of the most fascinating aspects of this multifarious presentation of the demonic is the way it intersects the poem's portrayal of what it means to be human. This article focuses on that intersection, highlighting encounters between human beings and the demonic and arguing that they not only complicate notions of humanity, but also construct and reinforce categories of masculinity and femininity. A close examination of two phenomena at the heart of human–demon contact—serpents and sorcery—reveals how evil is embodied and enacted in highly gendered ways. Male and female characters in the Shahnameh diverge in their abilities to combat the demonic and are lured into wickedness by different means. What emerges from the interplay between human beings and demons and between the categories of masculinity, femininity, and the demonic is a multifaceted and sophisticated portrayal of evil that informs even the simplest and most straightforward tales in Ferdowsi's work
Aesthetics · Art · Demon · Embodied cognition · Epistemology · Femininity · Humanity · Literature · Masculinity · Psychoanalysis · Temptation · Eurasian Exchange Networks · Islamic Studies and History · Philosophy · Psychology
In the Mirror of Persian Kings
Ideological Anxieties and Defense Mechanisms in the Tragic Works of Shakespeare and Ferdowsi
The Gender of Magic
How to tame a dragon
Myth and epic as a non-religious revival of national identity; the role of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh in the development of secular national identity among Iranian minorities; studying Persian Twitter
Arabic Historical Thought in the Classical Period
Arabic Historical Thought in the Classical Period.
The Monstrous Races in Medieval Art and Thought
From Iranian Myth to Folk Narrative
The Shahnama
Cēšmag, the Lie, and the Logic of Zoroastrian Demonology
Barbarians in Arab Eyes
Evil Animals in the Zoroastrian Religion
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2021 - 2025 (5) |
| Highly cited | No |