Hamidreza Ardestanirostami
Abstract
Among those who have researched on Shāhnāmeh, Alī Hasūrī and after him Ahmad Shāmlū, believe that Ẕahāk, in order to construct a communist classless society, kills Jam who, ...
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Among those who have researched on Shāhnāmeh, Alī Hasūrī and after him Ahmad Shāmlū, believe that Ẕahāk, in order to construct a communist classless society, kills Jam who, according to Avestā, has taken the properties of Dīvs(devils, who Hasūrī believes stand for common people) and has built a hierarchal society. However, Firīdūn, with the help of Kāvih, revitalizes the old system by killing Ẕahāk. The writer of this article believes that according to Gāhān, Dīv is a creature that does no farming and agriculture; therefore, Jam has not taken away the properties of the common people, but the accumulated wealth of figures like Ẕahāk, who had killed his own father, Ᾱbtīn the farmer, and Barmāyih Cow, and had ruined agricultural landscapes; Jam has in fact infringed upon the properties of those who were against agriculture and farming. However, this infringement by no means leads to the formation of a classless society. The clergy and the military-- two powerful classes of the time —were empowered during the reign of Ẕahāk and helped reinforce his kingdom. It means that before Jam’s fall, Artishtārān (military class) goes to Ẕahāk and the clergymen make an entry to his court after his nightmare, and are warmly received. Due to Ẕahāk’s anti-production policies, only the two classes of farmers and industrialists have been destroyed. These two classes are epitomized in the figures of Firīdūn and Kāvih. Although he is a king in Shāhnāmeh, Firīdūn, according to Dinkard, comes from a family of farmers and his father, Ᾱbtīn, in Avestā, is a water-sharer. This proves his agrarian background and reveals him to be the purveyor of agriculture in semi-historical texts. Key Words:Ẕahāk, Dīv, Farmer, Firīdūn, Kāvih.
