sajad aydenlou
Abstract
In epic- mythological, ritual and historical narrations there are many examples of kings, heroes, saints etc who--after going into a cave, well, pit, grave, underworld etc--ascend, ...
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In epic- mythological, ritual and historical narrations there are many examples of kings, heroes, saints etc who--after going into a cave, well, pit, grave, underworld etc--ascend, disappear, or find immortality until apocalypse, or sleep and wake up in the apocalypse. Bahrām the fifth (entitled Bahrām-e Gūr) probably died a natural death but in numerous narrations, he disappears in a cave or a dome, or falls into a well, lagoon or marsh and his corpse is never found. Probably, such narrations are based on the motif mentioned above. Persians who thought Bahrām-e Gūr has ascended alive into heaven at the end of his just rule to come back in the apocalypse and fight for goodness, have created narratives in which Bahrām-e Gūr disappears in a cave or a well much in the same way as KayKhusraw and other immortal saviors of his league. Perhaps this belief was rooted in two reasons: first, characterization of Bahrām as an epic-mythological king-hero in Persian narratives and beliefs; and second, his homonymity with Bahrām-e varjāvand (a Zoroastrian savior) and displacement of some functions of famous Bahrāms—such as Bahrām the Zoroastrian god, Bahrām-e Gūr, Bahrām-e Chūbīn, Bahrām-e Varjāvand-- in narrative and historical traditions of Persia.
Keywords: Bahrām-e Gūr, cave, well, disappear, eternity, apocalyptic savior.
