Myth Madness: A Mythology Podcast

Throughout the Garshaspnama, the tyrant Zahhak repeatedly sends Garshasp on various adventures. But its a new world, Zahhak is gone and Fereydun is now king. Naturally, Garshasp embarks on a new quest, to go east and affirm Fereydun’s rule in China. 

Over last few episodes, I covered parts of the Garshaspnama, a Persian epic poem composed around 1066 AD. In those episodes Garshasp fought a dragon and went to India to defeat a rebellious prince. He performed these deeds following the orders of Zahhak, the semi-monstrous king of the world. In this episode (73), Zahhak has another quest for Garshasp to embark upon, and once again its going to take Garshasp to faraway lands and face dangerous enemies. 

This episode (72) continues my retelling of the Garshaspnama epic poem. After returning home from India, Garshasp visits his overlord, the tyrant Zahhak, to present the numerous riches he acquired on his journey East. He then travels west to the land of Rum, a mythological version of the Roman and Byzantine Empires, where he hopes to marry a beautiful princess. Finally, Garshasp comes to the rescue of his father Athrat and faces the enemy army of Kabul.

In this section of the Garshaspnama, Garshasp and his Iranian troops embark on a naval voyage of “India”. This India is an exotic magical place. A place of strange people, marvellous sights, and miracles as imagined by the medieval Persians. 

This episode (70) continues with the next part of the Garshaspnama. Previously, Garshasp faced a dragon which blocked passage to India. With the dragon slain, and the path to India clear, it is only natural that Garshasp’s next adventures will be in India as he battles against warlords and embarks on conquest. 

This episode introduces my retelling of the Garshaspnama, a Persian epic poem completed around 1066 AD. This work was likely inspired by the earlier Shahnameh but is focused on a completely different story. The Garshaspnama covers the exploits of a hero named Garshasp who is almost completely absent from the Shahnameh but who is very important in the even more ancient Zoroastrian Avesta. In this part of the Garshaspnama, Garshasp faces a monstrous dragon and I discuss his Avestan counterpart.

The last two episodes featured Jamshid, a legendary king of the world in Persian mythology. According to the Shahnameh, for many years Jamshid enjoyed the favour of the Creator and invented many aspects of civilization for the first people. However, hubris brought Jamshid’s downfall and he was eventually deposed by the monstrous tyrant Zahhak. After his overthrow, Jamshid disappeared for 100 years but was eventually found and executed by Zahhak. The Shahnameh does not say what Jamshid did for those 100 years. For that we have to look to another epic poem called the Garshaspnama…

After Jamshid was pushed from the throne, the monstrous Zahhak rose to power and the accursed tyrant ushered in a Dark Age. It was a backwards world where virtue was shunned and cruelty celebrated. However, hope was never far away. This episode (67) details the story of Zahhak as presented in the Shahnameh and the rise of the hero Fereydun. 

One of the best sources for Persian myths is the Shahnameh or “Book of Kings”. This epic poem was composed in 1010 AD and is one of the most important examples of Iranian literature. It tells a legendary history of Persia, starting with creation and the doings of the first kings, and then covers stories of successive generations of kings and their heroic champions. 

This episode (66) covers one of the most significant kings – Jamshid, and his rise and ultimate fall after he succumbs to hubris. 

The struggle between Good and Evil is a central theme of Persian mythology. This is not just a human struggle. Persian myths and legends often feature divs, creatures who work mischief on behalf of the evil spirit Ahriman. In this episode (65) I talk about divs, how they made trouble for the early humans and how two legendary Persian kings – Hushang and Tahmuras – fought against the divs and defeated them.