Keyumars
Encyclopedia
Gayō Marətan is the Avestan
name of the mythological first Man in Old Iranian culture. The corresponding name in Middle Persian
is Kayōmart > Modern Persian Keyumars .
In Ferdowsi
's Shahnameh
he appears as the first shāh
of the world. He is also called the pishdad (پيشداد) thus the first man who practiced justice, the lawgiver.
The original Avestan
name translates to "mortal life", from gaya "life" and marətan "mortal" (or "human"; cf. Persian mard "man"). The name literally means "The mortal alive being".
Keyumars is also a popular first name in contemporary Iran
.
creation myth, Gayōmart was the first human being or according to Avesta, he was the first person to worship Ahura Mazda
.
In the eighth book of Denkard
, a reference is made to the Chethrdāt-nask
which was one of the 21 Nasks
of the Avesta
. Apparently this part of Avesta dealt with how the world and mankind were created, including the creation of Gayōmart. References are also made to the Varshtmānsar-nask
which also included information about Gayōmart which Ahura Mazda
had given to Zoroaster
: "For 30 centuries I kept the world from corruption and decay, when the 30th century came to an end the Dīvs
assaulted Gayōmart ... But I finally repelled them and plunged them into the darkness ...".
A concise story of Gayōmart according to pahlavi
texts is given by Zabihollah Safa
which follows:
In Avesta Gayōmart is named as the pure, and righteous.
, the Shāhnāma, begins with the story of Keyumars. He was the first king to arise among humans, who at that time lived in mountain caves and wore the skins of leopards. God (Ahura Mazda
) granted him the supernatural radiance called farr (Avestan xvarənah), reserved to kings. His son was Siyāmak (سیامک) was beloved of all except the devil Ahriman, who raised an army under the command of his own demonic son. When the angel Sorush (Avestan Sraoša) warned Keyumars, Siyāmak led an army of his own. Siyāmak accepted a challenge to single combat and died at the hands of the demon.
Keyumars mourned for a year, and then Sorush advised him to fight Ahriman once more. Siyāmak's son Hushang
was grown by this time and led the army that defeated Ahriman's son, who was bound and beheaded. Keyumars died after a thirty-year reign, leaving his throne to Hushang.
Avestan language
Avestan is an East Iranian language known only from its use as the language of Zoroastrian scripture, i.e. the Avesta, from which it derives its name...
name of the mythological first Man in Old Iranian culture. The corresponding name in Middle Persian
Middle Persian
Middle Persian , indigenously known as "Pârsig" sometimes referred to as Pahlavi or Pehlevi, is the Middle Iranian language/ethnolect of Southwestern Iran that during Sassanid times became a prestige dialect and so came to be spoken in other regions as well. Middle Persian is classified as a...
is Kayōmart > Modern Persian Keyumars .
In Ferdowsi
Ferdowsi
Ferdowsi was a highly revered Persian poet. He was the author of the Shahnameh, the national epic of Iran and related societies.The Shahnameh was originally composed by Ferdowsi for the princes of the Samanid dynasty, who were responsible for a revival of Persian cultural traditions after the...
's Shahnameh
Shahnameh
The Shahnameh or Shah-nama is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c.977 and 1010 AD and is the national epic of Iran and related societies...
he appears as the first shāh
Shah
Shāh is the title of the ruler of certain Southwest Asian and Central Asian countries, especially Persia , and derives from the Persian word shah, meaning "king".-History:...
of the world. He is also called the pishdad (پيشداد) thus the first man who practiced justice, the lawgiver.
The original Avestan
Avestan language
Avestan is an East Iranian language known only from its use as the language of Zoroastrian scripture, i.e. the Avesta, from which it derives its name...
name translates to "mortal life", from gaya "life" and marətan "mortal" (or "human"; cf. Persian mard "man"). The name literally means "The mortal alive being".
Keyumars is also a popular first name in contemporary Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
.
In Zoroastrian literature
According to the ZoroastrianZoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Greater Iran.In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil...
creation myth, Gayōmart was the first human being or according to Avesta, he was the first person to worship Ahura Mazda
Ahura Mazda
Ahura Mazdā is the Avestan name for a divinity of the Old Iranian religion who was proclaimed the uncreated God by Zoroaster, the founder of Zoroastrianism...
.
In the eighth book of Denkard
Denkard
The Dēnkard or Dēnkart is a 10th century compendium of the Mazdaen Zoroastrian beliefs and customs. The Denkard is to a great extent an "Encyclopedia of Mazdaism" and is a most valuable source of information on the religion...
, a reference is made to the Chethrdāt-nask
Avesta
The Avesta is the primary collection of sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language.-Early transmission:The texts of the Avesta — which are all in the Avestan language — were composed over the course of several hundred years. The most important portion, the Gathas,...
which was one of the 21 Nasks
Avesta
The Avesta is the primary collection of sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language.-Early transmission:The texts of the Avesta — which are all in the Avestan language — were composed over the course of several hundred years. The most important portion, the Gathas,...
of the Avesta
Avesta
The Avesta is the primary collection of sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language.-Early transmission:The texts of the Avesta — which are all in the Avestan language — were composed over the course of several hundred years. The most important portion, the Gathas,...
. Apparently this part of Avesta dealt with how the world and mankind were created, including the creation of Gayōmart. References are also made to the Varshtmānsar-nask
Avesta
The Avesta is the primary collection of sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language.-Early transmission:The texts of the Avesta — which are all in the Avestan language — were composed over the course of several hundred years. The most important portion, the Gathas,...
which also included information about Gayōmart which Ahura Mazda
Ahura Mazda
Ahura Mazdā is the Avestan name for a divinity of the Old Iranian religion who was proclaimed the uncreated God by Zoroaster, the founder of Zoroastrianism...
had given to Zoroaster
Zoroaster
Zoroaster , also known as Zarathustra , was a prophet and the founder of Zoroastrianism who was either born in North Western or Eastern Iran. He is credited with the authorship of the Yasna Haptanghaiti as well as the Gathas, hymns which are at the liturgical core of Zoroastrianism...
: "For 30 centuries I kept the world from corruption and decay, when the 30th century came to an end the Dīvs
Daeva
Daeva in Avestan language meaning "a being of shining light", is a term for a particular sort of supernatural entity with disagreeable characteristics. Equivalents in Iranian languages include Pashto dêw , Baluchi dêw , Persian dīv , Kurdish dêw...
assaulted Gayōmart ... But I finally repelled them and plunged them into the darkness ...".
A concise story of Gayōmart according to pahlavi
Middle Persian
Middle Persian , indigenously known as "Pârsig" sometimes referred to as Pahlavi or Pehlevi, is the Middle Iranian language/ethnolect of Southwestern Iran that during Sassanid times became a prestige dialect and so came to be spoken in other regions as well. Middle Persian is classified as a...
texts is given by Zabihollah Safa
Zabihollah Safa
Zabihollahhh Safa was a scholar and professor Emeritus of Iranian Studies at the University of Tehran....
which follows:
- "Gayōmart Gar-shāh (King of the Mountains) was the first human UhrmazdAhura MazdaAhura Mazdā is the Avestan name for a divinity of the Old Iranian religion who was proclaimed the uncreated God by Zoroaster, the founder of Zoroastrianism...
created. Before Gayōmart came, in the fifth 'Gāh' (Ahura Mazda created the world in six Gāhs) GavevagdātGavaevodataGavaevodata is the Avestan language name of the primordial bovine of Zoroastrian cosmogony and cosmology, one of Ahura Mazda's six primordial material creations and the mythological progenitor of all beneficent animal life....
was created from mud in Erān-vēdjAiryanem VaejahAiryanəm Vaējah, which approximately means "expanse of the Aryans, i.e. Iranians" is the "mythical homeland" of early Iranians and a reference in the Zoroastrian Avesta Airyanəm Vaējah, which approximately means "expanse of the Aryans, i.e. Iranians" is the "mythical homeland" of early Iranians and...
(which was the middle of the earth) on the right side of the river 'Veh-Dāit' ... In the sixth 'Gāh' Gayōmart was created from mud ... on the left side of 'Veh-Dāit', to help Uhrmazd and he was created as a 15 year old boy. They lived for 3000 years in peace and they did not pray, did not eat and did not talk but Gayōmart was thinking about this. At the end of the 3000 period, which Ahriman was stunned and could not do anything JēhJahiJahi is the Avestan language name of Zoroastrianism's demoness of "lasciviousness." As a hypostatic entity, Jahi is variously interpreted as "hussy," "rake," "libertine," "courtesan" and "one who leads a licentious life." Her standard epithet is "the Whore."...
yelled which woke him up ... upon this, Ahriman and his minions the Dīvs fought with the light and in the first day of the spring (1st of Farvardin, the Iranian new year) leaped onto the earth as a dragon. He started to create death, illness, lust, thirst, hunger among the life forms and spread evil beings in the world (The 'Kyrm', which includes reptiles, insects and rodents) ... In the catastrophe GavevagdātGavaevodataGavaevodata is the Avestan language name of the primordial bovine of Zoroastrian cosmogony and cosmology, one of Ahura Mazda's six primordial material creations and the mythological progenitor of all beneficent animal life....
died ( This is also the symbol of the last year giving way to the new year, as depicted in PersepolisPersepolisPerspolis was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire . Persepolis is situated northeast of the modern city of Shiraz in the Fars Province of modern Iran. In contemporary Persian, the site is known as Takht-e Jamshid...
reliefs). And Ahriman left 'Astovidat'(A Dīv) to guard Gayōmart, but could not kill him because his fate had not yet come ... From that time he lived for 30 years and upon death fell on his left side and his semen fell to the ground which was fertilized by the sun ... and after 40 years there grew mashya and Mashyana as two rhubarbsRhubarbRhubarb is a group of plants that belong to the genus Rheum in the family Polygonaceae. They are herbaceous perennial plants growing from short, thick rhizomes. They have large leaves that are somewhat triangular-shaped with long fleshy petioles...
..."
In Avesta Gayōmart is named as the pure, and righteous.
In the Shāhnāma
Firdausī's great epic poemEpic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
, the Shāhnāma, begins with the story of Keyumars. He was the first king to arise among humans, who at that time lived in mountain caves and wore the skins of leopards. God (Ahura Mazda
Ahura Mazda
Ahura Mazdā is the Avestan name for a divinity of the Old Iranian religion who was proclaimed the uncreated God by Zoroaster, the founder of Zoroastrianism...
) granted him the supernatural radiance called farr (Avestan xvarənah), reserved to kings. His son was Siyāmak (سیامک) was beloved of all except the devil Ahriman, who raised an army under the command of his own demonic son. When the angel Sorush (Avestan Sraoša) warned Keyumars, Siyāmak led an army of his own. Siyāmak accepted a challenge to single combat and died at the hands of the demon.
Keyumars mourned for a year, and then Sorush advised him to fight Ahriman once more. Siyāmak's son Hushang
Hushang
Hushang or Hōshang , older Persian Hōšang, was the second Shāh to rule the world according to Ferdowsi's Shāhnāma. Hushang is based upon the legendary figure Haošyaŋha in the ancient Zoroastrian scripture of the Avesta....
was grown by this time and led the army that defeated Ahriman's son, who was bound and beheaded. Keyumars died after a thirty-year reign, leaving his throne to Hushang.
Sources
- Abolqasem Ferdowsi, Dick Davis trans. (2006), Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings ISBN 0-670-03485-1, modern English translation (abridged), current standard
- Warner, Arthur and Edmond Warner, (translators) The Shahnama of Firdausi, 9 vols. (London: Keegan Paul, 1905-1925) (complete English verse translation)
- Shirzad Aghaee, Nam-e kasan va ja'i-ha dar Shahnama-ye Ferdousi (Personalities and Places in the Shahnama of Ferdousi, Nyköping, Sweden, 1993. (ISBN 91-630-1959-0)
- Jalal Khāleghi Motlagh, Editor, The Shahnameh, to be published in 8 volumes (ca. 500 pages each), consisting of six volumes of text and two volumes of explanatory notes. See: Center for Iranian Studies, Columbia University.