 | |
| Creature information | |
|---|---|
| Grouping | Mythical creature |
| Folklore | Persian mythology |
| Origin | |
| Country | Ancient Iran |
TheHuma (Persian:هما, pronouncedHomā,Avestan:Homāio), alsoHoma orHomay,[1] is a mythical bird ofIranian[2][3] legends and fables, and continuing as a common motif inSufi andDiwan poetry. Although there are many legends of the creature, common to all is that the bird is said never to alight on the ground, and instead to live its entire life flying invisibly high above the earth.
The Huma bird is said to never come to rest, living its entire life flying invisibly high above the earth, and never alighting on the ground (in some legends it is said to have no legs).[4]
In several variations of the Huma myths, the bird is said to bephoenix-like, consuming itself in fire every few hundred years, only to rise anew from the ashes. The Huma bird is said to have both the male and female natures in one body (reminiscent of the ChineseFenghuang), each nature having one wing and one leg. Huma is considered to be compassionate, and a 'bird of fortune'[5] since its shadow (or touch) is said to be auspicious.
In Sufi tradition, catching the Huma is beyond even the wildest imagination, but catching a glimpse of it or even a shadow of it is sure to make one happy for the rest of one's life. It is also believed that Huma cannot be caught alive, and the person killing a Huma will die in forty days.[5]
InOttoman poetry, the creature is often referred to as a 'bird of paradise';[5][6] early European descriptions of theParadisaeidae species portrayed the birds as having no wings or legs, and the birds were assumed to stay aloft their entire lives.
InAttar of Nishapur's allegorical masterpieceThe Conference of the Birds, an eminent example of Sufi works inPersian literature, the Huma bird is portrayed as a pupil that refuses to undertake a journey because such an undertaking would compromise the privilege of bestowing kingship on those whom it flew over. In Iranian literature, this kingship-bestowing function of the Huma bird is identified with pre-Islamic monarchs, and stands vis-à-vis ravens, which is a metaphor for Arabs.[7] The legend appears in non-Sufi art as well.[8]
The kingship-bestowing function of the Huma bird reappear in Indian stories of theMughal era, in which the shadow (or the alighting) of the Huma bird on a person's head or shoulder were said to bestow (or foretell) kingship. Accordingly, the feathers decorating the turbans of kings were said to be plumage of the Huma bird.[9]
Sufi teacherInayat Khan gives the bestowed-kingship legend a spiritual dimension: "Its true meaning is that when a person's thoughts so evolve that they break all limitation, then he becomes as a king. It is the limitation of language that it can only describe the Most High as something like a king."[10]
The Huma bird symbolizes unreachable highness inTurkish folk literature.[11] Some references to the creature also appear inSindhi literature, where – as in thediwan tradition – the creature is portrayed as bringing great fortune. In theZafarnama ofGuru Gobind Singh, a letter addressed toMughal EmperorAurangzeb refers to the Huma bird as a "mighty and auspicious bird".
Although the Huma is a mythical bird, it is attributed to an existing bird of prey, thebearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus). The species therefore has a sacred connection to mythology, and is revered by many people.[16]
In general, Iranian andZoroastrian traditions consider vultures as beneficial creatures due to their ability to efficiently and cleanly scavenge corpses andcarrion, thereby preventing contamination of the soil and water.[17]
| Characters |
|  .jpg) .jpg) | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creatures and animals |
| |||||||||||||||
| Places | ||||||||||||||||
| Structures |
| |||||||||||||||
| Manuscripts | ||||||||||||||||
| Related | ||||||||||||||||
