Sarmā ye Pirezan ("Old Woman's Cold"), a period in the month ofEsfand, at the end of winter, during which an old woman's flock is not impregnated. She goes toMoses and asks for an extension of the cold winter days, so that her flock might copulate.[9]
Samak-e Ayyār, a folktale about an Iranianayyār that was written down during the 12th century.[16]Ayyār, at times synonymous withjavānmard ("young man"), referred to a member of a class of warriors in Iran from the 9th to the 12th century.[17]
Šāhnāme ("Book of Kings"), thenational epic of Iran, written by 10th-century Persian poetFerdowsi, based onXwadāynāmag, aMiddle Persian compilation of the history of Iranian kings and heroes from mythical times down to the reign ofChosroes II.[18]
Arash the Archer (Āraš-e Kamāngir), who shot his arrow from the peak ofDamavand to settle a land dispute between Iran andTuran. The festival ofTirgan is linked to this epic, besides having roots in the ancient myth of archangelTishtrya.
Garshasp (Garšāsp), a dragon-slaying hero in Iranian legends, now honored asjahān-pahlavān ("chief hero").[21]
Gordafarid (Gordāfarid), praised for her daringly martial role in the tragedy ofRostam o Sohrāb ("Rostam and Sohrab").
Hossein the Kurd of Shabestar (Hoseyn Kord-e Šabestari), aKurdish warrior fromShabestar who devoted his life to fighting for justice, representing ajavānmard ("young man").[22]
Koroghlu, a legendary hero who seeks to fight against the unjust, in the oral traditions of the Turkic-speaking peoples.
AŠāhnāme miniature painting, depicting ademon (div) throwingRostam into the seaGriffin-like column capital statuary, from about 500 BC Persepolis, Iran. In local popular interpretation, the figures on these columns are perceived as representations of the Huma bird.
Āl: a scrawny old woman with a clay nose and red face who attacks pregnant women when they are alone and interferes with childbirth. It is believed that she carries a basket in which she puts the liver or lung of the mother,[25] although a variety of other descriptions exist as well.[26]
Night hag (baxtak): aghost or an evil creature that causessleep paralysis.[27] It is believed that the creature knows about hidden treasures, and one would be told of one of them by grabbing the creature's nose. One can rescue oneself from the creature by wiggling one’s fingers.
Himantopodes (davālpā): an evil creature that uses its flexible, leather-like legs as tentacles to grip and capture human beings. The captives will be enslaved and forced to carry the creature until they die offatigue.[28]
Huma: aGriffin-like mythical bird 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)[29]
Ghoul (ğul): a hideous monster with a feline head, forked tongue, hairy skin, and deformed legs that resemble the limp and skinny legs of a prematurely born infant.[31]
Genie (jenn): a supernatural creature, comparable to theelves and thegoblins, that is believed to have been created from smokeless fire and to exist invisibly alongside the visible world.[32]
Amen Bird (morğ-e āmin): a mythical bird inPersian literature that flies continuously and fulfills people's wishes.[33][34]
Pari: a type of exquisite, wingedfairy-like spirit ranking between angels and evil spirits.
Reera,Rayra orRaira: was a beautiful supernatural female who was believed to have brought beauty to theNorthern jungles of Iran.
The Patient Stone (sang-e sabur): the most empathetic of listeners, which is believed to absorb the sorrows and pains of the person who confides in it.[35] It is said that when the stone can no longer contain the pain it harbors, it bursts into pieces.[35] It is also a very famousfolktale.[36][37]
Šāh-mārān ("Chief of the Snakes"): the intelligent queen of snakes who has human features above her waist and those of a serpent below.
Takam: the king of goats, in the folklore of the Turkic-speaking people ofAzerbaijan. Traditionally, the stories of takam are recited in public theaters by a minstrel calledtakamchi.
Zār: an evil spirit in the folklore of Iran's southern coastal regions whopossesses individuals and harms them.
A stone depicting an eye that is made to protect one from anevil eye
Evil eye (češm-zaxm;Middle Persian:duščašm[39]), a curse believed to be cast by a malevolent glare.[40] To protect one from it, apendant,gemstone or likewise that depicts an eye is used as anamulet.[41] Another way believed to protect one from an evil eye is to release a fragrant smoke ofesfand (peganum harmala) and waft it around the head of those exposed to the gaze of strangers. As this is done, an ancient prayer is also recited.[40][42]
Divination (morvā,šogun,fāl), including interpretation of objects which appear haphazardly, interpretation of involuntary bodily actions (sneezing, twitching, itches, etc.), observing animal behavior, playing cards or chick-peas,bibliomancy (e.g., using the poetry ofHafez Shirazi), mirrors and lenses, observation of the liver of a slain animal, the flame of a lamp, etc.[43]
Nāz o niyāz ("coquetry andsupplication"), a tradition between a lover and a beloved based on which the beloved hurts their lover by coquetry and the lover's response is supplication and insistence in love.[44][45]
Taārof, a sort ofetiquette, defined as "the active, ritualized realization of differential status in interaction".[46]
InIranian wedding tradition, it is customary to buy a silver mirror and two candles and place it on the weddingsofra (a piece of cloth), next to foods and other traditional items. The first thing that the bridegroom sees in the mirror should be the reflection of his wife-to-be.[47]
Mir-e Nowruzi ("prince of Nowruz") orPadešāh-e Nowruz ("king of Nowruz"), a festival that used to be held six days after Nowruz for a period of one to five days, during which a temporary commoner was elected to rule over the country.[51]
Yaldā,[52] marking "the longest night of the year" and commemorating the birth of the ancient goddessMithra on the eve of thewinter solstice (čelle-ye zemestān; usually falling on December 20 or 21).[53][54][55]
^ab"DĀSTĀN-SARĀʾĪ".Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. VII. November 18, 2011. pp. 102–103.
^ab"GŌSĀN".Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. Xi. February 17, 2012. pp. 167–170.
^"COFFEEHOUSE".Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. VI. October 26, 2011. pp. 1–4.
^Gaffary, Farrokh (1994). "Iranien (folklore)".Dictionnaire universel des litteratures (in French). Vol. 2: G-O. Paris:Presses universitaires de France. p. 1703.Parmi les contes les plus célèbres [de Iran], citons: ... «La Citrouille qui roule» (Kaduy-e qelqelehzan), «Tante Scarabée» (Khâleh suskeh), ... «Orange amère et bigarade» (Nârendj va torandj) ... «Le Poulain marin» (Korre-ye daryâ'i) ... «Fronte de lune» (Mâh-pishâni) ...
^"HEDAYAT, SADEQ" [iii. Hedayat and Folklore Studies].Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. XII. pp. 121–135. RetrievedOctober 1, 2017.
^"New films to hit Iranian silver screens".Mehr News Agency. December 18, 2010.(...) the story of Auntie Cockroach, as narrated by grandmas and published in storybooks over the years (...)
^"ĀL".Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. I. July 29, 2011. pp. 741–742.
^"BAḴTAK".Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. III. December 15, 1988. p. 539.
^"DAVĀL-PĀ(Y)".Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. VII. November 18, 2011. pp. 128–129.
^Nile, Green (2006), "Ostrich Eggs and Peacock Feathers: Sacred Objects as Cultural Exchange between Christianity and Islam",Al Masaq: Islam and the Medieval Mediterranean,18 (1):27–78,doi:10.1080/09503110500222328,S2CID154129150.
^Omidsalar, Mahmoud (November 28, 2011)."DĪV".Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. VII. pp. 428–431.
^Omidsalar, Mahmoud; Omidsalar, Teresa P. (February 24, 2012)."ḠUL".Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. XI. pp. 393–395.
^"GENIE".Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. X. February 7, 2012. pp. 418–422.
^Karimi-Hakkak, Ahmad; Talattof, Kamran (2004).Essays On Nima Yushij: Animating Modernism In Persian Poetry. Brill Publishers. p. 128.ISBN9004138099....reflexivity defines the amen bird's mythic role: the bird verbalizes the people's wish and they respond with "Amen" ("So shall it be"), thereby echoing the bird's name and making the wish come true...
^Gaffary, Farrokh (1994). "Iranien (folklore)".Dictionnaire universel des litteratures (in French). Vol. 2: G-O. Paris: Presses universitaires de France. p. 1703.Parmi les contes les plus célèbres [de Iran], citons: «La Pierre patiente» (Sang-e sabur)... [Among the most famous tales [of Iran], we cite: "The Stone of Patience"...]
^"Call for Safe Yearend Celebration". Financial Tribune. March 12, 2017.The ancient tradition has transformed over time from a simple bonfire to the use of firecrackers...
^"ALAK-DOLAK".Encyclopædia Iranica (online ed.). July 29, 2011.
^"بازیهای بومی و محلی ایران"(PDF) (in Persian). Iranian National Commission for UNESCO. 2011. p. 42. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 2016-10-20. Retrieved2018-02-25.
^abcdef"BĀZĪ".Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. IV. December 15, 1989. pp. 60–65.
^Jacoby, Oswald; Morehead, Albert."poker Origin and spread".Encyclopædia Britannica. RetrievedJanuary 18, 2008.(...) Poker is virtually indistinguishable from an older Persian game calledas nas, a four-hand game played with a 20-card pack, five cards dealt to each player. This coincidence led some students of games to call poker a derivative of as nas, but this theory has been discredited. (...)
^ab"CARD GAMES".Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. IV. December 15, 1990. pp. 802–803.
Marzolph, Ulrich (2009). "Storytelling as a Constituent of Popular Culture: Folk Narrative Research in Contemporary Iran". In Nadjmabadi, Shahnaz R. (ed.).Conceptualizing Iranian Anthropology: Past and Present Perspectives (NED ed.). Berghahn Books. pp. 30–42.ISBN978-0-85745-651-9.JSTORj.ctt9qd85z.5.
Marzolph, Ulrich. "Persian Popular Literature". In:Oral Literature of Iranian Languages. Kurdish, Pashto, Balochi, Ossetic, Persian & Tajik. Ed. P. G. Kreyenbroek and U. Marzolph. London:I. B. Tauris, 2010. pp. 208–364. (A History of Persian Literature. ed. E. Yarshater. vol. 18. Companion vol. 2).
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