A mythological study of the conceptions of kingship in the Iranian imagination : the double-natured king-priest from Jamshid and Zahhāk to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Ruhollah Khomeini

Abstract

This thesis examines the myth of Jamshid and Zahhāk as a narrative that has reflected and influenced the depictions of the ideals and pitfalls of rulership in Persian literature from historical times to the modern era. It posits that Iranians’ collective desires and fears have shaped and, in turn, have been informed by the story of a sun-like benevolent king and his overthrow by a malevolent dragon-like tyrant. The study scrutinises the evolution of these mythic figures as doppelgängers and their metaphorical reappearance in literary depictions that cast ruling figures in their image or use them to warn about the pitfalls of power.

A review of various sources, including the Avesta, the Shahnameh, and several medieval texts, such as mirrors for princes, provides an exhaustive view of the influence of the myth and its versions on Iranian perceptions of leadership and authority. The detailed examination of the medieval texts and a romance recorded in the nineteenth century reveals the recurring narrative of these mythic figures and their symbolic significance in shaping conceptions of kingship. The thesis further examines the repercussions of the myth in modern and contemporary literature by explaining how Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (r. 1941–79), the last shah of Iran, and Ruhollah Khomeini (r. 1979–1989), the founder of the Islamic Republic, have been cast within this mythological framework.

Incorporating theoretical lenses from Carl Gustav Jung, post-Jungian scholars, Northrop Frye, and Ernst Cassirer, this research analyses the myth’s complex linguistic, psychological, theological, political, and aesthetic dimensions. The transformation of the Jamshid-Zahhāk myth reflects the transition from a double-natured king-priest in ancient Iranian mythology to a Perso-Semitic priest-king in today’s political and literary discourse in Iran.

In its conclusion, the thesis asserts the need for innovative perspectives in the study of ancient myths and their adaptations, emphasising the Jamshid-Zahhāk myth’s relevance today.