Namaeh Farhangistan

Namaeh Farhangistan

Zahhāk the Snake/ Wolf in Divān of Khāqāni

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Majid Mansoori 1
Amir Afshin Farhadian 2
1 Associate Professor of Persian Language and Literature, Arak University, Arak, Iran, (Corresponding author
2 Assistant Professor of Persian Language and Literature, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran
10.22034/nf.2025.365532.1217
Abstract
"Wolf of Himyar" is a strange combination that is used in a verse of Khāqāni's poems and has caused confusion in understanding its meaning. Most of the commentators have considered it as an allusion to "Zahāk/Azhidhak", and this is despite the fact that the image of this myth is linked to "snake" and apparently has no link to "wolf". In Diwan Khāghāni, in addition to "Wolf of Hemyar", "Himyari Snake" and "Himyari Dragon" are also mentioned. In this way, it is as if Khāqāni considered Zahhāk sometimes as a "wolf" and sometimes as a "snake". On the other hand, the allusion that the verse in question has to the myth of "Dahhāk." It has created another difficulty because in the verse in question, the "brain of infants" is considered the prey of the snake; while none of the written accounts of this myth refers to the brains of infants, but the brains of men and especially young people are considered to be the food of the snakes on the shoulder of Zahhāk. The etymology of the name of this mythical character, which sometimes represents a "snake/dragon" and another time a "wolf", can help unravel the knot of this mystery. In this article, an attempt has been made to clarify the reasons for the association of "wolf" with this character by examining the etymology of the name Zahhāk and examining the historical evolution of this myth. It has also been shown how the lack of attention to the ambiguity of the word shirkhar in Persian (sukling vs eater of the lion) has caused an apparent contradiction between the concept of verse and the famous narration of Dhahāk.
Keywords
wolf of himyar
snake of himyar
sucker
Khāqāni
zahāk
ajidhak
Subjects
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Namaeh Farhangistan
Volume 25, Issue 5 - Serial Number 105
Nameh Farhangestan (Khaghani Studies)
November and December 2026
Pages 119-136

  • Receive Date 16 October 2022
  • Revise Date 21 October 2022
  • Accept Date 05 December 2022