In Iranian legend, Afrasiab ( afrāsiyāb; , Frāsiyāk), also known as Fraŋrasyan, is the king and hero of Turan in Iranian national history. He is the main antagonist of the Iranians in the Persian epic Shahnameh, written by Ferdowsi.
Name and origin
The oldest attested form of the name is the
Avestan Fraŋrasyan, which Émile Benveniste derived from *fra-hrasya- 'to make disappear, to fell, to destroy'. This etymology is connected with a myth in which Afrasiab holds back rain. The Persian form of the name is derived from a version of the name which ends in 'water' (*
Frahrasyāpa- > *
Frārasyāp >
Frāsīāb).
In the Avesta
The oldest mention of Afrasiab is found in the
Avesta, where he is called
Fraŋrasyan. Although the Avesta does not present his story in a single coherent narrative, it is alluded to numerous times in the so called
Legendary Yashts. In these hymns, he is already presented as the King of the
Turanians and archenemy of the
Iranians. His common epithet
mairya- (deceitful, villainous) can be interpreted as meaning
an evil man. He lived in a subterranean fortress made of metal, called
Hanakana.
According to the Aban Yasht, he sacrificed to Anahita to obtain the royal glory of the Kayanians. According to the Gosh Yasht and Zamyad Yasht, however, Anahita instead granted Kay Khosrow his wish to slay him. This is achieved with the help of Haoma, who overcomes and delivers him to Kavi Haosravah. He is slain near the Čīčhast (possibly either referring to Lake Hamun in Sistan or some unknown lake in today's Central Asia).
In later sources
According to Islamic sources, Afrasiab was a descendant of Tūr (Avestan:
Tūriya-), one of the three sons of the Iranian mythical King
Fereydun (the other two sons being Salm and Iraj). In the
Bundahishn, he is named as the seventh grandson of Tūr.
In the Shahnameh
According to the
Shahnameh (
Book of Kings) by the Persian epic poet
Ferdowsi, Afrasiab was the king and hero of
Turan and an archenemy of Iran. He is the most prominent of all Turanian kings in Iranian mythology. He is a great warrior, an able commander, and an agent of
Ahriman. He possesses supernatural powers and is intent on destroying the Iranian lands. He is brother to
Garsivaz, and the son of
Pashang. He was an enemy of
Rostam and
Kay Khosrow, and was defeated by them. According to the
Shahnameh, he met his death in a cave known as the Hang-e Afrasiab, or the dying place of Afrasiab, on a mountaintop in Azerbaijan. The fugitive Afrasiab, having been repeatedly defeated by the armies of his adversary, the mythical King of Iran
Kai Khosrow (who happened to be his own grandson, through his daughter
Farangis), wandered wretchedly and fearfully around, and eventually took refuge in this cave and died.
Hypotheses
Ernst Herzfeld believed that the name
Parsondes is etymologically identical to the name Afrasiab.
in his works mentions the derivative
Afrasiab /
Aspandiat under the name of the
Hephthalites king
Akhshunwar or Akhshunvaz.
See also
-
Afrasiyab (Samarkand)
-
Afrasiab Museum of Samarkand
-
Alp Er Tunga
Citations
Bibliography
External links
