Arnavaz and Shahrnaz: The Princesses Freed from Zahhak
- Dala Sarkis
- 5 days ago
- 12 min read
Introduction
Arnavaz and Shahrnaz are two royal women of the Shahnameh, the Persian Book of Kings: princesses of the house of Jamshid, seized by the serpent-tyrant Zahhak during his long and evil reign, and freed at last by the hero Faridun when he overthrew the tyrant.
After their deliverance, the two became the wives of Faridun, and they bore his three sons, Salm, Tur, and Iraj. Through their sons, Arnavaz and Shahrnaz became the ancestresses of the long and tragic feud between Iran and Turan that runs through the heart of the epic, a conflict born within their own family.
Like all the figures of the Book of Kings, Arnavaz and Shahrnaz belong to the shared epic and mythological heritage of the Iranian peoples, a tradition the Kurds hold in common with the Persians, the Lurs, and others of the Iranic world. To know Arnavaz and Shahrnaz is to encounter two of the notable women of the epic, the princesses whose captivity and deliverance are part of the great tale of Zahhak and Faridun, and whose sons would shape the destiny of the Iranian world.
Contents
Who Are Arnavaz and Shahrnaz?
Arnavaz and Shahrnaz are two royal women of the Shahnameh, princesses of the house of the great king Jamshid, described in the tradition as his daughters or, in some versions, his sisters. When the serpent-tyrant Zahhak overthrew Jamshid and seized the throne, he took the two princesses captive and held them through the long years of his evil reign. When at last the hero Faridun rose up, overthrew Zahhak, and bound him beneath Mount Damavand, he freed Arnavaz and Shahrnaz from their captivity and took them as his wives. They became the mothers of Faridun's three sons, Salm, Tur, and Iraj, and so the ancestresses of the long feud of Iran and Turan. They are among the notable women of the early epic, the princesses of the tale of Zahhak and Faridun.
Princesses of the House of Jamshid
Arnavaz and Shahrnaz belonged to the royal house of Jamshid, the great king of the early epic, the splendid ruler of the golden age of the Pishdadian line. In the tradition, they are most often described as the daughters of Jamshid, though in some versions of the epic they are reckoned as his sisters.
Whether daughters or sisters, the two princesses belonged to the highest royal stock, the house of the great king Jamshid, whose long and glorious reign was one of the high points of the early epic before his fall into pride and his overthrow. As royal women of Jamshid's house, Arnavaz and Shahrnaz were princesses of the first rank, women of beauty and noble birth at the centre of the realm. Their high standing is essential to their tale, for it is as princesses of the fallen royal house that they were seized by the usurping tyrant Zahhak, and as royal women that they would later become the wives of the hero Faridun and the mothers of his royal sons. The descent of Arnavaz and Shahrnaz from the house of Jamshid thus places them at the heart of the royal line of the early epic, connecting the golden age of Jamshid, through their captivity under Zahhak, to the new age of Faridun and his sons. Their royal birth is the foundation of their significance, the princesses of Jamshid's house whose fate is bound up with the great turning of the early epic, the fall of Jamshid, the tyranny of Zahhak, and the deliverance wrought by Faridun.
Key Takeaways
Arnavaz and Shahrnaz are princesses of the house of Jamshid.
They are described as Jamshid's daughters or, in some versions, his sisters.
They were seized by the serpent-tyrant Zahhak when he took the throne.
They were held captive through the long years of Zahhak's evil reign.
They were freed by the hero Faridun when he overthrew Zahhak.
They became Faridun's wives and the mothers of Salm, Tur, and Iraj.
Quick Facts
Names: Arnavaz and Shahrnaz
Role: Princesses; captives of Zahhak; wives of Faridun
House: The royal house of Jamshid
Relation to Jamshid: Daughters or, in some versions, sisters
Captor: Zahhak, the serpent-tyrant
Liberator: Faridun, the hero-king
Sons: Salm, Tur, and Iraj
Significance: Ancestresses of the feud of Iran and Turan
Avestan names: Arenavachi and Sanghavachi
Heritage: Shared Iranic epic tradition
Seized by the Tyrant
The captivity of Arnavaz and Shahrnaz began with the overthrow of Jamshid by the serpent-tyrant Zahhak. When Jamshid, grown proud and having lost the divine glory, the farr, was overthrown and driven from his throne by the rising tyrant, the two princesses of his house fell into the power of Zahhak.
Zahhak, the serpent-shouldered tyrant, having seized the throne and driven Jamshid into flight and eventual death, took the two royal princesses of the fallen house captive, seizing them as part of his conquest and forcing them into his service and his household. The seizing of the princesses by the tyrant is part of the dark tale of Zahhak's usurpation, the conquest of the royal house and the subjection of its women to the power of the evil king. For Arnavaz and Shahrnaz, this was the beginning of a long captivity, held in the court of the tyrant through the many years of his reign. The seizing of the princesses marks their entry into the great tale of Zahhak's tyranny, the royal women of the fallen house taken into the power of the serpent-king. Their captivity would endure through the long, dark years of Zahhak's reign, until the coming of the deliverer Faridun. The seizing of Arnavaz and Shahrnaz by the tyrant is thus the dark beginning of their tale, the subjection of the princesses of Jamshid's house to the power of the evil usurper, a captivity from which they would be freed only by the overthrow of the tyrant and the triumph of the hero.
In the Court of Zahhak
Through the long years of the tyranny of Zahhak, Arnavaz and Shahrnaz were held in his court, royal captives in the household of the serpent-king. The tradition relates that they were kept in his service through the dark age of his reign, when the tyrant fed the serpents that grew from his shoulders with the brains of the young, and oppressed the world with his cruelty.
The tradition tells various things of the princesses during their long captivity in the court of Zahhak. In some tellings, they were kept close to the tyrant and were even, in their helplessness, made instruments of his will, though they remained royal women of the fallen house held against their freedom. The long captivity of Arnavaz and Shahrnaz in the court of the tyrant is part of the darkness of the age of Zahhak, the royal princesses held in the household of the evil king through the many years of his oppressive reign. Their presence in the court connects them to the great tale of Zahhak's tyranny, the dark age that the epic recounts before the coming of the deliverer. When at last the hero Faridun rose against the tyrant and stormed his palace, it was these captive princesses whom he found within, the royal women of Jamshid's house held in the court of Zahhak. The long captivity in the court of the tyrant is thus the dark middle of their tale, the years of subjection from which they would be delivered by the triumph of Faridun. Their endurance through the long darkness of Zahhak's reign sets the stage for their deliverance and their new life as the wives of the hero-king.
Freed by Faridun
The deliverance of Arnavaz and Shahrnaz came with the rising of the hero Faridun against the tyrant Zahhak. When Faridun, with the support of the people roused by the blacksmith Kawa, overthrew the serpent-king and stormed his palace, he freed the captive princesses.
In the tradition, when Faridun entered the palace of the tyrant, he found the captive princesses within, the royal women of Jamshid's house held by Zahhak. He freed them from their captivity, delivering them from the power of the tyrant. The tradition relates that Faridun cleansed the princesses of the taint of their long association with the evil king and took them, the royal women of the fallen house, as his own wives. The freeing of Arnavaz and Shahrnaz is part of the triumphant climax of the tale of Zahhak and Faridun, the deliverance of the captives along with the overthrow of the tyrant and the liberation of the world from his oppression. With their deliverance, the princesses passed from the dark captivity of Zahhak's court into a new life as the wives of the hero-king Faridun, the deliverer who had freed them and the world. The freeing by Faridun is thus the turning point of their tale, the deliverance of the princesses from the long captivity and their restoration to honour as the wives of the new and righteous king. Their liberation is bound up with the great deliverance of the world from the tyranny of Zahhak, the triumph of the hero Faridun.
Mothers of Salm, Tur, and Iraj
As the wives of Faridun, Arnavaz and Shahrnaz became the mothers of the hero-king's three sons, Salm, Tur, and Iraj, and so the ancestresses of the great and tragic conflict that would follow.
In the tradition, the three sons of Faridun were born to the two princesses: in the common account, Shahrnaz bore the two elder sons, Salm and Tur, while Arnavaz bore the youngest, Iraj. These three sons, among whom Faridun divided the world, giving the West to Salm, Turan to Tur, and Iran to the beloved Iraj, became the central figures of the next great tragedy of the epic. For the jealousy of the elder brothers Salm and Tur against the favoured Iraj led them to murder their brother, a crime that set off the long and bitter feud between Iran and Turan, the central recurring conflict of the whole epic, pursued through generations in the wars of vengeance. As the mothers of these three sons, Arnavaz and Shahrnaz are the ancestresses of this great conflict, the royal women from whom sprang the lines of Iran and Turan and the long feud between them. This role, as the mothers of Salm, Tur, and Iraj, is the most far-reaching aspect of their significance, for through their sons they stand at the origin of the central conflict of the epic. The princesses freed from Zahhak thus become, through their children, the ancestresses of the great feud, their tale connecting the early age of Zahhak and Faridun to the long wars of Iran and Turan that follow.
Symbolism and Meaning
Arnavaz and Shahrnaz embody, in part, the theme of the royal captives delivered from tyranny, the princesses of the fallen house held by the evil Zahhak and freed by the righteous Faridun. Their deliverance is part of the great liberation of the world from the tyrant, the restoration of right order after the dark age of usurpation.
Arnavaz and Shahrnaz embody, too, the theme of continuity and the royal line, for as princesses of the house of Jamshid who become the wives of Faridun and the mothers of his sons, they connect the royal line across the great turning of the early epic, from the golden age of Jamshid, through the dark age of Zahhak, to the new age of Faridun and his heirs. And as the mothers of Salm, Tur, and Iraj, they embody the origin of the great feud of Iran and Turan, the ancestresses from whom sprang the central conflict of the epic. In this, their significance is far-reaching, for the whole long tale of the wars of Iran and Turan flows ultimately from their children. In all this, Arnavaz and Shahrnaz are figures of real significance in the early epic, embodying the royal captives delivered from tyranny, the continuity of the royal line, and the origin of the great feud. They are the princesses freed from Zahhak, the royal women whose fate is woven into the great tale of the fall of Jamshid, the tyranny of Zahhak, the triumph of Faridun, and the long conflict of Iran and Turan.
Arnavaz, Shahrnaz, and the Kurds
Arnavaz and Shahrnaz, like all the figures of the Shahnameh, belong to the shared epic and mythological heritage of the Iranian peoples, a tradition that the Kurds hold in common with the Persians, the Lurs, and others of the Iranic world. The great tale of Zahhak and Faridun, in which the princesses figure, is part of the common inheritance of these peoples.
It is worth noting that the tale of Zahhak and Faridun, to which the princesses belong, has a special resonance in Kurdish tradition, for the overthrow of the tyrant Zahhak by the rising of the people, associated with the blacksmith Kawa and celebrated at Newroz, is held especially dear among the Kurds, who connect the festival of the new year and the lighting of fires with the defeat of the tyrant. Arnavaz and Shahrnaz, as the captive princesses freed in this great deliverance, belong to this cherished tale. Yet it is honest and accurate to understand the princesses themselves, and the wider epic in which they appear, as part of the shared Iranic heritage, rather than as uniquely Kurdish figures, for the figures and tales of the Shahnameh are the common inheritance of all the Iranic peoples. As an Iranian people, the Kurds share in this broad heritage, of which Arnavaz and Shahrnaz are a part, even as the larger tale of Zahhak's overthrow holds a special place in Kurdish tradition through its connection with Newroz. In presenting the princesses, then, we present figures of the shared Iranian heritage to which the Kurds, as an Iranic people, are heirs alongside their neighbours.
Debates and Misconceptions
Were Arnavaz and Shahrnaz the daughters or the sisters of Jamshid? The tradition differs on this point. In some versions of the Shahnameh, and in some related sources, the two princesses are described as the daughters of Jamshid, while in others they are reckoned as his sisters. Either way, they are royal women of the house of Jamshid, princesses of the highest royal stock, and their precise relation to the great king is a matter on which the sources vary. What is consistent is their royal descent from Jamshid's house and their central role in the tale of Zahhak and Faridun.
Which princess was the mother of which son? In the common account, Shahrnaz bore the two elder sons of Faridun, Salm and Tur, while Arnavaz bore the youngest and most beloved, Iraj. This division of the sons between the two mothers is the usual tradition, though the chief point is that the three sons of Faridun, among whom the world was divided and whose conflict began the feud of Iran and Turan, were born to the two princesses freed from Zahhak.
Are Arnavaz and Shahrnaz specifically Kurdish figures? No; like all the figures of the Shahnameh, they belong to the shared epic heritage of the Iranian peoples, a tradition the Kurds hold in common with the Persians, the Lurs, and others of the Iranic world, rather than uniquely Kurdish figures. Yet the larger tale of Zahhak's overthrow, to which their deliverance belongs, holds a special place in Kurdish tradition through its connection with Newroz. As an Iranian people, the Kurds share in this broad heritage, of which the princesses are a part, alongside the other heirs of the tradition.
Related Topics
Zahhak: the serpent-tyrant who held the princesses captive
Faridun: the hero who freed them and took them as wives
Jamshid: the great king of whose house they were princesses
Salm: a son of Faridun and the princesses
Tur: a son of Faridun, ancestor of the Turanians
Iraj: the beloved youngest son, ancestor of the Iranians
Kawa the Blacksmith: who roused the people against Zahhak
The Shahnameh: the Persian Book of Kings, the great epic of Iran
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are Arnavaz and Shahrnaz in the Shahnameh?
Arnavaz and Shahrnaz are two royal women of the Shahnameh, princesses of the house of the great king Jamshid, described as his daughters or, in some versions, his sisters. When the serpent-tyrant Zahhak overthrew Jamshid and seized the throne, he took the two princesses captive and held them through his long reign. They were freed at last by the hero Faridun, who overthrew Zahhak and took them as his wives, and they became the mothers of his three sons, Salm, Tur, and Iraj.
How were Arnavaz and Shahrnaz freed?
Arnavaz and Shahrnaz were freed by the hero Faridun when he overthrew the tyrant Zahhak. With the support of the people, roused by the blacksmith Kawa, Faridun rose against the serpent-king, stormed his palace, and bound him beneath Mount Damavand. When Faridun entered the palace, he found the captive princesses within and freed them from their long captivity, taking them, the royal women of Jamshid's house, as his own wives.
Were they the daughters or sisters of Jamshid?
The tradition differs on this point. In some versions of the Shahnameh and related sources, Arnavaz and Shahrnaz are described as the daughters of Jamshid, while in others they are reckoned as his sisters. Either way, they are royal women of the house of Jamshid, princesses of the highest royal stock. What is consistent across the tradition is their royal descent from Jamshid's house and their central role in the tale of Zahhak and Faridun.
Who were the sons of Arnavaz and Shahrnaz?
As the wives of Faridun, the two princesses became the mothers of his three sons, Salm, Tur, and Iraj. In the common account, Shahrnaz bore the two elder sons, Salm and Tur, while Arnavaz bore the youngest and most beloved, Iraj. Among these three sons Faridun divided the world, and the jealousy of the elder brothers against Iraj, whom they murdered, began the long and tragic feud between Iran and Turan.
Why are Arnavaz and Shahrnaz important?
Arnavaz and Shahrnaz are important above all as the mothers of Salm, Tur, and Iraj, and so the ancestresses of the long feud between Iran and Turan, the central recurring conflict of the epic. They also embody the royal captives delivered from tyranny and the continuity of the royal line, connecting the golden age of Jamshid, through the dark age of Zahhak, to the new age of Faridun and his heirs. Their fate is woven into the great early tale of the epic.
Are Arnavaz and Shahrnaz Kurdish figures?
They belong to the shared epic heritage of the Iranian peoples, a tradition the Kurds hold in common with the Persians, the Lurs, and others of the Iranic world, rather than uniquely Kurdish figures. Yet the larger tale of Zahhak's overthrow, to which their deliverance belongs, holds a special place in Kurdish tradition through its connection with Newroz. As an Iranian people, the Kurds share in this broad heritage, of which the princesses are a part, alongside their neighbours.
References and Further Reading
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