Simurgh

Simurgh: Phoenix's Cousin....Lost in Obscurity

Manuscript of a Forgotten King

By Stephanie Small

The Simurgh, Truth's last flawless jewel, the light

In which you will be lost to mortal sight,

Dispersed to nothingness until once more

You find in Me the selves you were before.'"

-Mantiq al-Tayr, or the Parliament of Birds

The rebirth of popular fantasy has stimulated a resurrection of many mythological beings, renewing the moral and ethical value of those creatures. One creature that held a powerful mythological position that has since fallen into obscurity was the Persian bird the Simurgh. The creature is also called the Sna-Mr, Senmurv (S?nmurw and older S?nmuru), Sirng and Simorgh, but I will refer to it as the Simurgh for simplicity's sake for the rest of this investigation. The name is derived from Avestan m?r? Sa?n? which can be deciphered into "the bird Sana". This bird was most likely a raptor, such as an eagle, falcon or sparrowhawk, and the word looks related to the Sanskrit word yena, a elysian being. Sana is also believed to be a personal name derived from the bird name. The etymological origins of the Simurgh give a rather unique description of this powerful beast.

The physical appearance of this bird varies from region to region, yet some features remain unchanged throughout accounts. The most common description of this animal is as a bird with the tail of a peacock, dog's head, claws of a three-toed lion and four wings. Some accounts say the birds feathers were copper and others say the bird's feathers were comprised of thirty different colors. The creature often is said to have the head of a man or bird instead of a dog. It was rumored to be a very large bird that could carry an elephant or a camel. Some stories say the simurgh had thirty holes in its beak and blew air through the holes to attract prey with the enchanting music it produced. The features of the Simurgh symbolize the metaphysical and fundamental fertile nature of the bird that has contributed to many religions.

The mythology of the Simurgh is rich and varied, colored with regional stories and beliefs, but it all comes down to a general symbol of fertility and enlightenment. This long-lived bird was said to be over 1,700-2,000 years old and ancient enough to have seen the world destroyed three times. The touch of its wings was purported to cure illnesses and heal the wounded. The bird was an attendant to the Queen of Sheba, the wealthy queen of what many believe is located in present-day Ethiopia or Yemen. She has been compared to Lilith, a feminine sexual being, later demonized to promote masculine power. The Simurgh is also a fertility being and it's presence with the Queen of Sheba may be a symbolic way of representing the fertility connection.

The mythology of the Simurgh is similar to the mythology attributed to the bat, Phoenix and the Roc. Some say that the Simurgh is related to the bat because the bat flies like a bird, has the head and teeth of a dog yet lives in a cave like a muscat. The Simurgh is said to suckle its young, as it is part mammal (lion, dog or human) and has teeth, making it similar to a bat. Some stories call the Simurgh a bat but it is usually referred to as a bird. The bat and the Simurgh have otherwise been different creatures in mythology and do not seem to be the same being due to its connections to other creatures. One Iranian account noted that the Simurgh would destroy itself after 1,700 years in a conflagration, comparing itself to the Phoenix mythology. In the Shahname, it was known that should you burn the one of the feathers it would summon the bird, relating it to the fiery Phoenix. The large size of the creature can be found akin to that of the Roc, another gigantic bird. Despite its influence by and on other beings, the Simurgh stands alone as a rather unique being in most traditions.

The bird was one of the attendants to the conference of birds and was later crowned the king of birds. In the Mantiq al-Tayr, or the Parliament of Birds, the quest for the Simurgh is undertaken by thousands of birds so they have a king. The birds travel through the seven valleys of the quest, love, understanding, independence and detachment, unity, astonishment, and finally poverty and nothingness but only thirty birds finish the quest. These thirty birds then discover that together they are the Simurgh, which literally means thirty birds. They then sacrifice their individuality and merge to become the Simurgh. Through this, they discover immortality, secrets and wisdom. This means that through their lack of ego (displayed by their self sacrifice into a single consciousness), they can attain enlightenment. It is this symbolism of completion, healing and joy that permeates the Simurgh mythology and may also be related to the Persian fertility beliefs.

There are many stories of the Simurgh's benevolence and magic, although I will only detail one at this time that supports the fertility symbolism. The Simurgh was first popularized in Ferdowsi's Shahname (Book of Kings), where Prince Zal, the albino son of Saam was believed to be a devil and was abandoned as an infant on the mountain Alborz. The tenderhearted Simurgh heard the babies cries and saved the baby, raising it as her own. She taught it wisdom and when he grew she selflessly gifted him with a single golden feather to burn if he ever needed her assistance. Zal returned to his kingdom where he married Rudaba. When their son was being born the birth was excruciating and prolonged. Zal, knowing Rudaba would die in childbirth summoned the Simurgh who appeared and taught him how to perform a cesarean section. This saved the babe and Rudaba. The baby grew into Rostam, one of Persia's great heroes. This power over life and death through ancient secrets, wisdom and magic support the fundamental religion of the region.

Persian mythology believed that since the Simurgh loved to nest in water-rich areas, it would bring blessings and fertility to the land through its innate magic and wisdom. Persians say the bird lived in Gaokerena, the tree of life and sometimes call the bird Homa. Some stories say that the Simurgh nested in the Tree of Knowledge, and when it took flight, the leaves shook seeds to the ground creating all the plants of the earth and healing all the illnesses. Said to be related to the Aquila and Sirius constellations, the celestial bird has a place in astronomy as both bird and dog and has its roots in Babylonian mythology. The movement of these constellations can be used to measure the seasons, particularly the influence of the rainy season. This correlation may lend support to the Simurgh's preference for wetlands. The enemy of the Simurgh is the Kamak, an avian bringer of drought. The bird would savagely eat humans and animals, slaughtering hundreds. This evil bird was killed by Karshsp, a hero, who had to shower it with thousands of arrows until the bird perished. It was this kinship to water and the opposition to drought that reiterated the Iranian and Persian duality of light and darkness.

This fundamental belief as a dual king-being is a basis for Persian mythology that continues to support the validity of ancient symbols like the Simurgh. These symbols can be used today to relate complex moral and mythological ideals. As the quote "The Simurgh, Truth's last flawless jewel" implies, the symbolism still holds true as an excellent symbol for enlightenment. This also implies that you will be lost to "unenlightened" people in your quest until you loose yourself into a divine wholeness and become a leader or king for those people. The duality of the creature in its need for the "unenlightened" to define it from the "enlightened" implies the need to define the good from evil. The ancient stories of creatures such as the Simurgh begin to dissipate, yet as our current moral ethics begin to change, we cannot forget the old wisdom that can still teach us lost lessons.