Myth Madness: A Mythology Podcast

This episode (82) will cover another of the Iranian hero Rostam’s adventures from the Shahnameh, an epic poem composed in Persian around 1010 AD. With the tragic story of Sohrab we begin to see Rostam’s flaws, his actions that come from them, and his despair that results. 

The Persian ruler Kay Kavus is an utter fool. So when he falls into some serious trouble it becomes the hero Rostam's job to save him. To do so, in this episode, Rostam completes a series of trials. Due to the trials, Rostam is often superficially described as an Iranian Heracles.

Up to now the Shahnameh largely focused on conflicts between the forces of good and evil with evil being represented by monsters and strange otherworldly creatures. But now, the Shahnameh switches its approach, and the Iranian heroes will struggle against foreign human enemies.  This episode (80) introduces the feud between the neighbouring kingdoms of Iran (Persia) and Turan, and the destruction...

In this episode (79) I introduce Rostam, one of the most significant heroes in Persian legends and who is often compared to the Greek Heracles. The Shahnameh covers the story of his birth but for other stories of his youth, we have to look at other epic poems. While sharing from these, I also introduce the close association between Rostam's family and that of another Persian hero named Gudarz...

This episode (78) covers the romance of the Persian hero Zal (Zaal) and the beautiful princess Rudabeh. While a foreigner, Rudabeh represents the ideal Persian woman - virtuous, beautiful, dutiful, and intelligent. Their romance as presented in the Shahnameh, in the original language, is considered one of the best examples of Persian poetry. Its also just a great story, a bit like Romeo and Juliet...

The first part of the Shahnameh focuses on several generations of legendary kings and their conflict with the forces of evil. But during the reign of the king Manuchehr, its heroes - the king’s various commanders - leave the background, begin to play a larger role, and are the stars of their own stories. This episode (77) focuses on Sam, loyal ruler of the region of Sistan and a powerful warrior....

Fereydun’s rule ushered in another Golden Age but trouble brewed when his three sons were well into adulthood. The two eldest, Salm and Tur, coveted what Ferdydun granted the youngest, Iraj, to rule. They murdered him and Fereydun hoped his great grandson, Manuchehr, would one day avenge Iraj. 

King Fereydun was mentioned a few times in previous episodes. The first half of this episode recaps Fereydun’s birth and how he grew up to save the world from the monstrous tyrant Zahhak. The second half focuses on Fereydun’s sons, how they found their wives, and the trouble they got up to. I also quickly compare the Shahnameh’s Fereydun to his Avestan/Zoroastrian equivalent. 

Throughout the Garshaspnama , the tyrant Zahhak repeatedly sends Garshasp on various adventures. But its a new world, Zahhak is gone and Fereydun is now king. Naturally, Garshasp embarks on a new quest, to go east and affirm Fereydun’s rule in China. 

Over last few episodes, I covered parts of the Garshaspnama , a Persian epic poem composed around 1066 AD. In those episodes Garshasp fought a dragon and went to India to defeat a rebellious prince. He performed these deeds following the orders of Zahhak, the semi-monstrous king of the world. In this episode (73), Zahhak has another quest for Garshasp to embark upon, and once again its going to ta...

This episode (72) continues my retelling of the Garshaspnama epic poem. After returning home from India, Garshasp visits his overlord, the tyrant Zahhak, to present the numerous riches he acquired on his journey East. He then travels west to the land of Rum, a mythological version of the Roman and Byzantine Empires, where he hopes to marry a beautiful princess. Finally, Garshasp comes to the rescu...

In this section of the Garshaspnama , Garshasp and his Iranian troops embark on a naval voyage of “India”. This India is an exotic magical place. A place of strange people, marvellous sights, and miracles as imagined by the medieval Persians. 

This episode (70) continues with the next part of the Garshaspnama . Previously, Garshasp faced a dragon which blocked passage to India. With the dragon slain, and the path to India clear, it is only natural that Garshasp’s next adventures will be in India as he battles against warlords and embarks on conquest. 

This episode (69) introduces my retelling of the Garshaspnama , a Persian epic poem completed around 1066 AD. This work was likely inspired by the earlier Shahnameh but focuses on a completely different story. The Garshaspnama covers the exploits of a hero named Garshasp who is almost completely absent from the Shahnameh but who is very important in the even more ancient Zoroastrian Avesta. In thi...

The last two episodes featured Jamshid, a legendary king of the world in Persian mythology. According to the Shahnameh, for many years Jamshid enjoyed the favour of the Creator and invented many aspects of civilization for the first people. However, hubris brought Jamshid’s downfall and he was eventually deposed by the monstrous tyrant Zahhak. After his overthrow, Jamshid disappeared for 100 years...

After Jamshid was pushed from the throne, the monstrous Zahhak rose to power and the accursed tyrant ushered in a Dark Age. It was a backwards world where virtue was shunned and cruelty celebrated. However, hope was never far away. This episode (67) details the story of Zahhak as presented in the Shahnameh and the rise of the hero Fereydun. 

One of the best sources for Persian myths is the  Shahnameh or “Book of Kings”. This epic poem was composed in 1010 AD and is one of the most important examples of Iranian literature. It tells a legendary history of Persia, starting with creation and the doings of the first kings, and then covers stories of successive generations of kings and their heroic champions.  This episode (66) covers one o...

The struggle between Good and Evil is a central theme of Persian mythology. This is not just a human struggle. Persian myths and legends often feature divs, creatures who work mischief on behalf of the evil spirit Ahriman. In this episode (65) I talk about divs, how they made trouble for the early humans and how two legendary Persian kings – Hushang and Tahmuras – fought against the divs and defea...

In this episode (64) I cover the creation of humans according to ancient Zoroastrian religious texts. I talk about the role of Gayomart (aka Keyumars), the prototypical First Man, and how he fought against the supreme evil spirit Ahriman. To understand how these myths changed over time, I compare the Zoroastrian version to what is written in the Shahnameh , a medieval Persian epic poem. I also dis...

Welcome back to Myth Madness! This season of the podcast covers Persian mythology. The Persian or Iranian civilization’s roots go back over 3000 years ago, and this episode (63) gives a summary of that history from antiquity to the middle ages. For most of that time, the dominant religion in Persia was Zoroastrianism, and this means its stories have a very distinct Zoroastrian flavour. This episod...

(62) Greek mythology is full of terrible tales, and the story of the brothers Atreus and Thyestes includes murder, adultery, incest and cannibalism. These two cursed sons of Pelops were exiled from their homeland. Later, they fought against each other for control of Mycenae. Tragedy and nastiness ensued. 

(61) When the Seven Against Thebes were killed, they left behind children - Epigoni/Epigonoi. Athena assigned these Sons of the Seven the task of destroying Thebes and avenging their fathers. Some, like Thersander, Aegialeus, and Diomedes were enthusiastic in building an army. Alcmaeon, the son of the champion Amphiaraus, was not. Alcmaeon also blamed his mother Eriphyle for the death of his fathe...

The battle between Eteocles and Polynices is over and the sons of Oedipus are dead. The fate of Oedipus’s daughters – Antigone and Ismene – is a less epic more personal tragedy story and is told in a handful of plays by the Greek playwright Sophocles. One of those tells how the willful Antigone felt she was duty-bound to ensure her brother Polynices got a proper burial. This brought her into tragi...

(59) Eteocles and Polynices were the sons of Oedipus and like their father they were cursed. In their case, they were doomed to kill each other. Eteocles and Polynices fought over their father’s throne and Polynices was eventually exiled from Thebes. He gained the support of Adrastus, the king of Argos; and a collection of un-heroic scoundrels, including  the unpredictable Tydeus. Together, they l...

Oedipus is probably the one Greek hero who has broken free from Greek mythology and become something else entirely. That of course is all thanks to psychologist Sigmund Freud. Many people today are familiar with the hero, who is cursed with killing his father and sleeping with his mother. But the wider tradition of Greek myth about Oedipus is much more complex. Stretching at least as far back as t...