Shahmaran

Shahmaran (Persian: شاهماران Şahmaran, lit. 'Shah (king) of the Snakes'; Kurdish: Şahmaran/Şamaran, Turkish: Şahmeran, Tatar: Şahmara or Zilant, Зилант or Aq Yılan, Chuvash: Вĕреçĕлен, lit. 'Fire snake', ਸੱਪ ਦੇ ਸ਼ਾਹ Punjabi; Sapa dē Shaha',), is a mythical creature, half woman and half snake, found with different variations in the folklore of Iran, Anatolia, the Armenian Highlands,[1] Iraq, and of the Kurds.

Shahmaran, image from a Kurdish calendar

The name of Shahmaran comes from Persian words "Shah" and "Maran".[1] "Shah" is a title used for Persian kings, "mar" means snake, but in plural "mar-an" means snakes.

Mythology

Shahmaran is a mythical creature, half woman and half snake, the first human she encounters is a young man named Camasb (also known as Yada Jamsab, Jamisav in other versions of the story).[2][3] Camasb gets stuck in a cave after he tries to steal honey with a few friends, his friends leave him alone in the cave.[2] He decides to explore the cave and finds a passage to a chamber that looks like a mystical and beautiful garden with thousands of off-white colored snakes and the Shahmaran living together harmoniously.[2][4] At this point Shahmaran and Camasb fall in love and live in the cave chamber, and the Shahmaran teaches him about medicines and medicinal herbs.[2] Camasb misses living above ground and wants to leave, he tells the Shahmaran he will not share the secret of her living there.[2] Many years pass.

The king of the town of Tarsus becomes ill and the vizier discovers the treatment of his condition requires the Shahmaran flesh.[4] Camasb tells the towns people where Shahmaran lives, according to the legend Shahmaran says, “blanch me in an earthen dish, give my extract to the vizier, and feed my flesh to the sultan.”[4] They bring her to the town and kill her in a bath called, "Şahmaran Hamam".[2] The king eats her flesh and lives, the vizier drinks the extract and dies.[2][4] Camasb drinks the water of Shahmaran and becomes a doctor, by gaining the Shahmaran's wisdom.[2][4]

Since it is an old story, there are many variations of the same story.

In Turkey, Shahmaran is believed to live in the Mediterranean town of Tarsus and a similar legend is told in the Mardin region. In this region her legend is commonly evoked, with her image still depicted in embroidery, fabrics, and jewelry. The story and imagery of Shahmaran are considered a national treasure in Turkey.[4]

Many of the versions of the story of Shahmaran are found in fictional books including the J.C. Mardrus translation of Arabian Night Tales as the story of "Jemlia - the Sultan of Underground" and The Ring of Shah Maran, A Story from the Mountains of Turkey.[5][6] The 1944 fairy tale book called The Ring of Shah Maran, A Story from the Mountains of Kurdistan by Raphael Emmanuel tells the folk story of a boy that shares bread with animals and earns the respect of Shahmaran.[6]

Dutch singer of Iranian descent, Sevdaliza, included a song titled "Shahmaran" on her debut studio album ISON.[7]

In 2020, the Mardin Metropolitan Municipality in Turkey hosted a public art exhibition, Shahmaran Mardin, featuring Shahmaran statues artist by Ayla Turan, that were decorated by local artists and businesses.[4]

Historical references

The Shah Maran–Daulatabad basin is an ancient irrigation system from the Iron Age, found in the 1960s and 1970s near Tepe Yahya in southwestern Iran.[8][9]

In Adana in southern Turkey, the Yılankale (Snake Castle) is locally known as the home of Shahmaran.[10][11]

Shahmeran Hamam a historical hamam (Turkish bath) in Tarsus, Turkey, associated with Shahmaran.[12]

See also

Mythological dragons, serpents, and snakes

References
  1. Russell, James R. (1987). Zoroastrianism in Armenia. Harvard University Press. p. 422. ISBN 978-0674968509. (...) called Šahmaran (NP. šāh-i mārān 'king of the snakes' (...)
  2. "ŞAHMARAN: The Urban Legend of Turkey". Kanaga TV Web Series. NNaco. 2016. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
  3. Ahmed, Mohammed M. A. (2008). A Fire in My Heart: Kurdish Tales. World folklore series. Diane Edgecomb, Mohammed M. A. Ahmed, Çeto Özel. Libraries Unlimited. pp. 107–108. ISBN 9781591584377.
  4. "Shahmaran tale to resonate through Mardin streets with the art of sculpture". Daily Sabah. 2020-03-01. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  5. Mardrus, Joseph Charles (1992). 7. pp. 68–131. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. Emmanuel, Raphael (1944). The Ring of Shah Maran: A Story from the Mountains of Kurdistan. Danville, Illinois: Interstate Printers and Publishers.
  7. "Sevdaliza's Painful 'Shahmaran' Visual Is A Silent Liberation For Voices Of The Oppressed". BET.com. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  8. Adrianov, Boris V.; Mantellini, Simone (2013). Ancient Irrigation Systems of the Aral Sea Area: Ancient Irrigation Systems. Oxbow Books. p. 35. ISBN 9781782971672.
  9. Wight Beale, Thomas; Lamberg-Karlovsky, C. C. (2004). Excavations at Tepe Yahya, Iran, 1967-1975, Volume I: The Early Periods. American School of Prehistoric Research Bulletins 38. Peabody Museum Press. ISBN 978-0873655415.
  10. Murray, J. (1837). "A General Statement of the Labours and Proceedings of the Expedition to Euphrates, Under the Command of Colonel Chesney". The Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London. 7: 420 – via Google Books.
  11. "Snake Castle restored to welcome visitors". DailySabah. 2018-05-17. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  12. "Tarsus Belediyesi - Turistik Yerler". www.tarsus.bel.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2019-08-21.
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