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Simurgh
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Simurgh
The simurgh (/sɪˈmɜːrɡ/; Persian: سیمرغ; also spelled senmurv, simorgh, simorg, simurg, simoorg, simorq or simourv) is a benevolent bird in Persian mythology and literature. It bears some similarities with mythological birds from different origins, such as the phoenix (Persian: ققنوس quqnūs) and the humā (Persian: هما). The figure can be found in all periods of Iranian art and literature and is also evident in the iconography of Georgia, medieval Armenia, the Eastern Roman Empire, and other regions that were within the realm of Persian cultural influence.
The Persian word sīmurğ (سیمرغ) derives from Middle Persian sēnmurw and earlier sēnmuruγ, also attested in Pazend texts as sīna-mrū. The Middle Persian word comes from Avestan mərəγō Saēnō "the bird Saēna", originally a raptor, likely an eagle, falcon, or sparrowhawk, as can be deduced from the etymological cognate Sanskrit śyenaḥ (श्येनः) raptor, eagle and bird of prey, which also appears as a divine figure. Saēna is also a personal name. The word was lent to Armenian as siramarg (սիրամարգ) 'peacock'.
On the other hand, the phrase sī murğ (سی مرغ) means "thirty birds" in Persian; this has been used by Attar of Nishapur in his symbolic story of The Conference of the Birds, the frame story of which employs a play on the name.
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The Simurgh is depicted in Iranian art as a winged creature in the shape of a bird, gigantic enough to carry off an elephant or a whale. It appears as a peacock with the head of a dog and the claws of a lion – sometimes, however, also with a human face. The Simurgh is inherently benevolent. Being part mammal, they suckle their young. The Simurgh has an enmity towards snakes, and its natural habitat is a place with plenty of water. Its feathers are said to be the colour of copper in some versions, and though it was originally described as being a dog-bird, later it was shown with either the head of a man or a dog (Bearded vultures are variably orange or rust of plumage on their head, breast, and leg feathers, but this is thought to be cosmetic. This colouration comes from dust-bathing or rubbing iron-rich mud on its body).
"Si-", the first element in the name, has been connected in folk etymology to Modern Persian si ‘thirty’. Although this prefix is not historically related to the origin of the name simurgh, "thirty" has nonetheless been the basis for legends incorporating that number – for instance, that the simurgh was as large as thirty birds or had thirty colours (siræng). Other suggested etymologies include Pahlavi sin murgh ‘eagle bird’ and Avestan saeno merego ‘eagle’.
Iranian legends consider the bird so old that it had seen the destruction of the world three times over. The simurgh learned so much by living so long that it is thought to possess the knowledge of all the ages. In one legend, the simurgh was said to live 1,700 years before plunging itself into flames (much like the phoenix).
The simurgh was considered to purify the land and waters and hence bestow fertility. The creature represented the union between the Earth and the sky, serving as mediator and messenger between the two. The simurgh roosted in Gaokerena, the Hōm (Avestan: Haoma) Tree of Life, which stands in the middle of the world sea (Vourukasha). The plant is potent medicine and is called all-healing, and the seeds of all plants are deposited on it. When the simurgh took flight, the leaves of the tree of life shook, making all the seeds of every plant fall out. These seeds floated around the world on the winds of Vayu-Vata and the rains of Tishtrya, in cosmology taking root to become every type of plant that ever lived and curing all the illnesses of mankind.
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Simurgh
The simurgh (/sɪˈmɜːrɡ/; Persian: سیمرغ; also spelled senmurv, simorgh, simorg, simurg, simoorg, simorq or simourv) is a benevolent bird in Persian mythology and literature. It bears some similarities with mythological birds from different origins, such as the phoenix (Persian: ققنوس quqnūs) and the humā (Persian: هما). The figure can be found in all periods of Iranian art and literature and is also evident in the iconography of Georgia, medieval Armenia, the Eastern Roman Empire, and other regions that were within the realm of Persian cultural influence.
The Persian word sīmurğ (سیمرغ) derives from Middle Persian sēnmurw and earlier sēnmuruγ, also attested in Pazend texts as sīna-mrū. The Middle Persian word comes from Avestan mərəγō Saēnō "the bird Saēna", originally a raptor, likely an eagle, falcon, or sparrowhawk, as can be deduced from the etymological cognate Sanskrit śyenaḥ (श्येनः) raptor, eagle and bird of prey, which also appears as a divine figure. Saēna is also a personal name. The word was lent to Armenian as siramarg (սիրամարգ) 'peacock'.
On the other hand, the phrase sī murğ (سی مرغ) means "thirty birds" in Persian; this has been used by Attar of Nishapur in his symbolic story of The Conference of the Birds, the frame story of which employs a play on the name.
.
The Simurgh is depicted in Iranian art as a winged creature in the shape of a bird, gigantic enough to carry off an elephant or a whale. It appears as a peacock with the head of a dog and the claws of a lion – sometimes, however, also with a human face. The Simurgh is inherently benevolent. Being part mammal, they suckle their young. The Simurgh has an enmity towards snakes, and its natural habitat is a place with plenty of water. Its feathers are said to be the colour of copper in some versions, and though it was originally described as being a dog-bird, later it was shown with either the head of a man or a dog (Bearded vultures are variably orange or rust of plumage on their head, breast, and leg feathers, but this is thought to be cosmetic. This colouration comes from dust-bathing or rubbing iron-rich mud on its body).
"Si-", the first element in the name, has been connected in folk etymology to Modern Persian si ‘thirty’. Although this prefix is not historically related to the origin of the name simurgh, "thirty" has nonetheless been the basis for legends incorporating that number – for instance, that the simurgh was as large as thirty birds or had thirty colours (siræng). Other suggested etymologies include Pahlavi sin murgh ‘eagle bird’ and Avestan saeno merego ‘eagle’.
Iranian legends consider the bird so old that it had seen the destruction of the world three times over. The simurgh learned so much by living so long that it is thought to possess the knowledge of all the ages. In one legend, the simurgh was said to live 1,700 years before plunging itself into flames (much like the phoenix).
The simurgh was considered to purify the land and waters and hence bestow fertility. The creature represented the union between the Earth and the sky, serving as mediator and messenger between the two. The simurgh roosted in Gaokerena, the Hōm (Avestan: Haoma) Tree of Life, which stands in the middle of the world sea (Vourukasha). The plant is potent medicine and is called all-healing, and the seeds of all plants are deposited on it. When the simurgh took flight, the leaves of the tree of life shook, making all the seeds of every plant fall out. These seeds floated around the world on the winds of Vayu-Vata and the rains of Tishtrya, in cosmology taking root to become every type of plant that ever lived and curing all the illnesses of mankind.
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