Abstract

MOHAMMADI SHIRMAHALEH, Shekoufeh. Gayomard and Gāv in the Zoroastian Tradition and in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh. A Decolonial Reading. Interpret. Rev. herméneut [online]. 2025, vol.10, n.1, pp.155-169.  Epub June 20, 2025. ISSN 2448-864X.  https://doi.org/10.19130/iifl.irh.2025.1/00s329x7w040.

Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh is a book for the masses, a memory of immemorial time and a linguistic and literary treasure for the Iranian peoples. But since the first century after its creation, it has been instrumentalized by kings and rulers who sought in it their glory and legitimacy in power. The modern age is no exception in this sense. The research presented here is intended as a contribution to popular efforts for the recovery and reappropriation of the Shahnameh as a book of the people. To this end I have chosen the first legend of Ferdowsi’s work, the story of Kayomarṯ, which speaks of the first days of material beings in the world. The article tries to connect the legend with its antecedents in the Zoroastrian tradition and reflects, from there, on our current condition as human beings in these delirious historical moments.

Keywords : Shahnameh; Ferdowsi; Kayomarṯ; Iranian myths; decolonial reading.

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