Kurdish legend of Shamaran

 

The Kurdish Mythology Shamaran

Shamaran is a mythical creature from the folklore of the Kurdish people.

Shamaran is known as the queen of the serpents. A Shamaran is often depicted as wise and beningn women with the features of a woman above the waist and those of a serpent below the waist. She is held to be queen of the snakes. When a Shamaran dies, her spirit is passed on to her daughter.

The legend is that she was in love with a traveler man named Tasmasp. Tasmasp adored her and her stories. When she had no stories to tell he wnet back to his country to visit his family, and Shamaran accepted his choise. When Tasmasp returned home, he discovered his king had become very ill. One of the kings helpers told him that the only way to get better was to drink Shamaran's blood. The kings soldiers took took people one by one into public baths (hamam) to see if to see if there are dots in their bodies. Because those who have been in the Shamaran kingdom and returned back usually have black dots on their bodies. When Tasmasp went to hamam, he was forced to tell where Shamaran was hiding. When they found her, she said: "Give the first glass of my blood to the king, the second to the big visir and the third to Tasmasp. The king died on the spot when he had drunk the first glass. The Grand Visir became a wise man who could lead the country with justice. And Tasmasp got rid of the dots on his body. In fact, the Shmaran was not dead. Just before she was brought up in the king's palace, she had given birth to a daughter, as was customary with every Shamaran. Within three days she would become her mother and would lead the kingdom of snakes".

The myth of the Shamaran is the foundation of the Kurdish mythology. In many Kurdish areas girls are found, as they prepare their dowry (marriage fift), with an image of Shamaran. This is the most important feature of the dowry. The picture is hung in the couple's bedroom. This is supposed to help provide fertility and happiness.

The myth of the fertility still exists today in Kurdistan another myth is the belief that snakes is bearing immortality.

More information: 

https://www.saradistribution.com/shamaranKurdishMytology.htm

Source: https://www.saradistribution.com/