| /wkthompson@aol.com/ Dear All, I would like to re-introduce the
Simorgh as a possible source of inspiration for the Baluchi bird. Before
everyone groans that this issue was beaten to death in Salon 43, consider
the following. For a creature to become an icon (commercial appeal aside),
it must have an obvious meaning not only to the weaver but also to the
surrounding culture at large. Assuming that the Baluchi bird is more than
just an attractive shape, we should look to the mythology and oral
tradition of the area. The simorgh (or simurgh) certainly has long history
in Persia, especially in the eastern part. Although it is an old,
pre-Islamic creature, its written history comes from the 11th and 13th
centuries. The principal sources of information on the Simorgh in the
Islamic period seem to have been Ferdowsi (c 1000 CE) and Attar (c 1200).
Both writers came from greater Khorasan, the Baluchis’ region. Ferdowsi,
who wrote about the Simorgh in the "Shahname," the Persian national epic,
was born in 940 CE in Toos, 30 Km from Mashhad. Farid od-Din Attar, author
of the Sufi "The Conference of the Birds," was born in Nishapur around
1150 CE. Each writer put the Simorgh into a different context, which may
account for confusion about some aspects of this mythical creature. In the
Shahname, which records oral traditions, the Simorgh is a phoenix-like
creature living atop Mt. Elburz. I avoid saying specifically bird, because
it may have been the sort of hybrid bird (e.g. the hippogryff) that
abounds in myths. In any case, it had prominent red tail feathers. The
Simorgh rescues the baby Zal, father of the Persian national hero Rostam,
from death by exposure on the slopes of Mt. Elburz. (presumbly the Elburz
northeast of Tehran.) The Simorgh brings up Zal in its nest and thereby
preserves the Persian royal line. The Simorgh’s prominent tail feathers
are not only salient, but its most magical attribute. When burned, they
summon the Simorgh for emergency assistance. Zal uses one for calling the
Simorgh to perform a caesarian on Rostam’s mother so that Rostam can
survive to lead the Persians. The geographical setting is in Eastern
Persian/Afghanistan, as Zal’s father is King of “Zabolistan”, presumably
the area around Zabol. In the Attar allegory, a group of birds sets off in
search of the Simorgh, said to be a “super-Bird”, to be their king. The
fly an ordeal-path through seven valleys, after which their number is
reduced to thirty. At that point, they discover that they, thirty (Si)
birds (Morgh) as a flock, are the Superbird that none could be as an
individual. The birds are supposed represent the individual enlightened
Sufis, who together become divine wisdom greater than its constituent
parts. The literature says that Attar’s poem was immensely popular through
the Eastern Islamic world. The Simorgh shows up as the Zumrudu-anka in
Turkey and as the Anqa in the Arab world. One hypothesis is that the
Baluchi bird is a fusion of both these concepts. Both authors come from
"Baluchi territory." If one can believe the literature, the simorgh legend
would have been sufficiently widespread in the folk knowledge of the
region for it to have had common recognition. The prominent tail feathers
would have been an important clue in any depiction. But there is also the
“many-within-one” aspect of the Attar “Conference of the Birds” allegory.
The birds I have on Baluchi bagfaces all have latch-hooked diamonds in
their interior, as if we were looking at an xray of the contents of the
bird. Could these stand for the si (thirty) morgh (birds) that constitute
the whole? There is an even clearer depiction of this concept in a large
calligraphic drawing of the Simorgh in the Topkapi collection, showing a
large fanciful bird with lots of stylized smaller creatures inside it
waiting to burst forth. Unfortunately, it isn’t in any catalog, but those
of you who visited the Corcoran exhibition may remember it. I am hardly an
Islamic scholar and realize this is just another piece of speculation. I
can't defend it much further than by what is set forth above, but it is at
least anchored to specific texts and concepts. Since this is already so
long, I am not including footnotes, but here are a couple of URLs for
those who want to explore. Best regards, Ken PS If you want a Caucasian
connection for the Kaitag bird, there is a Mt. Elbrus in
Kabardino-Balkaria on the Georgian border. Suppose this were the Mt.
Elburz…? http://www.elbrus.org/maps/maps.htm
http://www.netiran.com/Htdocs/Clippings/Social/980301XXSO01.html
http://www.elbrus.org/maps/kavkpol.gif
http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/world/mideast/mi-homa.htm
http://www-instruct.nmu.edu/english/zthundy/chaosandct.html
http://www.farsinet.com/mashhad/neyshabur.html
http://www.princeton.edu/~jwc/shahnameh/illustration.html
http://knight3.cit.ics.saitama-u.ac.jp/hobbies/iran/Shahnameh/shahnameh_ch03.html
(archaic translation of relevant section) |
