Zahhak, the legendary serpent king from Persian mythology that was corrupted by an evil spirit
and cursed with monstrous snakes growing from each of his shoulders. He oversaw a reign
of terror and oppression that seemed unending. Who was this devilish King, and could he ever
be defeated? Let’s find out together, right now.
Zahhak was born as the son of a Persian ruler named Merdas. He was a handsome and clever
Prince, but easily swayed with no real conviction or strength of character. The perfect target
then for the evil spirit Ahriman, the devil of Persian mythology. With the ability to
change his form at will, Ahriman appears to the young prince as a flattering companion,
earning his trust and friendship over time and eventually convincing Zahhak to kill his
own father so that he may inherit the kingdom. Zahhak, unaware that he is being manipulated
so callously, digs a deep pit in the gardens where his father would pray each morning and
covers it with leaves. Merdas falls into the pit and is killed, and with no hint of suspicion
on him, Zahhak inherits the kingdom and becomes its ruler.
Not content with his work, Ahriman next appears as a marvellous cook and presents Zahhak with
many days of incredible feasts until the new ruler is willing to grant him any boon he
wishes. The devil in disguise asks only permission to kiss Zahhak twice, once on each of his
shoulders. His request is granted but the very moment the cook’s lips touch the second
shoulder of Zahhak, he completely disappears. Immediately two black snakes grow from his
shoulders and he cries out in shock and alarm. Zahhak demands the snakes be cut from his
body but each time they are severed with a blade, they grow back immediately.
Really getting into his stride now, Ahriman returns again to the king but this time disguised
as a skilled physician who advises Zahhak that there is no way to remove the snakes
completely and that all he can do is attempt to soothe them by satisfying their hunger
with a stew made from two human brains every day.
Zahhak eventually agrees and each day, commands his agents to seize two people from the population
and execute them so that their brains can be fed to the snakes. As you can imagine,
he was not the most popular of rulers by this point.
Now well and truly under the influence of Ahriman and his many forms, Zahhak is convinced
to wage a war against Jamshid, the ruler of the worlds greatest empire that had recently
lost the divine grace of God after becoming too arrogant. Zahhak builds a great army and
hunts Jamshid for many years, eventually capturing him and sawing him in half, taking command
of his huge kingdom and cementing himself in a position of absolute power, despite remaining
unwittingly under the influence of the devil of course.
The tyranny of Zahhak continues for many centuries, his legend born of terror and hate growing
every day as his power remains beyond contestation. One night, he has a nightmare where visions
of three warriors attacking him haunt his sleep. The youngest warrior knocks him down
with a mace and carries him off toward Mount Damavand as a large crowd follows.
Upon waking, Zahhak shouts so loudly that the palace walls shake and crumble. He summons
wise men and scholars from across the land to interpret his dream and eventually learns
that it was a vision of his downfall at the hands of a man named Fereydun, wielder of
the mace. He dispatches agents across the kingdom to
hunt down this enemy and soon learns that Fereydun is but a baby being nourished on
the milk of the marvellous cow Barmayeh. His soldiers trace the location of the cow but
by the time they arrive, the boy and his mother have already fled. They kill the cow but return
with their mission unsuccessful. Zahhak lives the next few years in constant
fear of this mystery boy. Such is his anxiety, that he writes a document testifying to the
virtue and righteousness of his kingdom and demands it is certified by the elders and
social elite in the hope it will convince Fereydun there is no need to attack. Most
are coerced into signing the document but one man, a blacksmith named Kava refuses given
that all of his sons but one had already been sacrificed to the snakes. He tears up the
document and marches from the court, raising the flag of rebellion and rallying as much
support as he can. He travels to the mountains to find Fereydun and convinces the now young
man that he must lead an army against Zahhak and end his reign of terror once and for all.
Fereydun agrees and crafts a mace with an oxs head, raising a huge army from the discontented
population and marching to the capital to face Zahhak.
The King however has already fled but following a short war, Fereydun comes face to face with
Zahhak. He strikes him down with his mighty mace but does not kill him, instead, on the
advice of an angel, he binds him and drags him to a cave underneath mount Damavand, just
as in the dream, where he imprisons the serpent king, tying him with a lions pelt fixed with
great nails into the walls of the cavern. There Zahhak remains, until the end of the
world. Thus the kingdom is freed from centuries of
oppression and Fereydun becomes a symbol of justice and freedom in Persian mythology,
remaining so until this very day. A classic tale of good vs evil that touches
on many elements of human weakness and how the promise of power can corrupt but that
ultimately, ends as a tale of freedom and the strength of unification against a great
evil.