, the Iranian
national epic, in
Qazvin, Iran
Folktales Storytelling has an important presence in Iranian culture. In classical Iran, minstrels performed for their audiences at royal courts A minstrel was referred to by the
Parthians as gusans| in
Parthian, and by the
Sasanians as in
Middle Persian. The following are a number of folktales known to the people of Iran: • ("Rolling Pumpkin") • (
fa) ("Moon-brow") • The Orange and Citron Princess| ("Bitter Orange and Bergamot Orange") • ("Old Woman's Cold"), a period in the month of
Esfand, at the end of winter, during which an old woman's flock is not impregnated. She goes to
Moses and asks for an extension of the cold winter days, so that her flock might copulate. • The Wolf and the Seven Young Goats| ("Shangul and Mangul") • ("Auntie Cockroach") •
The Wonderful Sea-Horse •
The Black Colt •
The Horse of the Cloud and the Wind Below are a number of historical tale books that contain Iranian folktales. • Amir Arsalan| ("Amir Arsalan the Famous"), a popular legend that was narrated to
Naser-ed-Din Shah. • Darab Nama| ("Book of Darab"), a 12th-century book by Abu Taher Tarsusi that recounts a fiction about
Alexander the Great and
Darius III. • , also known as "The Persian Alexander Romances", an Iranianized version of
The Romance of Alexander. Not to be confused with the classic book of
Nezami. •
One Thousand and One Nights, the frame-story of which derives from the now lost
Middle Persian work ("Thousand Nights"). • Samak-e Ayyar|, a folktale about an Iranian that was written down during the 12th century. , at times synonymous with Javānmardi| ("young man"), referred to a member of a class of warriors in Iran from the 9th to the 12th century. • Shahnameh| ("Book of Kings"), the
national epic of Iran, written by 10th-century Persian poet
Ferdowsi, based on , a
Middle Persian compilation of the history of Iranian kings and heroes from mythical times down to the reign of
Chosroes II. • , a derivation from the Greek romance of
Metiochus and Parthenope that was written down by Persian poet
Onsori in the 11th century.
Heroes at
Saadabad,
Tehran Heroes in •
Arash the Archer (), who shot his arrow from the peak of
Damavand to settle a land dispute between Iran and
Turan. The festival of
Tirgan is linked to this epic, besides having roots in the ancient myth of archangel
Tishtrya. •
Garshasp (), a dragon-slaying hero in Iranian legends, now honored as ("chief hero"). •
Gordafarid (), praised for her daringly martial role in the tragedy of Rostam and Sohrab| ("Rostam and Sohrab"). •
Kaveh the Blacksmith •
Rostam, a celebrated marzban| ("border-guardian"), best known for his mournful battle with his son
Sohrab. He was the son of
Dastan. •
Zahhak Other heroes • Hossein the Kurd of Shabestar (), a
Kurdish warrior from
Shabestar who devoted his life to fighting for justice, representing a Javānmardi| ("young man"). •
Koroghlu, a legendary hero who seeks to fight against the unjust, in the oral traditions of the Turkic-speaking peoples. •
Pourya-ye Vali, a 14th-century champion from
Khwarezm, regarded as a role model by
zurkhane athletes. •
Yaʿqub-e Leys, under the court of whom the
Persian language reemerged after two centuries of eclipse by
Arabic ("Two Centuries of Silence").
Characters in jokes •
Molla Nasreddin • Dakho
Creatures miniature painting, depicting a
demon () throwing
Rostam into the sea • Al (folklore)|: a scrawny old woman with a clay nose and red face who attacks pregnant women when they are alone and interferes with childbirth. It is believed that she carries a basket in which she puts the liver or lung of the mother, although a variety of other descriptions exist as well. •
Night hag (): a
ghost or an evil creature that causes
sleep paralysis. It is believed that the creature knows about hidden treasures, and one would be told of one of them by grabbing the creature's nose. One can rescue oneself from the creature by wiggling one’s fingers. • Himantopodes (): an evil creature that uses its flexible, leather-like legs as tentacles to grip and capture human beings. The captives will be enslaved and forced to carry the creature until they die of
fatigue. •
Huma: a
Griffin-like mythical bird said to never come to rest, living its entire life flying invisibly high above the earth, and never alighting on the ground (in some legends it is said to have no legs) •
Demon (; from
Avestan daeva|): an evil being,
devil,
ogre, or
giant. •
Ghoul (): a hideous monster with a feline head, forked tongue, hairy skin, and deformed legs that resemble the limp and skinny legs of a prematurely born infant. •
Genie (): a supernatural creature, comparable to the
elves and the
goblins, that is believed to have been created from smokeless fire and to exist invisibly alongside the visible world. •
Manticore (: from
Middle Persian ), a
man-eater with the head of a human and the body of a lion, similar to the Egyptian
sphinx. • Amen Bird (): a mythical bird in
Persian literature that flies continuously and fulfills people's wishes. • Peri|: a type of exquisite, winged
fairy-like spirit ranking between angels and evil spirits. •
Reera,
Rayra or
Raira: was a beautiful supernatural female who was believed to have brought beauty to the
Northern jungles of Iran. • The Patient Stone (): the most empathetic of listeners, which is believed to absorb the sorrows and pains of the person who confides in it. It is said that when the stone can no longer contain the pain it harbors, it bursts into pieces. • Shahmaran| ("Chief of the Snakes"): the intelligent queen of snakes who has human features above her waist and those of a serpent below. •
Shahrokh • Simurgh| (from
Middle Persian ,
Avestan ; "raptor"): a benevolent mythical bird. • Takam|: the king of goats, in the folklore of the Turkic-speaking people of
Azerbaijan. Traditionally, the stories of takam are recited in public theaters by a minstrel called
takamchi. • Zār|: an evil spirit in the folklore of Iran's southern coastal regions who
possesses individuals and harms them.
Locations •
Mount Damavand •
Mount Qaf •
Paristan ==Social beliefs and practices==