Jamshid, Zahak and Fereydoun in the Shahnameh and in history: A hermeneutic approach

Abstract

Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh shares sources, influences and goals with contemporary works of history, but differs from them in significant ways, due, especially to the specific perspectives and semiotic strategies that he used to fulfill his unique goal of reviving Persian cultural identity in the hostile environment of the tenth century. A detailed hermeneutic comparison of the Shahnameh with the work of one of the most important Iranian historians of the 10th century, Tha’alibi, highlights the significance of these differences, underlines the specific contributions of Ferdowsi to Iran’s history, and explains the validity and power of his work.