Heroes and Antiheroes in the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi: A Mythical-ethical Vision

Abstract

The Shahnameh of Abul Qasem Ferdowsi, a poetic text fromtenth century Persian literature regarded as the national epic of Iran, has written and oral sources that reflect the poetic traditionof different areas of the Iranian plateau, the most important being the Sasanian Jodaynamag (sixth century c.e.). Like other epics, it derives from myths, legends and history, and the depiction of its protagonists responds to the context and the demands of the sources. This paper seeks to explain the construction of the personality of heroes and antiheroes of the Shahnameh with reference to its mythical and heroic cycles, based on their functions in traditional myth and the context of different ethical frameworks.