Ferdowsi's Craft: How the Shahnameh Preserved Pre-Islamic Myths and Histories

Introduction

Abu’l-Qasem Ferdowsi Tusi (c. 940–1020 CE) stands as one of the most monumental figures in Persian literature. His magnum opus, the Shahnameh (“Book of Kings”), is an epic poem of some 50,000 couplets that weaves together myth, legend, and history to tell the story of the Iranian people from creation to the Arab conquest. Composed over more than three decades, the Shahnameh preserves Iran’s pre-Islamic heritage—its pantheon of gods, legendary heroes, and ancient dynasties—in a majestic tapestry of verse. In doing so, Ferdowsi not only rescued Iran’s pre-Islamic past from oblivion, but also forged a national identity that would resonate for centuries.

Drawing on Oral Tradition and Ancient Texts

Long before Ferdowsi’s time, a wealth of stories about Persia’s mythical past circulated among storytellers, court poets, and scribes. Tales of mighty rulers such as Jamshid, Fereydun, and Zahhak were preserved in the oral sphere, while fragments of Pahlavi (Middle Persian) manuscripts—some written down during the Sassanid era (224–651 CE)—survived in scattered codices. Ferdowsi collected these disparate sources:

• Oral Poetic Cycles: Minstrels (shaykhs) recited epic narratives at courtly gatherings, keeping alive the exploits of heroes like Rostam and Esfandiyar.

• Written Chronicles: Pahlavi works such as the Khwaday-Namag (“Book of Lords”) offered king lists and dynastic histories.

• Courtly Histories: Early Persian historians like Bal'ami and Tabari, writing in Arabic, recorded pre-Islamic events, though often through an Islamic lens.

By synthesizing these strands—both spoken and written—Ferdowsi created a unified epic that spans from the mythical creation of …