We have many prominent women in Shahnameh, including Rudabeh, Tahmineh, Farangis and Manijeh.
So what happens when we suddenly come across verses that seem misogynistic to us?
like:
He all wanted to see the truth / Because of women's work, everyone is short
Listen to this story / If you are looking for a woman
Kara was the girl behind the curtain / If it has a crown, it was a bad sign
Who was the leader of the association? / Shroud him better
Siavash was blown away by the woman's words / Blessed is the woman who gave birth to her mother
First of all, we must remember that Ferdowsi wrote his poems from a (How many) He writes texts and tried as much as possible to be a good trustee
Also, some verses have been added to the Shahnameh in different versions
Additional verses :
This verse to the story of Siavash (Siavakhsh)It is related to the pure prince of Iran that his stepmother Soudaveh falls in love with him and calls her to him; But after she faces Siavash's opposition and is disappointed with Vasal, she pretends to her husband Kikaus that Siavash intended to touch her.. Finally, at the suggestion of Mobdan Siavash, he must go through the fire to prove his innocence. A pile of firewood is gathered and everyone is waiting for Siavash to pass the mountain of fire (f. Khaleghi, vol. 2, page 234, b 476-472) :
The firewood of two high mountains was counted
From two miles away, whoever finds such a search, you must close the disaster
Everyone wanted to see Zakar Zan Aide
If you hear this story over and over again, it will make you look like a woman
To Giti, except the pious woman, the wicked woman, the flour-eating woman
The woman and the dragon, both in the soil, to the pure world, both of them are impure
The last verse in 15 manuscripts is not one of the oldest and most authentic manuscripts of the Shahnameh, on which the correction of Jalal Khaleghi Absolute is based, and it is not found in the famous editions of Jules Mol, Moscow, and even Brokhim..
After mentioning his bravery, Rostam tells his father Zal(f. Jol Mol, vol. 1, page 223, p. 58-59) :
From throwing milk, a drunken man died, the same as searching for war and the plain of battle
Women are called by that name that they constantly eat and sleep
These two verses from among 15 manuscripts are the basis of Khaleghi's correction(Volume 1, page 333, footnote 4) It is found only in one main manuscript and three sub-manuscripts, so it is definitely an addition..
When Rudabe falls in love with Zal
Cho took the place of wisdom, desire became more different to ritual and temperament
What a good word he spoke, that woman's voice cannot be forgotten by men in front of women
A woman's heart is the same as that of a demon, instead of talking, they seek votes
The last two verses of the 15 manuscripts are based on Khaleghi's correction (Volume 1, page 187, footnote 20) It is only found in two. These two verses, which made their way to Jules Moll's print through a manuscript, are not in the old and authentic manuscripts, and are of course an addition..
When the Shah of Yemen, who he loves very much, gives his daughters to the sons of Fereydoun, and he is upset to be separated from them, he says(c. Moscow, vol. 1, page 89, p. 170):
Who knows that she is not his daughter, because she was a girl, her star is not bright
Although this verse is the basis of Khaleghi's correction in only two of the 15 manuscripts and it is strong in most of the other manuscripts, the recognition of the Soviet correctors is doubtful and Khaleghi's recognition (Volume 1, page 102, footnote 26) It is supplementary.
Sudaveh continues to intrigue in Siavash's work and by "making magic" he increases Kikaus' suspicion towards his son.(f. Khaleghi, vol. 1, page 239, b 558-557):
Bryn told the story of a guide whose seal is not greater than blood seal
Because a worthy son was born from the love of women, he should be cut off
In print Joule Mol (Volume 2, page 123, page 603) After these two verses, which are undoubtedly the main ones, the following verse comes:
Another language and its heart is somewhere else, you can find your footing in your head
This bit in Joule Mol print (Volume 2, page 123, page 603) Among the 15 manuscripts based on Khaleghi's correction, this verse is the only one in 6 many of them (Volume 1, page 239, footnote 31) And it is not in 9 old and authentic manuscripts. Again, this verse made its way to Joule Mol's print through manuscript. In the undated Leningrad manuscript (In Moscow printing with mark VI) Instead of this bit, the following bit is given:
Don't work, also command a woman to never see a woman vote for a woman
When Afrasiab learns about his daughter Manijeh's infatuation with Bijan, an Iranian daredevil, and finds out that "a mate has been chosen from Iran".(f. Khaleghi, vol. 3, page 323, 236-235) :
The blood of the eyelashes came off with his hand and he told this story again
Kara was a girl from behind the curtain, if she has a crown, she is evil
After these two verses in Moscow printing (Volume 5, page 23, page 263) Below is the verse:
A daughter comes instead of a son to the blind son-in-law of Naid Badr
This verse is found in 7 manuscripts and is not found in the other 8 manuscripts, the oldest manuscript of Shahnameh is at the top of them, and Khaleghi has correctly identified it as an addition..
Noushzad, the Christian son of Anoushirvan starts a rebellion, and Anoushirvan gives a letter to the Madain border guard to suppress the rebellion and writes to him.(f. Moscow, vol. 8, page 102, p. 847-846):
The army that they are with Noushzad, where to turn, several times
You know it except for the wind and the wild game of the women
Regarding the second stanza of the second stanza, the Soviet correctors have seen the first record of the manuscripts corrected from among the 5 manuscripts as the basis of their correction. (Magazaf Jahandideh Azi Medan)The only and complete recording with the concept and simplicity of Cairo 796 (in Ch. Moscow with K sign) have been taken into text and L's recordings and the rest of the manuscripts have been marginalized.
Praise women, praise dogs, one dog is more pious than a hundred women
This anti-feminist and harsh verse called Ferdowsi in Dehkhoda's proverbs and sayings (Tehran, 1310 Sh., vol. 2, page 919, p. 25) recorded, but the author did not find it in any of the Shahnameh editions. If this verse is found in a Shahnameh, it is obvious that it is fake.
Also, remember that when we are narrating a story, we say some things that are not from our language, but actually from the language of the story character, and we are only narrators..
Like the following verses, which are not added, but are from the language of characters, not Ferdowsi:
Original bits:
At the beginning of "Speech of the passage of blackness over the fire"(f. Khaleghi, vol. 2, page 234, p. 476-475):
When it comes to a woman's work, you are all inferior
He wanted to see the truth
Come on, if you look at the woman
Listen to this story
Rostam says this when he learns about the killing of Siavash, of which Sudaveh was the main culprit.(f. Khaleghi, Volume 5, Page 382, B 49-48):
Shroud him better
Who was the leader of the association?
Blessed is the woman who gave birth to her mother
Siavash was blown away by the woman's words
Kikaus asks Siavash to go to his nightstand among women at Soudaveh's request. Siavash tells his father(f. Khaleghi, vol. 2, page 23, p. 161):
To the knowledge of women, who will lead the way
What do I learn inside Shabestan Shah?
Again about Sudaveh(f. Khaleghi, vol. 2, p. 239, B. 558-557):
There is no more dowry than blood dowry
Go tell a story, a guide
The heart of women should be cut
A worthy son was born
Afrasiab says :
If it has a crown, it was a bad sign
Kara was the girl behind the curtain
Rostam's ring falls into Bijan's hand and he realizes that he will soon be released from the well.. Before revealing this secret to Manijeh, he says(f. Khaleghi, vol. 3, page 376, page 983):
Women are not bound by language
that if the lips are embroidered, they will bite
Cataion, the daughter of Caesar of Rome, falls in love with Gestasp, the king of Chiani, and when Caesar learns about the incident ( f. Moscow, vol. 6, page 23, p. 255-253):
that brought a fault on the race
He replied that he should not be a girl
Shame on my head
If I leave you, my daughter
You have to go to the inner palace
Both him and the one he chose
(f. Khaleghi, vol. 5, leaves 295-294, B 37-40):
This sober story is good
He said this to Esfandiar's mother
How to say the words of recovery to Koi
Never tell a secret to women
Never see a woman vote
Can't even command
(f. Khaleghi, Volume 5, Page 330, B 465-464):
At the same time, he tells his father Esfandiar about Rostam's bravery:
Vera over the Kurd-Khor association
Esfandiar was disturbed by the avalanche
He should not sit with a woman secretly
Tell him, proud people
What does Mobad Bahram Gur say about this bee king?. Moscow, vol. 7, page 349, p. 777-777):
Sew two graves together with one arrow
Don't see such a powerful person
It will soon become loose like a feather
It is the result of women's modesty
Let it be loose to the lapis lazuli
Slow vision, dark and yellow face
Slow white in a hopeless world
The smell of women's hair turns white
There are several types of women's work
The young man will be the upper right hump
In addition, blood was spilled
Mix once a month
Should be a wise young man
This time for the sake of the child
The weakness of a man's body makes him bloodless
If you add more, it will decrease
Abolfazl Khatibi (Researcher of Persian language and literature ) This is what he says about this:It is true that all the anti-feminist verses quoted in the "main verses" section are undoubtedly composed by Ferdowsi, but it should be noted that Ferdowsi writes poetry from a single text and he himself clearly says that he is faithful In the Shahnameh, it is not at all the case that Ferdowsi's negative attitude towards women is expressed in the words of the heroes of the stories, but on the contrary, the negative attitudes of the heroes of the stories are expressed in the language of Ferdowsi.. As the Shahnameh and its heroes were created by Ferdowsi's creative mind, these negative attitudes towards women are not necessarily the storyteller's attitude and he has the right to create heroes who have a negative attitude towards women..
