Čo ādīneh hormazd-e bahman bovad (When Friday Conforms to First Day of Bahman…)

Document Type : Research Article

Author

• Sajjad Aydenlou

10.22067/jls.v44i3.12647

Abstract

Ferdowsi has composed a few lines concerning himself at the end of the story of Shapur-e Zulaktaf beginning with:

چو آدینه هرمزد بهمن بود بر این کار فرّخ نشیمن بود

Scholars have proposed different hypotheses about these lines. Some believe that these lines reflect Ferdowsi’s desire to see the prophet Mohammad after his death, as the pleasure of completing this part of Shāh-nāmeh, and the celebration of his sixty-third birthday. Yet, considering the structure, the order, and the expressive method of these lines, it is revealed to us that Ferdowsi is emphasizing the coincidence of Friday and the first days of Bahman; so he thinks of holding a banquet. This coincidence is indeed very fortunate for Ferdowsi because Friday in Islamic faith is a holy day and Hormazd-e bahman in the ancient astronomical beliefs was the day of Venus, a planet of rejoice and jollification. Furthermore, the beginning day (Hormozd/Urmazd) of each month in the Iranian culture, having its impact on the Islamic culture, is a fortunate day regarded as a day of rejoice and feasting. There is evidence that the first day of Bahman specifically would be considered blessed like celebration. During the life of Ferdowsi, there was only one Friday that coincided with the first day of Bahman. Considering the fact that Ferdowsi mentions a few lines later that he has turned sixty-three years old, he must have been born in the year 324. This date, of course, contradicts the assumptions of most scholars who believe that Ferdowsi was born in 329 or 330.

Keywords

• Ferdowsi
• Shāh-nāmeh
• Friday
• Hormazd
• Hormazd-e Bahman
• Birth day of Ferdowsi

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