Mazandaran is a mythical land that has more epic and romantic legends and myths than any place in Iran, which is the most important land of the cultural and identity puzzle of the Iranian people due to its location between the

Alborz Mountains The Alborz ( ) range, also spelled as Alburz, Elburz or Elborz, is a mountain range in northern Iran that stretches from the border of Azerbaijan along the western and entire southern coast of the Caspian Sea and finally runs northeast and merge ...

Hyrcanian forests The Hyrcanian forests (; ) are a zone of lush lowland and montane forests covering about near the shores of the Caspian Sea in Iran and Azerbaijan. The forest is named after the ancient region of Hyrcania. The World Wide Fund for Nature refers t ...

and

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...

. Mazanderani mythology are based on

Mazanderani people Mazanderanis (), also known as the Tabari people or Tabarestani people ( or ), are an Iranian peoplesAcademic American Encyclopedia By Grolier Incorporated, page 294 who are indigenous to the Caspian Sea region of Iran. They are also referred ...

's faith in mythical and semi-mythical creatures and bearers of good and evil with the development of society. These stories were transmitted orally among the local people for many centuries. A large group of these mythical creatures became a part of Mazandaran folklore as separate stories.

List of Mazanderani mythical creatures

Bom Sari Kija

''Bom Sari Kija'' (translation: "the girl on the roof") was a malign supernatural female, in function somewhat resembling a lulu khorkhore, who was used to frighten children into good behaviour: in the folklore of Mazandaran, it was said that children who behaved badly would be abducted by this being.

Dawalpa

''Dawalpa'' was an evil being which captured people by winding its flexible, leathery, strap-like legs around their necks, shoulders or waists. Such captives would then be enslaved; forced, on pain of being clawed or half-strangled, to carry the demon around on their backs until they died of

exhaustion Exhaust, exhaustive, or exhaustion may refer to: Law *Exhaustion of intellectual property rights, limits to intellectual property rights in patent and copyright law **Exhaustion doctrine, in patent law ** Exhaustion doctrine under U.S. law, in ...

- at which point the monster would be obliged to seek a fresh victim. This being is best-known outside Iran as the

Old Man of the Sea In Greek mythology, the Old Man of the Sea (; ) was a figure who could be identified as any of several water-gods, generally Nereus or Proteus, but also Triton, Pontus, Phorcys or Glaucus. He is the father of Thetis (the mother of Achilles). ...

(''Šayk al-Baḥr'') as a result of the popularity of translations of the tales recounting the voyages of

Sinbad the Sailor Sinbad the Sailor (; or Sindbad) is a fictional mariner and the hero of a Literary cycle, story-cycle. He is described as hailing from Baghdad during the early Abbasid Caliphate (8th and 9th centuries A.D.). In the course of seven voyages thr ...

. One of Sinbad’s voyages features both the noxious entity and the traditional means of defeating him - namely making him

drunk Alcohol intoxication, commonly described in higher doses as drunkenness or inebriation, and known in overdose as alcohol poisoning, is the behavior and physical effects caused by recent consumption of alcohol. The technical term ''intoxication ...

/ ataxic enough to be dislodged (and preferably killed) by his unfortunate victim.

Reera

''Reera'' was a beautiful fairy woman believed to have haunted the

Mina and the Panther

The Legend of Mina and the Panther in Kandolus: The story of Mina and the Panther is a realistic legend from

Kandolus Kandolus () is a village in Zanus Rastaq Rural District of Kojur District, Nowshahr County, Mazandaran province, Iran. The village is located in the Alborz mountain range in the along the Zanos valley in North of Iran . History Kandolus is ...

, Mazandaran, about a panther that falls in love with the voice of a girl named Mina. Mina, an orphan with striking red eyes, lived alone in a cottage that still stands today as a tourist attraction. She had a melodious voice and would sing while collecting firewood in the forest. A panther, enchanted by her voice, followed her scent to her home. One night, it climbed onto her roof, and when Mina saw it, she fainted. Over time, she overcame her fear, and a unique friendship formed between them. The panther even helped her gather wood. As their bond deepened, the villagers noticed the mysterious nightly visits and the panther peeking through Mina’s window. When Mina was invited to a wedding in a neighboring village, she feared the panther would follow her. As expected, it tracked her scent but was attacked by dogs and later shot by the wedding guests. Hearing of the panther’s injury, Mina was devastated. She locked herself in her home all winter. Then, one misty spring day, she walked into the forest and was never seen again. Some believe the panther survived and took her into the wild. The legend endures in Kandolus, where Mina’s house remains, and a statue of Mina and the panther has been erected, keeping their story alive.1. همشهری آنلاین، سایت خبری روزنامه همشهری , hamshahrionline. افسانه ماندگار مینا و پلنگ در کندلوس. همشهری آنلاین. Published December 8, 2021. Accessed February 25, 2025. https://www.hamshahrionline.ir/news/641979/%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%87-%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AF%DA%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%86%D8%A7-%D9%88-%D9%BE%D9%84%D9%86%DA%AF-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%DA%A9%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B3 ‌

Mazandaran in the Shahnameh

Mazandaran is the abode of great Divs in the Shahanameh. Devils with the title:

Div-e Sepid In the Persian epic of Shahnameh Div-e Sepid (, lit. White Div), is the chieftain of the Divs (demons) of Mazandaran. He is a huge being. He possesses great physical strength and is skilled in sorcery and necromancy. He destroys the army of Kay K ...

, Akvan Div, and Arzhang Div have been mentioned as Shah of

Mazandaran Mazandaran Province (; ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari, Iran, Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range and Hyrcanian forests, it is border ...

. In Mazandaran province today, there are places named Div Asiyab, Div Cheshmeh, Div Kela, and Div Hamam. The location of

should not be confused with

Mazandaran province Mazandaran Province (; ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range and Hyrcanian forests, it is bordered clockw ...

, but it may have been a small area in this province. Some scholars believe that Mazandaran was a region in India, others believe that Mazandaran is in the

Levant The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

References

{{reflist Iranian folklore Culture of Iran