Parī

A ''parī'' or ''peri'' is a supernatural entity originating from Persian tales and distributed into wider Asian folklore. The ''parī''s are often described as winged creatures of immense beauty who are structured in societies similar to that of humans. Unlike jinn, the ''parī''s usually feature in tales involving supernatural elements.

Over time, the depiction of ''parī''s was subject to change and reconsideration. In early Persian beliefs, the ''parī''s were probably a class of evil spirits and only later received a positive reception. In the Islamic period, the ''parī'' already developed into morally complex beings with a generally positive connotation of immense beauty, and late in the tenth century, were integrated into the Arab houri-tale tradition. They are often contrasted by their nemesis the ugly '' dīv''s.

Despite their beauty, the ''parī''s are also feared because they are said to abduct people and take them to their
home-world, Parīstān, or punish people for social transgressions.

Etymology

The Persian word comes from Middle Persian , itself from Old Persian ''*''. The word may stem from the same root as the Persian word 'wing', although other proposed etymologies exist.

The etymological relation to the English word "fairy" is disputed. Some argue that there is no relation and that both words derive from different meanings.Marzolph, Ulrich (08 Apr 2019)
The Middle Eastern World’s Contribution to Fairy-Tale History
. In: Teverseon, Andrew. ''The Fairy Tale World''. Routledge, 2019. pp. 46, 52, 53. Accessed on: 16 Dec 2021.
https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9781315108407-4 - "Turkish peri masalı is a literal translation of the term 'fairy tale,' the originally Indo–Persian character of the peri or pari constituting the equivalent of the European fairy in modern Persian folktales (Adhami 2010). ..Probably the character most fascinating for a Western audience in the Persian tales is the peri or pari (Adhami 2010). Although the Persian word is tantalizingly close to the English 'fairy', both words do not appear to be etymologically related. English 'fairy' derives from Latin fatum, 'fate', via the Old French faerie, 'land of fairies'. The modern Persian word, instead, derives from the Avestan pairikā, a term probably denoting a class of pre-Zoroastrian goddesses who were concerned with sexuality and who were closely connected with sexual festivals and ritual orgies. In Persian narratives and folklore of the Muslim period, the peri is usually imagined as a winged character, most often, although not exclusively, of female sex, that is capable of acts of sorcery and magic (Marzolph 2012: 21–2). For the male hero, the peri exercises a powerful sexual attraction, although unions between a peri and a human man are often ill-fated, as the human is not able to respect the laws ruling the peri's world. The peri may at times use a feather coat to turn into a bird and is thus linked to the concept of the swan maiden that is wide-spread in Asian popular belief. If her human husband transgresses one of her taboos, such as questioning her enigmatic actions, the peri will undoubtedly leave him, a feature that is exemplified in the widely known European folktale tale type 400: 'The Man on a Quest for His Lost Wife' (Schmitt 1999)."
Others argue that both terms share a common origin:Seyed‐Gohrab, Ali Asghar. "Magic in classical Persian amatory literature." Iranian Studies 32.1 (1999): 71-97. the English term "fairy" deriving from ''fier'' (enchant) and the Persian term from ''par'' (enchant).Modi, Jivanji Jamshedji. "An Account of Comets as given by Mahomedan Historians and as contained in the books of the Pishinigan or the Ancient Persians referred to by Abul Fazl." (1917): 68-105. However, there is no consensus on either theory.

Persian literature

Originally, the ''parī''s have been considered a class of '' dēvatā'' and the term ''dīvānah'' refers to a person who lost reason because they fell in love, as the beloved steals the lover's reason. In this regard, the ''parī'' features similar to the Arabic ''jinn''. The ''jinn'', unlike the ''parī''s, do not have connotations of beauty however. In Middle Persian literature, comets have been identified with ''parī''. Comets and planets were associated with evil, while the Sun, the Moon, and the fixed stars, with good. Such negative associations of the planets, however, are not supported in Avestan languages.

In popular literature of the Islamic period, ''parī''s are non-human beings with wings and magical powers. They are often, though not necessarily, female and employ an erotic appeal to mortal men.Marzolph, Ulrich, and Richard van Leeuwen. "The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful: The Survival of Ancient Iranian Ethical Concepts in Persian Popular Narratives of the Islamic Period." The Idea of Iran: Tradition and Innovation in Early Islamic Persia (2012): 16-29. As early as the tenth century, ''parī'' feature as a template for the exquisite beauty of "the beloved" in Persianate folklore and poetry, echoing an identification with the Arabic Houri.Boratav, P.N. and J.T.P. de Bruijn, “Parī”, in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Consulted online on 31 January 2024
First published online: 2012
First print edition: , 1960-2007 However, the term has also been used as a synonym for ''jinn''.

At the start of Ferdowsi's epic poem ''Shahnameh'', "The Book of Kings", the divinity Sorush appears in the form of a ''parī'' to warn Keyumars (the mythological first man and shah of the world) and his son Siamak of the threats posed by the destructive Ahriman. ''Parīs'' also form part of the mythological army that Keyumars eventually draws up to defeat Ahriman and his demonic son.

In the stories of One Thousand and One Nights, a ''parī'' appears only in the story of ''Ahmad and Pari Bānu''. The tale is a combination of originally two separate stories; the ''parī'' features in the latter, when Prince Ahmad meets the beautiful princess Pari Banu. Ahmad has to deal with difficult tasks he manages to comply by aid of his fairy-wife.

Folklore

From India, across Northern Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran to Central Asia, and Turkey, local traditions variously acknowledge the existence of a supernatural creature called ''parī''. The term ''parī'' is attested in Turkish sources from the 11th century onwardDAVLETSHİNA, Leyla, and Enzhe SADYKOVA. "ÇAĞDAŞ TATAR HALK BİLİMİNDEKİ KÖTÜ RUHLAR ÜZERİNE BİR ÇALIŞMA: PERİ BAŞKA, CİN BAŞKA." Uluslararası Türk Lehçe Araştırmaları Dergisi (TÜRKLAD) 4.2 (2020): 366-374. and was probably associated with the Arabic ''jinn'' when entering the Turkic beliefs through Islamic sources. Although ''jinn'' and ''parī''s are sometimes used as synonyms, the term ''parī'' is more frequently used in supernatural tales. According to the book ''People of the Air'', the ''parī''s are morally ambivalent creatures, and can be either Muslims or infidels.

According to Turkologist Ignác Kúnos, the ''parī'' in Turkish tales fly through the air with cloud-like garments of a green colour, but also in the shape of doves. They also number forty, seven or three, and serve a Fairy-king that can be a human person they abducted from the human world. Like vestals, Kúnos wrote, the ''parī'' belong to the spiritual realm until love sprouts in their hearts, and they must join with their mortal lovers, being abandoned by their sisters to their own devices. Also, the first meeting between humans and ''parī'' occurs during the latter's bathtime. The ''parī''s are usually considered benevolent in Turkish sources. Shamans in Kazakhstan sometimes consult ''parī'' for aid in spiritual rituals. Uyghur shamans use the aid of ''parī'' to heal women from miscarriage, and protect from evil jinn. According to the Kho, ''parī''s are able to cast love spells, sometimes used by a spiritual master referred to as "Master of Faries".

Sometimes the ''parī''s would take interest in the life of humans and abduct them to invite them to weddings of fellow ''parī''. Alleged abductions can be either physical or psychological, in which case their victims lose consciousness. During the periods of abductions, people claim to be able to see, hear, and interact with ''parī'', and sometimes even report their words and appearance.

''Parī'' were the target of a lower level of evil '' Dīvs'' (دیو), who persecuted them by locking them in iron cages. This persecution was brought about by, as the ''Dīvs'' perceived it, the ''parī lack of sufficient self-esteem to join the rebellion against perversion.

Islamic scripture and interpretations

Abu Ali Bal'ami's interpretation of the ''Qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ'', the ''History of the Prophets and Kings'', God creates ''parī'' at some point after the vicious ''dīvs''.Abedinifard, Mostafa; Azadibougar, Omid; Vafa, Amirhossein, eds. (2021). Persian Literature as World Literature. Literatures as World Literature. USA: Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 37–43. They ruled the world until it was given to a tribe of angels called al-jinn (''fereštegan''), whose leader was Iblis. Although the ''parī'' are still present after the creation of Adam, and were present during the time of Keyumar, it is only after the flood that they became hidden from the sight of humankind.

Isma'ilite scholar Nasir Khusraw (1004 – between 1072–1088) elaborates on the concept of ''parī'' in his explanation of angels, jinn, and devils. He asserts that ''parī'' is the Persian term for ''jinn''. Then, he proceeds that the ''parī''s are divided into two categories: angel and devil. Each ''parī'' would be both a potential angel and a potential devil (''dīv''), depending on obedience or disobedience.Nasr, Seyyed Hossein, and Mehdi Aminrazavi, eds. An Anthology of Philosophy in Persia, Vol. 2: From Zoroaster to Omar Khayyam. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2007. pp. 320-323

Western representations

Arthur de Gobineau tells in his travel report about his 'three years in Asia' a story involving Fath-Ali Shah Qajar and ''parī''. Shah Qajar is said to have had a strong inclination towards the occult and had high respect for experts in the supernatural such as dervishes. One day, a dervish warned him that the prince needed precautions to meet the parī. The affection of parī might soon turn into wrath when he acted in a way that might offend it. He then prepares for a meeting at a pavilion outside the city. The garden was adorned with precious golden and silver vessels, jewelry, and costly furniture for the special occasion. After sunset, he fell asleep. When he woke up again, he found that there was not only was there no parī but also that the dervish was gone. The author of the tale was probably familiarized with the tale on his travels to Tehran at orders of Napoleon III in 1855. The authors leave a mark of mockery and use it as a sign of the Persian's gullibility. Whether Gobineau's remark holds true or not, the story reflects the popularity of such belief in Iranian consciousness.

In Thomas Moore's poem "Paradise and the Peri," part of his '' Lalla Rookh'', a peri gains entrance to heaven after three attempts at giving an angel the gift most dear to God. The first attempt is "The last libation Liberty draws/From the heart that bleeds and breaks in her cause," a drop of blood from a young soldier killed for an attempt on the life of Mahmud of Ghazni. Next is a "Precious sigh/of pure, self-sacrificing love": a sigh stolen from the dying lips of a maiden who died with her lover of bubonic plague in the Mountains of the Moon (Rwenzori Mountains) rather than surviving in exile from the disease and the lover. The third gift, the one that gets the peri into heaven, is a "Tear that, warm and meek/Dew'd that repentant sinner's cheek": the tear of an evil old man who repented upon seeing a child praying in the ruins of the Temple of Zeus at Baalbek. Robert Schumann set Moore's tale to music as an oratorio, '' Paradise and the Peri'', using an abridged German translation.

See also

* Dakini
* Iolanthe or ''The Peer and the Peri''

References

*

External links

''Epic of Kings'' by Ferdowsi, translated by Helen Zimmern (1883)

{{Swan Maiden

Fairies
Persian mythology
Azerbaijani mythology
Persian legendary creatures
Persian words and phrases
Armenian legendary creatures
Islamic mythology
Turkish folklore
Kurdish mythology
Avian humanoids