Ferdowsi
Persian poet of the Shahnameh
- Born
- c. 935, near Tus, Iran
- Died
- c. 1020–26, Tus
- Major work
- Shahnameh (Book of Kings)
- Completed
- c. 1010
- Also spelled
- Firdawsi, Firdusi
The Persian poet whose Shahnameh, the national epic of Iran, retells the legendary kings including Jamshid.
What is Ferdowsi known for?
Ferdowsi was born around 935 near Tus in northeastern Iran and died there around 1020. He spent decades writing the Shahnameh, the 'Book of Kings', finished around 1010. Britannica notes that he drew on an earlier prose version but gave the material its final and enduring form. The poem is one of the longest ever written by a single author.
The Shahnameh tells the history of Iran from the first kings through the Arab conquest in the seventh century. Its early legendary part includes Jamshid, the Persian form of the ancient figure Yima, a glorious king whose throne is lifted into the sky by demons, an event the poem links with the Nowruz new year festival.
The epic is a foundation of Persian literature and helped preserve Persian language and pre-Islamic tradition.
His Shahnameh turns the ancient Yima into King Jamshid, whose throne flies into the sky.
Mentioned on these pages
- Rabbit holeYima (Jamshid) and the Vara
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Ferdowsī'Reference
- Wikipedia, 'Ferdowsi'Reference
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