Div (mythology)
Country | Iran, Armenia, Albania, Turkey |
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Div or dev (Persian: Dīv/Dēw: دیو) (with the broader meaning of demons or fiends) are monstrous creatures within Persian lore.[1] Most of their depictions derive from Persian mythology, integrated to Islam and spread to surrounding cultures including Armenia, Turkic countries[2] and Albania.[3] Despite their Persian origins, they have been adapted according to the beliefs of Islamic concepts of otherworldly entities.[4](pp 37) Although they are not explicitly mentioned within canonical Islamic scriptures, their existence was well accepted by most Muslims just like that of other supernatural creatures.[5](p 34) They exist along with jinn, peri (fairies)[6] and shayatin (devils) within South and Central Asian demon-beliefs.[7]
They are described as having a body like that of a human, only of gigantic size, with two horns upon their heads and teeth like the tusks of a boar. Powerful, cruel and cold-hearted, they have a particular relish for the taste of human flesh.[8][full citation needed] Some use only primitive weapons, such as stones: others, more sophisticated, are equipped like warriors, wearing armour and using weapons of metal. Despite their uncouth appearance – and in addition to their great physical strength – many are also masters of sorcery, capable of overcoming their enemies by magic and afflicting them with nightmares.[9]
Their origin is disputed, although it may lie in the Vedic deities (devas) who were later demonized in the Persian religion (see daeva). In Ferdowsi's tenth-century Shahnameh, they are already the evil entities endowed with roughly human shape and supernatural powers familiar from later folklore, in which the divs are described as ugly demons with supernatural strength and power, who, nonetheless, may sometimes be subdued and forced to do the bidding of a sorcerer.
Terminology and relation to other spirits
The divs are often confused with jinn.
In other works, such as People of the Air, the div are explicitly distinguished from jinn.[11](p 148) In some cases, the term div is juxtaposed to the terms afarit, shaitan (devil), and taghut (idol), all some sort of demons in Islamic belief, indicating a relationship between those beings but distinct from the (regular) jinn.[12] In Abu Ali Bal'ami's account, the div are used interchangeable with marid, a type of devil which assaults the heavens in an attempt to steal news from the angels.[4](pp 41–42) The term marid is likewise confused with ifrit, in some works, like the standard MacNaghten edition of One Thousand and One Nights.[13]
History
The divs seem to have originally been Persian, pre-Zoroastrian, divine or semi-divine beings who were subsequently
Origins
Divs probably originate from the
Zoroastrianism
In the
First known opposition
Evident from Xph inscriptions, Xerxes I (reigned 486–465 BCE) ordered the destruction of a sanctuary dedicated to Daivas and proclaimed that the Daeva shall not be worshipped.[15] Therefore, first opposition of Daeva must be during or before the reign of Xerxes.
However, the original relation between Daeva and Persian religion remains up to debate. There might have been a pantheon with several types of deities, but while the Indians demonized the Asura and deified the Deva, the Persians demonized the Deva, but deified Asura in the form of Ahura Mazda.[16]
Middle persian era
In
Although the term dew (Middle Persian for div) is not attested in the
Dissemination into the wider Islamic world
From this Persian origin, belief in div entered Muslim belief. Abu Ali Bal'ami's work on the history of the world, is the oldest known writing including explicitly Islamic cosmology and the div. He attributes his account on the creation of the world to Wahb ibn Munabbih.[4]: 40
Some divs appear to be considered the incarnation of (false) Indian deities, who, unlike jinn, refused to obey the Prophet Solomon.[22]
Evident from the
While some div appear as supernatural sorcerers, many div appear to be clearly demonized humans, including black people, attributed with supernatural strength, but no supernatural bodily features. Some people continued to worship div in their rituals during the early Islamic period, known as "Daevayasna", although probably out of fear.[23][full citation needed] People of Mazdaran might have been associated with such worship and therefore equated with these entities. Despite many div that appear human in nature, there are also clearly supernatural div, like the white div, who is said to be as huge as a mountain.
Muslim texts
Div (demons or fiends) are the former masters of the world, dispossessed yet not extinguished, they are banished far away from the human realm. They occupy a liminal place both spatial and ontological, between the physical and the
Throughout many legends they appear as villains, sorcerers, monsters, ogres, or even helpers of the protagonist. It is usually necessary to overcome the div to get his aid. After defeating the div, one must attach a horseshoe, a needle or an iron ring on his body to enslave them.
On the other hand, a div can not be killed by physical combat, even if their body parts are cut off. Instead, one is required to find the object storing the soul of the div: After that object is destroyed, the div is said to disappear in smoke or thin air. The notion of a demon tied to a physical object, later inspired the European genie.[26]
Sometimes they are referred to as maradah.
Origin legends
According to the Süleymanname, the divs were created between the faeries and the jinn, made from the fires of the stars, wind, and smoke; some of them have wings and can fly while others can move quickly.[27]
The div were manifest (ashkar) and evident (zaher) until the great flood. Afterwards, they became hidden.[4]: 43
Sufi Literature
The term div was still widely used in the
In Rumi's Masnavi, demons serve as a symbol of pure evil. the existence of demons provide an answer to the question about the existence of evil. He tells a story about an artist who draws both "beautiful houris and ugly demons". Images of demons do not diminish the artists talents, on the opposite, his ability to draw evil in the most grotesque way possible, proves his capabilities. Likewise, when God creates evil, it does not violate but proves his omnipotence. (Masnavī II, 2539–2544; Masnavī II, 2523–2528)[32]
The Kulliyati Chahar Kitab reads as follows to explain the effect of demons on the human soul:[33]
"The desire to give up nafs is weak, the worship of God will weaken nafs.... Anyone who gives up hedonism, he will overcome the oppressive nafs.... If one behaved according to his carnal desire, how could one make jihad [struggle] with nafs. ... The killing of nafs may not be possible except by means of the use of the dagger of silence, the sword of hunger, or the spear of solitude and humility.... If you want to kill the div [demon] of nafs, you must stay away from the haram [forbidden].... If you are a slave of your sexual desire, even if you think you are free, you are a prisoner."
Folklore
Armenian
In Armenian mythology and many various Armenian folk tales, the dev (in Armenian: դև) appears both in a kind and specially in a malicious role,[34] and has a semi-divine origin. Dev is a very large being with an immense head on his shoulders, and with eyes as large as earthen bowls.[35][page needed] Some of them may have only one eye. Usually, there are black and white devs. However, both of them can either be malicious or kind.
The White Dev is present in Hovhannes Tumanyan's tale "Yedemakan Tzaghike" (Arm.: Եդեմական Ծաղիկը), translated as "The Flower of Paradise". In the tale, the Dev is the flower's guardian.
Jushkaparik, Vushkaparik, or Ass-Pairika is another chimerical being whose name indicates a half-demoniac and half-animal being, or a Pairika—a female Dev with amorous propensities—that appeared in the form of an ass and lived in ruins.[35][page needed]
In one medieval Armenian lexicon, the dev are explained as rebellious angels.[36]
Persian
According to Persian folklore, the divs are inverted creatures, who do the opposite of what has been told to them. They are active at night, but get sleepy at day. Darkness is said to increase their power.[9] Usually, the approach of a div is presaged by a change in temperature or foul smell in the air.[9] They are capable of transformation and performing magic. They are said to capture maiden, trying to force them to marry the div.[9] Some have the form of a snake or a dragon with multiple heads, whose heads grow again, after slain, comparable to the Hydra.[37] In his treatise about the supernatural Ahl-i Hava (people of the air), Ghulam Husayn Sa'idi discusses several folkloric beliefs about different types of supernatural creatures and demons. He describes the Div as tall creatures living far away either on islands or in the desert. With their magical powers, they could turn people into statues by touching them.[11][38]
The divs are in constant battle with benevolent peris (fairies).[39][40] While the divs are usually perceived as male, the peris are often, but not necessarily, depicted as female.[41] According to a story, a man saved a white snake from a black one. The snake later revealed that she was a peri, and the black snake a div, who attacked her. The divs in turn, frequently try to capture the peris and imprison them in cages.
Turkic
Div in Turkish language refers to a (primordial) giant.[42] According to Deniz Karakurt, they usually feature as elements of fairy-tales as enemies of a hero,[43] but others also identified them in folktales.[44] In such tales, they are associated with Erlik (Lord of the underworld), but unlike Erlik, they can be killed.[45] In some later depictions, they aren't necessarily evil and a hero might turn them into benign and supportive creatures.
In
In Kisekbasch Destani ("Story of the cut head"), a
In modern times, the role of the divs are sometimes inverted.
Occult depictions
Div appear within Islamic treatises on the
Probably, the legends of the Quran about Solomon are conflated with the legends of the Persian hero Jamshid, who is said to have enslaved the divs.[50] In later Islamic thought, Solomon is said to have bound both devils and the divs to his will, inspiring Middle Eastern magicians trying to also capture such demons.
In some stories, divs are said to be able to bestow magical abilities upon others. Once, a man encountered a div, and the div offered him to learn the ability to speak with animals. However, if the man tells someone about this gift, he will die.
Footnotes
- ^ The scope of aēnah- "error" is not precisely understood, and in Yasna 32.3 it is unclear if the association of daeva- with unambiguously negative terms (for example with aka- "evil") formulates a relationship or is the revocation of one. The definitions of Yasna 32.3 occur with a syntactical construct that is otherwise unattested.
See also
References
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