Simorgh is a fabulous mythical bird that is found in all periods of the history of Persia, and shares features with other legendary birds. It looms large in Iranian mythology, folktale and mystic literature. It also features in cultures and traditions of a number of civilisations, and has been compared many times with other fabulous birds such as the Greek Phoenix, The Chinese Fenghuang, the Slavic Zhar-ptitsa, the Arab Qoqnus or even the Persian Homa.
In the pre-Islamic period we see the bird as a Senmurv or dog-bird prominent in Sassanian art. In the post-Islamic period it becomes a large bird with majestic plumage, brightly coloured red, orange and yellow, like a bonfire which is true to its nature. In some legends it plunges itself into flames to be consumed and reborn from its own ashes, a feature shared with the Phoenix of Western cultures as well as with the Egyptian Benou, a mysterious bird which appears once every 500 years on the occasion of its death and rebirth. Simorgh’s tears and plumage have healing powers and it is the only creature who can look directly at the sun.
Simorgh is a central character both in epic poetry and in mystical literature. While in the former, notably the Shahnama, it has a physical presence and is the saviour, tutor and guardian of Zal and subsequently of his son Rustam, in the latter it is the symbolic play on the words Si-morg, the flock of birds on a quest for enlightenment in search of their king, of which only thirty (si) reach their destination.
This paper examines the significance of the Simorgh in the art, mythology and folklore of different cultures and the ways it has been represented in different media. It further looks at the influence it has exerted on artists and the ways in which it has captured, and continues to capture, the imagination of the world.
