Khrafstar in the Thoughts of Ancient Iranians; Based on Avestā and Pahlavi Texts and Shāhnāmeh

lion that have been created by Angra Mainyu to destroy the good world. In Avestā and Pahlavi texts, some manners are proposed to eliminate these devil creatures. The influence of Ferdosi and his book, Shāhnāmeh, on Iranian language and culture are clear. Yet an explanation is needed to show that how much his idea about khrafstars are influenced by Avestā and Pahlavi texts. By using descriptive and analytic method, the authors of present article try to study and compare the creatures that in Zoroastian religious texts are called khrafstar which are mentioned in Shāhnāmeh. The research shows that in Shāhnāmeh not only the term "khrafstar" is not mentioned but also it is not referred to an animal as devil creature. But, there are similarities between Ferdosi's ideas and Avestā and Pahlavi texts about noxious creatures. Finally, it has been referred to the role of these creatures in the myths of other nations and has been compared with Avestā and Pahlavi texts and Shāhnāmeh.