Manifestation of Some Ancient Iranian Beliefs in Firdowsi's Prologue to Bijan and Manijeh

In the prologue to love story of Bijan and Manijeh, Ferdowsi presents a meaningful description of a night. This is, in fact, a foreshadowing to the story and the difficulties the heroes encounter in the land of Turan. Along with his engagement to the motif of the battle between good and evil, or light and darkness, in the Iranian doctrine – the most striking example of which in Shahnameh is the battle between Iran and Turan– Ferdowsi employs similes for describing the night originating from the ancient Iranian beliefs. The mythical accounts of these beliefs are given in Pahlavi books, and through studying these sources, directly or indirectly, Ferdowsi has employed them. Based on the sources from the Iranian Middle period such as Bundahishn, Pahlavi Rivayat, Mēnōg ī xrad and Vizīdagīhā ī Zādisparam, the present study examines the implicit links of Firdowsi with Iran's ancient beliefs and traditions in the prologue of Bijan and Manijeh.