Actions of Mythological Kings: An Educational Model in Historical Texts

One of the important features in Persian historical texts is the special attention paid to kings and rulers and their behavioral actions, and the authors of such texts sought to introduce kings as superior role models for other rulers, and, in such a fashion, attempted to moderately reduce the severity of the behavior of the rulers of their time and indirectly educate them. Examining the historical texts focusing on the mythological kings, we see that the historians have considered their era as a favorable era far from malice and impropriety, and have sought to present an exemplary, replicable model of the kings—a model that, if followed by other rulers, would result in the formation of an ideal society with people living in peace and prosperity. Further examination of the content of historical books shows that most of what has been said about the mythological kings and their behavior is related to their kind treatment of their subordinates and subjects, and special emphasis has been placed on spreading justice and preventing oppression of the people. In addition, paying attention to the religiosity of the kings and their role in guiding the people towards an ideal society is of special importance in these texts—a society where there is no news of oppression, and people live in peace and harmony.