The Kingdom Connection between the Myth of Arash the Archer and Zab Tahmasab

Several Middle Iranian writings mention that Zab "spōxt" Afrasiab, thereby restoring water and borders. Some modern Iranian texts ascribe the same act of shooting at Afrasiab and spōxtan of him to Arash. Could the narratives of Arash and the kingdom of Zab perhaps be two iterations of a shared tale, wherein the myth is occasionally ascribed to both a warrior and the ruler of said warrior? Shahnameh scholars have identified various justifications for the omission of Arash's story in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. We can divide these justifications into two categories: firstly, Ferdowsi's original text did not include Arash's story, and secondly, Ferdowsi's text initially included Arash's story but later removed it during the compilation of Shahnameh. This article investigates whether the Shahnameh presents and narrates the story of Arash the Archer in a distinct narrative style, potentially following the "myth turn" method. The resolution of this inquiry hinges on demonstrating the convergence of the Zab myth and the Arash myth in terms of their underlying motif, as well as substantiating the existence of other instances of transformation and interchange between Zab and Arash in other literary works. By adopting this altered perspective, it becomes plausible to propose the hypothesis that Zab Tahmasab's realm and the tale of Arash are both retellings of an ancient Indo-European myth. This myth revolves around a deity associated with illumination who bestows rainfall and traverses boundaries, thus facilitating the potential for collective migration. Furthermore, the transfer and "myth turn" from Arash to Zab are evident in various Middle Iranian and New Iranian sources and share a comparable historical context.