All Topics  
Pahlavi literature

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Pahlavi literature
 
 
  Topics Pahlavi literature Topic Home

Middle Persian
Middle Persian

Middle Persian is the Iranian languages language/ethnolect of Southwestern Iran that during Sassanid times became a prestige dialect and so came to be spoken in other regions as well....
 literature is Persian literature
Persian literature

Persian literature spans two and a half millennia, though much of the pre-Islamic material has been lost. Its sources has been within historical greater Iran including present-day Iran as well as reigions of Central Asia where the Persian language has been the national language through history....
 of the 1st millennium AD, especially of the Sassanid period.

avi Literature can be divided in three parts:
  1. the Pahlavi version of the Avesta
    Avesta

    The Avesta is the primary collection of sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language....
    , generally known as the 'Zend-Avesta'.
  2. Pahlavi texts on religious subjects.
  3. Pahlavi texts on non-religious subjects.


includes several major Pahlavi texts which are translations of Avesta texts.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Pahlavi literature'
Start a new discussion about 'Pahlavi literature'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Middle Persian
Middle Persian

Middle Persian is the Iranian languages language/ethnolect of Southwestern Iran that during Sassanid times became a prestige dialect and so came to be spoken in other regions as well....
 literature is Persian literature
Persian literature

Persian literature spans two and a half millennia, though much of the pre-Islamic material has been lost. Its sources has been within historical greater Iran including present-day Iran as well as reigions of Central Asia where the Persian language has been the national language through history....
 of the 1st millennium AD, especially of the Sassanid period.

Literature of Pahlavi

Pahlavi Literature can be divided in three parts:
  1. the Pahlavi version of the Avesta
    Avesta

    The Avesta is the primary collection of sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language....
    , generally known as the 'Zend-Avesta'.
  2. Pahlavi texts on religious subjects.
  3. Pahlavi texts on non-religious subjects.


Pahlavi translations of Avesta texts

This includes several major Pahlavi texts which are translations of Avesta texts. It includes also some Afringan, Yasht and Niyayishn.

Some major Pahlavi books of this kind are:
  1. Vendidad
  2. Afringan-i Gahanbar
  3. Yasna
  4. Haptan Yasht
  5. Nirangistan
  6. Srosh Yasht Hadokht
  7. Vishtasp Yasht
  8. Sirozak I, II
  9. Visperad
  10. Frahang-i Oim-evak
    Frahang-i Oim-evak

    Frahang-i Oim-evak is an old Avestan-Middle Persian dictionary. It is named with the two first words of the dictionary: Oim in Avestan means 'one' and evak is its Pahlavi equivalent....
  11. Khurshet Nyayish
  12. Ahuramazd Yasht
  13. Aban Nyayish
  14. Bahram Yasht
  15. Afringan-i Dahman
  16. Hadokht Nask
  17. Afringan- Gatha
  18. Aogemadaecha
  19. Khurshet Yasht
  20. Chitak avistak-i gasan
  21. Mah Yasht
  22. Ataxsh Nyayish
  23. Vichirkart-i Denig
  24. Afaringan Fravartigan
  25. Mah Nyayish


Pahlavi texts on religious subjects

It includes several major Pahlavi texts about different Zoroastrian religious subjects such as cosmogony, cosmology, eschatology, creation of the world, ceremonies, rituals, Andarz, Pandnamak, Patit etc.

Major 9th-century texts include the encyclopedic Denkard
Denkard

The Denkard or Denkart is a 10th century compendium of the Zoroastrianism beliefs and customs. The Denkard is to a great extent an "Encyclopedia of Mazdaism" and is a most valuable source of information on the religion....
; Manushchihr's Dadestain-i Denig ("Religious Decisions") and Epistles
Epistles of Manushchihr

The Epistles of Manushchihr are a response to comments made by the author's brother on the subject of purification in Zoroastrianism.When Zadsparam, High-Priest of Sirjan proposed certain new precepts, the unsatisfied people of his district complained to his older brother Manuschchihr, who was High-Priest of Kerman....
; the treatises of Manushchihr's heretical brother, Zat-Sparam; and Bundahishn
Bundahishn

Bundahishn, meaning "Primal Creation", is the name traditionally given to an encyclop?diaic collections of Zoroastrianism cosmogony and cosmology written in Book Pahlavi....
 ("Original Creation").

Some other Pahlavi books of this kind are:

  1. Rivayat accompanying
  2. Shikand-gumanic Vichar
    Shikand-gumanic Vichar

    Shikand-gumanic Vichar is a Zoroastrian theology book of 9th century History of Iran#Conversion to Islam, Shu'ubiyya movement and Persianization process, written by Mardan-Farrukh....
  3. Shayast ne-shayast
    Shayast ne-shayast

    Shayast ne-Shayast .'proper and improper'.one of the Middle Persian books which is written about 8th century B/C and containing about 13,700 words .this book is a compilation of miscellaneous laws and customs regarding sin and impurity, with other memoranda about ceremonies and religious subjects in general....
  4. Bundheshn the creation
  5. Dana-i Menog Khrat
    Dana-i Menog Khrat

    The Dana-i Menog-i khrat, or 'opinions of the spirit of wisdom', a Middle Persian book which was written about 8th century.It comprises the replies of that spirit to sixty-two inquiries, or groups of inquiries, made by a certain wise man regarding various subjects connected with the Zoroastrian religion....
  6. Mah farvardin Ruz khordad
    Mah farvardin Ruz khordad

    Mah farvardin Ruz khordad is a book written in Middle Persian in the 7th century AC. It was written while Chosrous II attacked the Byzantine Empire around 624 AD....
     a notable evidents in a date
  7. Arda-Viraf Namag
    Book of Arda Viraf

    The Book of Arda Viraf is a Zoroastrian religious text of Sassanid era in Middle Persian language,contains about 8,800 words. It describes the dream-journey of a devout Zoroastrian through the next world....
  8. Jamasp Namag
  9. Zand-i Wahman yasn
    Zand-i Wahman yasn

    Zand-i wahman yasn is a middle Persian book, written in the 6th century. The Bahman Yast, usually called the 'Zand of the Voh?man Yast', professes to be a prophetical work, in which Ahura Mazda gives Zoroaster an account of what was to happen to the Iranian nation and religion in the future....
  10. Matigan-i Yosht-i Fryano
  11. Andarz Ushnerdanak
  12. Andarz-i Bozorgmehr Bukhtegan the advices by Burzoe
    Burzoe

    Burzoe or Bozorgmehr was a famous Iranian statesman and physician of the Sassanid era of the Persian Empire in the sixth century. He was the chancellor of Khosrau I ....
    .
  13. Matigan-i gujastak Abalish


Pahlavi texts on non-religious subjects

This includes several major Pahlavi texts which fall into the categories of Pahlavi glossaries, stories, poems, Geographies, etc. Some major Pahlavi books of this kind are:
  1. Matigan-i Hazar Datistan
    Matigan-i Hazar Datistan

    The Matigan-i Hazar Datistan was the judicial code of the Magistan, the imperial parliament of the Arsacid Dynasty of the Parthian Empire and, for a while, of the Sassanid Empire ....
     (Judicial code)
  2. Cities in the land of Iran
  3. Karnamak-i Artaxshir-i Papakan
    Karnamak-i Artaxshir-i Papakan

    The Karnamag-i Ardax?ir-i Pabagan or Book of the Deeds of Ardashir, Son of Babak, is a mythological Middle Persian tale written sometime during the Sassanid period ....
  4. Vizarishn- i Chatrang ud nahishn-i new Ardashir (invent of chess)
  5. Yatkar-i Zariran
  6. Drakht-i Asurig
    Drakht-i Asurig

    Drakht-i Asurig is an Parthian Language poem, from the Parthia era. It is framed as a dialogue between a goat and a palm tree. It is one of the oldest existing texts in Parthia Middle Persian, and of the few remaining examples of the Parthian language....
  7. Khusro-i Kavatan and his Page
  8. Frahang-i Pahlavig
    Frahang-i Pahlavig

    Frahang-i Pahlavig is a dictionary of Aramaic language ideograms with Middle Persian translations and transliterations . The glossary was previously known to Indian Zoroastrianism as the mna-xvatay , a name derived from the first two words of the first entry/lemma....
  9. Wonders of the land of Sagastan
  10. Forms of Epistles
  11. Namak-i Tenser the letter by Tenser
  12. Shah zanan the king of women


We have to add several other Pahlavi books which are now lost, and of which we are only aware through references in other Arabic and Persian texts, such as Ayyatkar-i Anushirvan the Arabic translation of which can be found in 'Tajarob-al Omam' of 'Ibn-i Muskuye', or 'Khvatay Namak' that is completely lost.

See also


  • Persian literature
    Persian literature

    Persian literature spans two and a half millennia, though much of the pre-Islamic material has been lost. Its sources has been within historical greater Iran including present-day Iran as well as reigions of Central Asia where the Persian language has been the national language through history....

External links