Dugdav and the Mysterious Light
This myth is partially taken from the Denkard, an ancient Zoroastrian text.
Long, long ago, a young
girl named Dugdav lived in a small village somewhere in Central Asia. One day Dugdav was out
tending the family cattle when she suddenly heard a voice. She looked up into the blue sky and saw a
large patch of white cloud right above her. Then a hole in the cloud opened up, a ray of light shone on
her, and a voice said, "Dugdav, have been chosen to bear a very special son. Your son will grow up to
guide the people to Righteousness and Truth. Eat this sacred plant for it will give you much strength."
Dugdav looked around, but she didn't see anyone. In front of her, however, lay a bowl of milk, and
over the bowl there was a green twig with fragrant leaves. Dugdav reluctantly ate the strange plant
and drank the milk.
When she went to wash the bowl in the nearby pond, she noticed her face-it
glowed like the morning sun! Amazed and scared, she ran toward home. On the way, farmers in a
barley field saw her. They said, "Look at Dugdav! Her face is so bright! What happened to her?" As
she passed by a waterfall, village women, who were filling their jars with water, noticed her. "Look at
Dugdav!," they said. "There is a halo around her!" Dugdav reached a wide pasture where several
men were preparing for a chariot race. The warriors saw her and cried, "Look at this girl's face! What
is wrong with her?"
Dugdav finally reached home. As she stepped through the door, the dark room
brightened up. Her face glittered more than the burning fire at the altar. When her parents and little
brothers saw her, they were amazed. "What happened to you, Dugdav?" they asked. "There is a halo
around your face!" Dugdav explained to them what had happened. The next day all the villagers saw
Dugdav's glowing face and got really frightened. They thought Dugdav was bewitched. So they went to
Dugdav's father and said, "Frahim-Rava, have you noticed the golden light around your daughter's
face? She's turned into an evil witch. We have to kill her, or she'll destroy our village." Dugdav's father
was a wise sage. He knew his daughter had to be very special to have a golden light surrounding her.
So he refused to hand her over. But the villagers didn't give up. They complained to the Karapans,
the high priests of the village. The Karapans were ignorant and mean, but they had much influence.
They decided to put Dugdav through a Fire Ordeal to see if she was guilty. The next day at the
sunset, they lit a large bonfire. All the villagers gathered to see the Fire Ordeal. Frahim-Rava stood
calmly among the crowd for he was confident of his daughter's innocence. Dugdav's mother, however,
cried with worry. The evil Karapans pushed Dugdav through the fire. Dugdav was frightened but did
not show her fear. She bravely stepped into the blazing fire. They crowd cheered. They thought they
had destroyed their witch, but Dugdav emerged from the fire unharmed-her bare feet, white dress,
and long hair were untouched.
The crowd gasped with surprise. The mean Karapans frowned. They weren't pleased at all. But they
remained silent. A few months later, a mysterious disease swept the village killing all the camels and
the cows. The villagers didn't know what to do. They prayed to their gods, but the livestock kept
dying. The priests told the people that someone in the village was using black magic to kill their
animals. "Who could do this?" the villagers wondered. People felt anxious and were ready to blame
someone.
The next evening as Dugdav and her family were quietly having their supper, they heard a
lot of noise outside their home. Dugdav looked out of the window and saw a large crowd gathering
around the house. The angry villagers stood outside with torches in their hands-the Karapans among
them. Someone in the crowd shouted, "Dugdav, you are an evil witch. You are using black magic to kill
our cows. Come out, or we'll burn your home." Another man cried, "Frahim-Rava, give up your
daughter now. She has the mark of the demons. If she stays alive, we'll lose all our valuable cattle."
The crowd went wild. "Dugdav is a witch! Dugdav is a witch!"
Scared, Dugdav and her family
remained inside. They didn't know what to do. Shaken, they gathered around the family fire altar,
placed some incense in the fire, and prayed to be saved. Suddenly, huge black clouds appeared in the
sky. A heavy thunderstorm started. The rain and hail pelted the crowd. And then a thunderbolt
crashed in the middle of the crowd forcing everyone to run home.
That night Dugdav’s father
realized his daughter was in real danger, so he decided to send her to a friend’s house in a far away
place. "My dear, you have to go away to the Spitama family. The Spitamas will take care of you. If you
stay here, the villagers will surely kill you," said her father. Before dawn, Dugdav took her father's
best horse and quickly rode out of the village.
She rode for two days until she came across a man
carrying his sick mother on his back. He was taking her to a healer in a village over the mountains.
When Dugdav saw how the man suffered, she offered him her horse. The man got very happy and
thanked Dugdav for her kindness.
Dugdav continued her journey on foot for many days and nights
until she reached the White Forest. She wandered in the Forest for days unable to find her way out.
Her soft leather boots tore and her toes bled. Tired and hungry, she sat down under a tree to rest.
Dugdav looked around. All around her loomed tall trees. She thought, with tears in her eyes: what if
the demons and witches could come out of the forest and hurt her? All at once, from behind a bush
appeared a white horse. Its mane and tail were golden and its saddle was silver. Dugdav got on the
horse, and the horse galloped away so fast that it seemed as if they were flying! They left the Forest
and passed the wheat fields and the grassy hills until they crossed a large river. On the shores of the
river stood a village with mud brick houses. Dugdav knew the Spitama clan lived in this village. She
wanted to thank the kind horse for bringing her there, but the horse had already disappeared. The
Spitamas were wise and kind. They realized that Dugdav was a special girl. So they let her stay with
them and lovingly took care of her. Dugdav later married one of their sons, a kind farmer named
Pourushaspa. One day, on the sixth day of spring, Dugdav gave birth to a baby boy called
Zarathushtra. When Zarathushtra grew up, Ahura Mazda, the Wise Lord, chose him to guide the
people to Righteousness and Happiness. The First Prophet: The Story of Zarathushtra
Long ago, on the wide steppes of Central Asia near the Aral Sea, there was a small village of mud-brick
houses. In this village lived the Spitama family. One day on the sixth day of spring, a boy was born into
this family. His parents named him Zarathushtra. When Zarathushtra was born, he did not cry, but
laughed loudly. The midwives in the room were amazed, for they had never seen any baby laughing at
birth. In the village lived an evil sorcerer who did not like baby Zarathushtra. "I have to destroy this
child," he thought, "for if he grows up, people will follow him, and I will lose all my power." The
mean sorcerer went to Zarathushtra’s father, Pourushaspa, and complained, "Pourushaspa Spitama, I
have come to warn you. Your son is a bad omen for our village because he has laughed at birth like a
demon. You have to kill him, or the gods will destroy our horses and crops." Pourushaspa did not
want to harm his son, but the wicked sorcerer had put a spell on him.
The next morning,
Pourushaspa made a large bon fire and put baby Zarathushtra in the middle of the fire. But the fire
didn’t touch the baby. When the evil sorcerer heard the news, he got very upset. Then he gave
Pourushaspa another plan. This time, Pourushaspa took his son to a narrow valley and put him on
the path of a thousand running oxen so that the oxen would trample on him. But, the lead ox noticed
Zarathushtra immediately and stood over him, guarding him from the stampede. The evil sorcerer’s
second plan didn’t work either. After a few months, the evil sorcerer thought of yet another plan. He
told Pourushaspa to put Zarathushtra inside a she-wolf’s den so that the wolf would eat him up.
Instead, the wolf was kind and took care of Zarathushtra until his mother, Dugdav, came to take him
home.
As soon as the evil sorcerer heard that little Zarathushtra was still alive, he became so furious that
he fell off his horse and died.
When Zarathushtra grew up, he often roamed the steppes wondering,
"Who has made the sun and stars in the sky? Who has made the moon wax and wane? Who has
created the waters and plants? Who has brought righteousness and kindness to people?" One day
Zarathushtra was sitting by a river and pondering when a strange man appeared in front of him. The
man was ten feet tall with a bright face and long curly hair, and wore a white silk robe. Zarathushtra
asked him who he was. The man answered, "Zarathushtra Spitama, I am archangel Vohuman. I have
come to take you somewhere." The angel took Zarathushtra’s hand, and they flew up into the blue
sky until they reached a lighted place where it was so bright that at first Zarathushtra could not see
anything. When his eyes cleared, he saw seven angels with glowing faces waiting for him. The angels
said, "Zarathushtra Spitama, you have been chosen as God’s messenger. Go tell the people to give up
their false gods. There is only one God, Ahura Mazda, the wise Lord. He is the one who has created all
the good things in the world and He wants you to guide the people to righteousness." "But how can I
do that? I am neither a powerful king nor a warrior!" Zarathushtra asked. The angels answered, "Use
your wisdom and follow the good thoughts, good words, and good deeds."
Zarathushtra went home
and told his fellow villagers about what he had seen. His family accepted his religion, but the priests in
his village rejected him. They thought, "Why should we give up our gods? Why should we give up our
ancient rituals?"
The old priests didn’t want to give up their old gods for fear of losing their wealth
and power. They didn’t like Zarathushtra and his religion, so they plotted to kill him.
However, Ahura
Mazda didn’t want any harm done to Zarathushtra. He sent archangel Vohuman to warn him. The
archangel appeared to the Prophet and said, "Zarathushtra Spitama, beware! Your fellow villagers are
planning to kill you and your followers. Go away or you will be all perished." Thus, the Prophet and
his twenty-two followers took their horses and camels and fled the village. They traveled for many
weeks until they came across a place where a king named Vishtaspa ruled. Zarathushtra went to
King Vishtaspa’s court and said, "King Vishtaspa, I have brought you a message from Ahura Mazda, the
Wise Lord. Give up the false gods for only one God has created the world." King Vishtaspa, however,
refused. He thought, "Why should I believe this stranger? My gods are surely more powerful than his
God." But the following day, something strange happened. King Vishtaspa’s favorite horse got a
mysterious disease. His legs became smaller and weaker each day so that he could no longer stand on
his feet. The King summoned the best healers in the land, but no one could cure his horse. He then
prayed to the gods day and night and sacrificed a thousand horses and camels for them. But the gods
did not cure his horse.
Zarathushtra heard the news and went to the King and said, "I can cure your
horse, but first you should grant my four wishes." King Vishtaspa immediately agreed. The prophet
then asked that first the King, second his Queen, third the minister, and all the courtiers to give up the
false gods and join his followers. As Zarathushtra’s every wish was granted, the legs of the King’s
horse grew back one by one.
When the town people found out that their King and the Queen had put
aside their gods, they joined the prophet too. Afterwards, Zarathushtra’s religion spread to every
village and town until all the Iranians believed in Ahura Mazda, the Wise Lord.
Yima and the Snowstorm The ancient Iranians believed that Yima was their first king. Many different stories exist about Yima.
This one is partially based on the Vendidad, an ancient Zoroastrian text. Long time ago, people
in the world did not care about each other. They fought wars, cheated and lied. Among them lived a
kind and honest shepherd named Yima.
One day, when Yima was herding his cattle, God called him
and said, "Yima, son of Vivanghat, beware! Soon, I will send a heavy snowstorm that will kill all the
liars and the evil people in the world. Crush the Earth, Yima, and build a large, square cave. Find an
honest man and woman. Place the couple and every pair of animal in the cave. Do not get out until the
storm is gone."
Near a hill, Yima dug the ground with his own hands. He made a tunnel under the
hill and built a square cave. He then fashioned a window as well as a wooden door. Afterwards, Yima
went to find an honest couple.
Yima searched all the towns and villages in the world. He looked for
a kind and generous person everywhere in the woods, valleys, and open plains. However, he was not
able to find one. Until in a far away place, he came across a young couple who lived in a small farm.
When the couple met Yima, they said, "Stranger, you must have traveled a long way. You look tired
and hungry. Please give us honor and spend the night in our hut." The man and woman were poor.
Yet, they shared with Yima their meager dinner of barley bread, goat cheese, and sour milk, giving him
the bigger portions. When the time came for sleep, the man and woman offered Yima their only bed
and their woolen blanket. The couple themselves slept on the floor with a thin covering.
Yima knew
he had found a kind couple. The next morning, Yima said to the couple, "Soon, God will send a heavy
snowstorm to destroy all the evil people in the world. Take refuge in a cave I have built. I will join you
there after gathering all the animals and plants." Hearing the news, the couple thanked Yima and
said, "Yima, you are a kind shepherd. We are thankful that you saved our lives. We will help you find
the animals."
Thereafter, Yima and the couple went around looking for the animals. Yima went to
the forest and warned the animals. So monkeys, boars, tigers, foxes, and all the other forest animals
followed him in pairs to the cave. The man climbed the mountain and gathered goats, mountain
lions, and llamas. While the woman rushed to the desert to warn camels and all other desert
animals.
Yima and the couple then gathered all the plant seeds, placed them in large sacks, and
carried them to the cave. Yima lit a large bon fire and locked the wooden door.
The following day,
dark clouds appeared in the sky and covered the sun. A cold wind blew from the north, and frost sat
on the grass and trees. Soon, snow began to fall. It snowed and snowed until everywhere, forests,
plains, deserts, and mountains were covered with snow and lakes and rivers froze up.
The snow
reached so high, it covered the window on Yima’s cave. But Yima, the couple, and the animals were
comfortable as they were warm and had enough food and water.
Forty months passed when one
early morning, Yima noticed that no snow left on the window. He opened the window and peeked
through. "The storm is gone! " cried Yima, "the sun is shining again, and the sky is blue!"
The couple
and Yima ran out of the cave to look around. The snow had melted. Only a white cap remained at the
top of the mountains. The ice on the sea had vanished too. The rivers and streams ran once again.
However, no plants, animals, and people left in the world. Everywhere was empty and bleak. Yima and
the couple were happy to have survived. They danced around and thanked God for saving them. Then,
they opened the door of the cavern and let the animals go.
The bears lazily woke up and got out of
the cavern yawning. The lions roared and left for the plains. The zebras and horses galloped away.
The rhinos and elephants stamped toward the savanna. The rabbits rushed to the forest. The ducks
quacked and jumped into a nearby pond. The eagles stretched their wide wings. They flew so high
that soon they became only two black dots in the sky. The cranes flew in search of the marshlands.
The animals were glad to see the sunshine again. They all spread around the world in search of their
homes.
Afterwards, the couple helped Yima plant the seeds. The man sowed the grass seeds in the
hills. The woman scattered the flower seeds in the meadows. Yima planted the tree seeds in the forest.
He even put the seeds in the desert so that bush grew there. Yima traveled everywhere, sowing the
seeds so that plants grew all over the world.
Months passed when one day, finally, spring arrived.
The orange blossoms came out. The migrating swallows once again appeared in the sky, and green
grass covered the hills. Yima invited the couple and the animals for a spring celebration, which he
named Nowruz or the "new day."
God saw Yima’s hard work and was pleased. He called Yima and
said, "Yima, son of Vivanghat! You have saved the animals and plants. For this service, I will grant you
a great knowledge and a long life. Remember always to be kind and generous to others." Thus, Yima
lived for a thousand years. He became an able king who taught his people weaving as well as spinning
and introduced them to iron.