allusion to the sun, is guarded by a dragon 121
dragons ”124 Her name, Anoysh, however liter-
By analogy, dragons flanking the cosmic ruler
ally signifies “immortal, luminous, perfumed ”125
(figs 113–116), further increase the luminary
Moreover, her association with the monstrous
symbolism of the ruler 122 Even more explicitly,
dragon, to whom she gives numerous offspring,
Abu ’l-Ḥasan Farrukhī, the celebrated court poet
recalls certain cosmogonies in which one of the
of Sīstān (Seistan), links the luminous sun with
two primordial entities is “infinite light, serene
the roaring dragon when he praises the character
and joyous” and the other “a frightening and dark
of his patron:
obscurity, coiled up in twisting spirals akin to
those of a serpent ”126
In your banquets, you are an illuminating sun
It is also interesting to note that the original
In combat, you are a roaring dragon 123
meaning of the Sanskrit word ketu is “light,” “clar-
Reminiscences of ancient cosmogonical notions
ity” (synonymous with the etymologically related
may be gauged from Armenian lore recorded by
adjective citra of the Pahl gōchihr), which is in
Khorenatsi relating to the Median king Astyages,
apparent contradistinction to the light-devouring
the Armenian arch-enemy referred to as Azhi
function of Ketu as eclipse demon 127 In Gnostic
Dahāka, the archetype of evil misrule, whose
writings, as will be discussed shortly, the serpent
first wife, Anoysh, was called the “mother of the
is also associated with both darkness and light 128
121 Ilāhī-nāma, pp 264–5, referred to by idem, p 21
naire étymologique arménien”), vol 1, p 206 b (in Arme-
122 Idem
nian), cited by Mahé, 1995, p 183
123
126
Dīwān-i Hakīm-i Farrukhī-i Sīstānī, p 363, l 7354, cited
Poimandres, tr and ed Nock and Festugière, 1946,
by Melikian-Chirvani, 1997a, pp 143–4
p 7 and 12, n 9
124
127
Mahé, 1995, p 183
Hartner, 1938, pp 152–3
125 Acaryan, H , Hayeren armatakan bararan (“Diction-
128 Cf Sheppard, 1962, p 89
vestiges of ancient dragon iconographies
145