Authors
Abstract
This paper wants to investigate why Fereydūn’s mace was bull-headed. Since such weapon has a prominent role in our epics and it has been used by most of our heroes, it seems important to find its origin out. To achieve this goal, there is a brief explanation about mace and all kinds of it in the texts of different periods in Iranian and some other Indo-European cultures. Then some mythological samples about the role of this weapon in Fereydūn’s stories will be offered to survey its role through Iranian mythologies from Avestan texts to the texts of the Islamic period. In order to clarify the discussion, further evidences from Indian mythologies, especially the Vedic ones, has been provided. Then, on the basis of similarities between the two cultures, there will be a suggestion to know why Fereydūn’s mace was bull-headed. It has been resulted, by analysis and comparison of existing evidences, that the background of Iranian Fereydūn and Indian Trita is probably the god of thunder who was born as a bull (or an ox) or it is somehow a metaphor of it. So, it can be said that Fereydūn’s bull-head mace is an indication of his relationship with the bull.
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