Iranian folklore, including jokes, legends, games, folklore heroes and beliefs is sophisticated and complex.

Heroes

• Samak-E 'Ayyar
• Pourya-ye Vali
  Pourya-ye Vali
  Pahlavan Mahmoud Khwarazmi more commonly known as Pourya-ye Vali was an Iranian Sufi and champion. He is famous for his chivalrous behavior and his strength and is still a paradigm for Zurkhaneh athletes....
  
  
• Hasan Kachal "Hasan the Bald"
• Khaleh Soskeh "Auntie cockroach"
• Hossen e Kurd e shabestari "The Kurd
  Kürd
  Kürd or Kyurd or Kyurt may refer to:*Kürd Eldarbəyli, Azerbaijan*Kürd Mahrızlı, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Goychay, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Jalilabad, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Qabala, Azerbaijan*Qurdbayram, Azerbaijan...
  
  ish Hossen of Shabestar
  Shabestar
  Shabestar is a city in and the capital of Shabestar County, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 13,857, in 3,989 families....
  
  "
• Karim shereyee "Karim the addict"
• Baba shammal
• Koroghlu
  Koroghlu
  Koroghlu, literally Turkish, Azerbaijani meaning "Son of a Blind Man" and Turkmen language meaning "Son of Grave," is the main hero of epic with the same name in Azerbaijani and Turkish as well as some other Turkic languages...
  
   (Iranian Azarbaijan)
• Mathar Fulad-zereh
  Fulad-zereh
  Fulad-zereh meaning "[possessing] steel armor," is the name of a huge horned demon in the Persian story of Amir Arsalan.Fulad-zereh made aerial wanderings and spotted and kidnapped beautiful women....
  
   "Mother of Fulad-zereh"
• Otour-khan Rashti
• Churchill
  Winston Churchill
  Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
  
   used for any mischievous person in oral folklore
• Jaffar Jenni or Zaffar Jenni
• Ya'qub-i Laith is a popular folk hero in Iranian history, and it was at his court that the revitalization of the Persian language began after two centuries of eclipse by Arabic.

Books

"Dāstān

Dastan

The Dastan , is an ornate form of oral history from Central Asia, the most famous of which is Dede Korkut - which may have been created as early as the beginning of the 13th century....

" in Persian means "story". The genre to which they refer may go back to ancient Iran.It was a widely popular and folkloric form of story-telling: dastan-tellers tend to tell their tile in coffee houses.They told tales of heroic romance and adventure,stories about gallant princes and their encounters with evil kings, enemy champions, demons, magicians,Jinns, divine creatures, tricky Robin Hood

Robin Hood

Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....

-like persons (called ayyārs

Ayyarun

Áyyār, refers to a person associated with a class of warriors in Iraq and Iran from the 9th to the 12th centuries. The word literally means vagabond...

), and beautiful princesses who might be human or of the Peri

Peri

In Persian mythology, which constitutes the mythology of not just Persians but all Iranian peoples, peris are descended from fallen angels who have been denied paradise until they have done penance. In earlier sources they are described as agents of evil; later, they are benevolent...

 ("fairy") race.

• Samak-e Ayyar:An ancient fictional book about an Iranian ayyār
  Ayyarun
  Áyyār, refers to a person associated with a class of warriors in Iraq and Iran from the 9th to the 12th centuries. The word literally means vagabond...
  
   (6th century AH) written by Faramaz Ibn Khodad(Faramarz son of Khodad)
• Darabnameh
  Darab Nama
  The Darab Nama is a Persian prose romance, written by the 12th-century writer Abu Taher Muhammad, in which the adventures of the Kayanid Iranian King Darab are recounted.-Author:Not much is known about the author...
  
  :An ancient book of 12th Century, written by Abu Taher Tarsusi,that's a fictional book about the Alexander and Dara
  Darius III of Persia
  Darius III , also known by his given name of Codomannus, was the last king of the Achaemenid Empire of Persia from 336 BC to 330 BC....
  
  
• Firuzshahnama
• Dastan-e Amir Hamza ,"The adeventure of Amir Hamze"
• One Thousand and One Nights
• Eskandar Nameh, "The Persian Alexander Romances", not to be confused with the classic book of Nezami, but rather more alike a version of Alexander romance
  Alexander Romance
  Alexander romance is any of several collections of legends concerning the mythical exploits of Alexander the Great. The earliest version is in Greek, dating to the 3rd century. Several late manuscripts attribute the work to Alexander's court historian Callisthenes, but the historical figure died...
  
   that is used in Naghali,different versions of the tale were told by Naghals (popular storytellers), these versions departed from the western story and became, to varying degrees, Iranianized.
• Cehel Tuti , "The Forty Parrots" ; a collection of entertaining stories about the wife of a merchant and a pair of parrots.
• Amir Arsalan-e Namdar
  Amir Arsalan
  Amir Arsalan-e Namdar is a popular Persian legend which was narrated to Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar, the Qajar Shah of Persia in the 19th century, by a storyteller named Mohammad Ali Naqib al-Mamalek...
  
  , popular Persian legend which was narrated to Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar.

Oral legends and tales

• Boz boz Gandhi"Suger goat"
• Shangol o Mangol o Habeh-e-Angur
• Maah pishoni "(the girl with)Moon(sign)in her brow"
• Kadou ghelghelehzan "The trundle gourd"
• Sarma Pirezan"Grand mother COLD"

Creatures

• Karkadann
  Karkadann
  The Karkadann was a mythical creature said to live on the grassy plains of India, Persia, and North Africa. Referred to by Elmer Suhr as the "Persian version of the unicorn," its mention by Muslim writers may depend on earlier Greek texts and may have an origin in an account from the Mahabharata...
  
  
  
• Davaal paa "lasso-leg creature"
• Aal
• Bakhtak "Nightmare" A ghost or an evil creature that cause Sleep paralysis
  Sleep paralysis
  Sleep paralysis is paralysis associated with sleep that may occur in healthy persons or may be associated with narcolepsy, cataplexy, and hypnagogic hallucinations. The pathophysiology of this condition is closely related to the normal hypotonia that occurs during REM sleep. When considered to be a...
  
  
• Genie
  Genie
  Jinn or genies are supernatural creatures in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings that occupy a parallel world to that of mankind. Together, jinn, humans and angels make up the three sentient creations of Allah. Religious sources say barely anything about them; however, the Qur'an mentions that...
  
    " elf, goblin"
• Div , "Daeva
  Daeva
  Daeva in Avestan language meaning "a being of shining light", is a term for a particular sort of supernatural entity with disagreeable characteristics. Equivalents in Iranian languages include Pashto dêw , Baluchi dêw , Persian dīv , Kurdish dêw...
  
  " , demon, monster,fiend , often confused with Ghoul
  Ghoul
  A ghoul is a folkloric monster associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh, often classified as undead. The oldest surviving literature that mention ghouls is likely One Thousand and One Nights...
  
  (orge, ghoul) and jinn
  Jinn
  Jinn are supernatural beings in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings.Jinn may also refer to:* Jinn , a Japanese band* Qui-Gon Jinn, a character in the Star Wars universe...
  
   in both folk and literary traditions , expresses not only the idea of demon
  Demon
  call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
  
   , but also that of ogre
  Ogre
  An ogre is a large, cruel, monstrous, and hideous humanoid monster, featured in mythology, folklore, and fiction. Ogres are often depicted in fairy tales and folklore as feeding on human beings, and have appeared in many classic works of literature...
  
  , giant
  Giant
  Giant or Giants may refer to:*Giants *Giant *Giant people; see gigantism, a medical condition*Giants -Arts and entertainment:*Giant , a 1952 novel by Edna Ferber...
  
  , and even Satan
  Satan
  Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
  
  .
• Ghoul
  Ghoul
  A ghoul is a folkloric monster associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh, often classified as undead. The oldest surviving literature that mention ghouls is likely One Thousand and One Nights...
  
   , Ghoul-e-biabani (Monster of desert),designation of a frightening creature in the Perso-Arabic lore. It is a hideous monster with a feline head, forked tongue, hairy skin, and deformed legs that resemble the limp and skinny legs of a prematurely born infant.
• Martyaxwar
  Manticore
  The manticore is a legendary creature similar to the Egyptian sphinx. It has the body of a red lion, a human head with three rows of sharp teeth , and a trumpet-like voice. Other aspects of the creature vary from story to story. It may be horned, winged, or both...
  
   A legendary creature similar to the sphinx
  Sphinx
  A sphinx is a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head or a cat head.The sphinx, in Greek tradition, has the haunches of a lion, the wings of a great bird, and the face of a woman. She is mythicised as treacherous and merciless...
  
  .
• Peri
  Peri
  In Persian mythology, which constitutes the mythology of not just Persians but all Iranian peoples, peris are descended from fallen angels who have been denied paradise until they have done penance. In earlier sources they are described as agents of evil; later, they are benevolent...
  
  
• Zār
  Zar
  - Places :* Zar, Armenia, a town in the Kotayk Province* Zar, Azerbaijan, a village in the Kalbajar Rayon currently controlled by the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic* Žár , a village in the Czech Republic* Żar, Łódź Voivodeship, Poland...
  
    A ritual in some of the south coastal Iranian provinces that is a kind of spiritual "trance
  Trance
  Trance denotes a variety of processes, ecstasy, techniques, modalities and states of mind, awareness and consciousness. Trance states may occur involuntarily and unbidden.The term trance may be associated with meditation, magic, flow, and prayer...
  
  " dance. In some cases it can go for a long time,until the dancer drops down of exhaustion
• Takam
  Takam
  Takam is the name of the king of goats, a male goat, in the folklore of Azarbaijan, Iran. Takam's effigies are made out of wood and ornamented with coloured glass beads and cock's tail feathers...
  
   "The king of goats", a male goat, in the folklore of Azarbaijan.

Folklore games

Physical games

• Amo Zangirbaff (Uncle chain-weaver)
• Attal Mattal Totuleh
• Ghayyem Moshak
• Gorgam be Hava
• Alak dou Lak
• Ye Ghol Do Ghol
• Bikh divari
• Ghapp bazi "knucklebone Playing"
• Khar polis "Donkey-Cop"
• Aftaab Mahtab "Sunshine Moonlight"
• Laylay or Ganiyeh

folklore Card games

• Hokm:A game for four players.
• Ganjafa
• Chahâr barg (4 cards) is another fishing game,also sometimes known as Pâsur
  Pasur
  Pasur is a card game of Persian origin. Played widely in Iran, it is played similarly to the Italian game of Cassino and even more similarly to the Egyptian game of Bastra...
  
  ,Haft Khâj(seven clubs)or Haft va chahâr, yâzdah(7+4=11).
• Âs Nas: Perhaps Âs Nas is the game from which modern Poker may have sprung

folklore Verbal games

• Moshereh (Poetry Game):Every side has to answer the other side with a poem beginning with the last word of the previous poem (Compare with Urdu
  Urdu
  Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
  
   Mushaira
  Mushaira
  Mushaira is a poetic symposium. Its a term in Urdu used to describe an event where poets gather to perform their works. A mushaira is a beloved part of the culture of Pakistan and North India, and it is greatly admired by participants as a forum for free self-expression.-Forms:A mushaira can take...
  
  ).
• Ye Morgh Darm ("I have a hen" game)

other folklore games

• Backgammon
  Backgammon
  Backgammon is one of the oldest board games for two players. The playing pieces are moved according to the roll of dice, and players win by removing all of their pieces from the board. There are many variants of backgammon, most of which share common traits...
  
  

Traditional ceremonies

folklore Nowruz

Nowruz

Nowrūz is the name of the Iranian New Year in Iranian calendars and the corresponding traditional celebrations. Nowruz is also widely referred to as the Persian New Year....

 traditional characters

• Hajji Firuz
  Hajji Firuz
  Hâjji Fîrûz or Hajji Piruz, is the traditional herald of Nowruz, the Iranian New Year. He oversees celebrations for the new year perhaps as a remnant of the ancient Zoroastrian fire-keeper. His face is covered in soot and he is clad in bright red clothes and a felt hat...
  
   traditional herald of Nowruz.
• Kouseh Bar Neshin (کوسه بر نشین) (A Nowruz
  Nowruz
  Nowrūz is the name of the Iranian New Year in Iranian calendars and the corresponding traditional celebrations. Nowruz is also widely referred to as the Persian New Year....
  
   folklore Tradition)"the riding of the thin-bearded"
• Mir Nowrouzi "Temporary king of Nowruz
  Nowruz
  Nowrūz is the name of the Iranian New Year in Iranian calendars and the corresponding traditional celebrations. Nowruz is also widely referred to as the Persian New Year....
  
   times"(A Nowruz folklore Tradition)
• Fal-Gûsh
  Fāl-gūsh
  Fāl-gūsh or fāl-gōsh is the act of standing in a dark corner spot or behind a fence and listening to the conversations of passersby and trying to interpret their statements or the subject of their dialogue as an answer to one's questions. Iranians believe that certain days are especially good for...
  
   (lit.divination
  Divination
  Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual...
  
   by ear),is an act of fortunetelling in Chaharshanbe Suri
  Chaharshanbe Suri
  The last Wednesday of the Iranian year known as Chahar Shanbeh Soori , the eve of which is marked by special customs and rituals, most notably jumping over fire...
  
  .
• Amoo norooz
  Amoo norooz
  Amoo Norooz or Amoo Norouz is the "Uncle" of Norooz, the Persian New Year. Along with his side-kick Haji firouz, Amoo Norooz ushers in the spring time every year according to Persian tradition. On the eve of spring equinox, when the Persian New Year is celebrated, Amoo Norooz brings children...
  
   announcer of Norooz's arrival.

folklore religious ceremonies

• Omar koushoun "Killing of Umar" .A fest for ceremonial killing of Umar ibn Sa'ad
  Umar ibn Sa'ad
  Umar ibn Sa'ad was the son of Sa'ad ibn Abi Waqqas. He was a clergyman and governor of Ray city, and took orders from Ibn Ziyad...
  
  , falsely mistaken with Umar.
• Iranian folklore of Mourning in Muharram and Ashura
  Day of Ashura
  The Day of Ashura is on the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar and marks the climax of the Remembrance of Muharram.It is commemorated by Shia Muslims as a day of mourning for the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala on 10...
  
   Iranian way of folkloric mourning in mourning of Muharram
  Mourning of Muharram
  The Mourning of Muharram is an important period of mourning in Shia Islam, taking place in Muharram which is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is also called the Remembrance of Muharram...
  
  

other folklore traditions

• Taarof
  Taarof
  T'aarof/ Tarof is a Persian form of civility emphasizing both self-deference and social rank. The term encompasses a range of social behaviours, from a man displaying etiquette by opening the door for a woman, to a group of colleagues standing on ceremony in front of a door that can permit the...
  
  
• Nāz
  Naz
  Naz is a former municipality in the district of Gros-de-Vaud in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.The municipalities of Dommartin, Naz, Poliez-le-Grand and Sugnens merged on 1 July 2011 into the new municipality of Montilliez.-Geography:...
  
  -O-Niyāz
  Niyaz
  Niyaz is an Iranian musical trio. The group was created in 2005 by DJ, programmer/producer and remixer Carmen Rizzo, vocalist and hammered dulcimer player Azam Ali, formerly of the group Vas, and Ali's husband, Loga Ramin Torkian, of the Iranian crossover group Axiom Of Choice...
  
  , (lit.coquetry and supplication
  Supplication
  Supplication is the most common form of prayer, wherein a person asks God to provide something, either for the person or who is doing the praying or for someone else on whose behalf a prayer. This because of a supplication is being made, also known as intercession.The concept of supplication is...
  
  ) , An Iranian tradition in love , that is a game between lover and beloved which the beloved hurts her lover by coquetry (Naz) and the lover's response is (Niyaz) that is supplication and insistence in love.

Characters in jokes

• Molla Nasr al din
  Nasreddin
  Nasreddin was a Seljuq satirical Sufi figure, sometimes believed to have lived during the Middle Ages and considered a populist philosopher and wise man, remembered for his funny stories and anecdotes. He appears in thousands of stories, sometimes witty, sometimes wise, but often, too, a fool or...
  
  
• Dakho (دخو)

Beliefs

• Ajîl-e Moshkel-goshâ
  Ajîl-e Moshkel-goshâ
  Ajil-e Moshkel-gosha is a mix of diverse nuts, served during Nowruz in Iran. It is popularly believed that by making a wish and eating it, a problem will be resolved....
  
   "The problem-solving nuts" of Chaharshanbe Suri
  Chaharshanbe Suri
  The last Wednesday of the Iranian year known as Chahar Shanbeh Soori , the eve of which is marked by special customs and rituals, most notably jumping over fire...
  
  
• Cheshm Nazar (چشم نظر)and Nazar Ghorboni (نظرقربونی): That is a pendant
  Pendant
  A pendant is a loose-hanging piece of jewellery, generally attached by a small loop to a necklace, when the ensemble may be known as a "pendant necklace". A pendant earring is an earring with a piece hanging down. In modern French "pendant" is the gerund form of “hanging”...
  
   or gemstone
  Gemstone
  A gemstone or gem is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments...
  
   or likewise that is used as necklace to protect its owner from Evil eye. Compare with Nazar (amulet)
  Nazar (amulet)
  A nazar is an eye-shaped amulet believed to protect against the evil eye . In Central Asia, during the ages of Tengrism, people held similar superstitions like horseshoes, garlic, wolf's tooth, dried thorn, lead, stones; but the crystal blue eye has always been the most popular one.It is common in...
  
  .
• Cheshm-Zakhm (lit. "a blow by the eye"), the evil eye (Chashm also occurs alone with the same meaning; cf. Chashm-e bad, Chashm-e Shūr, Chashm-e hasūd "envious eye"; nazar zadan or chashm zadan "to inflict with the evil eye"; Middle Persian duščašmīh or sūr-čašmīh), the supposed power of an individual to cause harm, even illness or death, to another person (or animals and other possessions) merely by looking at him or complimenting him. Dried capsules of Esfand
  Harmal
  Harmal is a plant of the family Nitrariaceae, native from the eastern Mediterranean region east to India. It is also known as Wild Rue or Syrian Rue because of its resemblance to plants of the rue family....
  
   (Peganum harmala)(known in Persian as اسپند espænd or اسفنددانه esfænd-dāneh) mixed with other ingredients are placed onto red hot charcoal, where they explode with little popping noises, releasing a fragrant smoke that is wafted around the head of those afflicted by or exposed to the gaze of strangers. As this is done, an ancient prayer is recited. This prayer is said by Muslims as well as by Zoroastrians.
• fāl gereftan (Divination
  Divination
  Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual...
  
  ),Many varieties of divination are attested in Persian folk practice. They include interpretation of objects which appear haphazardly, interpretation of involuntary bodily actions (sneezing, twitching, itches, etc.), observing animal behavior, divining by playing cards (fāl-e waraq) or chick-peas (fāl-e noḵod), bibliomancy
  Bibliomancy
  Bibliomancy is the use of books in divination. The method of employing sacred books for 'magical medicine', for removing negative entities, or for divination is widespread in many religions of the world:-Terminology:...
  
   (e.g., fāl-e Hafez), divination by means of mirrors and lenses (āʾīna-bīnī), observation of the liver of a slain animal (jegar-bīnī), divination by means of the flame of a lamp, etc.

• Mirror and Candles , in Iranian wedding tradition , it is customary to buy a silver mirror and two candles and place it in the wedding Sofra (a piece of cloth that is spread on the floor, and on which dishes of food and the traditional items of wedding such as Quran are placed ) and the first thing that the bridegroom sees in the mirror should be the reflection of his wife-to-be.Not only Muslims, but also Iranian Jews and Zoroastrians observe the custom of offering sofras to various holy figures.
• "Mirror and Quran" , when buying a new home , it is customary to place a mirror and a Quarn in front of it as the first thing that enters the new house.

Music, Dance and Performing Arts

• Naghali and Pardeh dari, That is narrating of important stories from the Iranian fables, myths and epics which have remained from ancient times with special tone, feelings and expression. In this play, one person both narrates and plays all the roles.Pardeh dari is a special kind of Naghali which is done mostly in the streets.There is a hanging picture on which some scenes of a story are printed. The pardeh dar (story-teller) narrates the story with a demonstration of the scenes. This kind of narration is used for epics as well as religious stories. Many naqhāls in the Safavid period specialized in single, though extensive stories; they were accordingly known as Shahname khan, Amīr Ḥamze khan, and the like.

Pimps, prostitutes and mobs

• Fatemeh Arreh (A character originally in One Thousand and One Nights)
• Zaal Mamad (A character, showing a sinister person)

See also

• Shahnameh
  Shahnameh
  The Shahnameh or Shah-nama is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c.977 and 1010 AD and is the national epic of Iran and related societies...
  
  
• Persian mythology
  Persian mythology
  Persian mythology are traditional tales and stories of ancient origin, some involving extraordinary or supernatural beings. Drawn from the legendary past of the Iranian cultural continent which especially consists of the state of Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Central Asia, they reflect the...
  
  
• Ya'qub-i Laith Saffari a historical Ayyar and Iranian king
• Bazaar
  Bazaar
  A bazaar , Cypriot Greek: pantopoula) is a permanent merchandising area, marketplace, or street of shops where goods and services are exchanged or sold. The term is sometimes also used to refer to the "network of merchants, bankers and craftsmen" who work that area...
  
  
• Persian marriage
• Iranian tradition of esfand burning

External links

• Daily life and social customs An article by Encyclopædia Britannica Online
• Folkore studies of Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan An article by Encyclopædia Iranica
• Folk Poetry An article by Encyclopædia Iranica
• The passion (t'azia) of Hussein ibn 'Ali by Peter Chelkowski, an article of Encyclopædia Iranica.
• Multimedia of Iranian story telling (Naghaali )by children
• Card games in Iran
• Pasurbazi (In Persian)
• Ganjafeh (In Persian)
• Iranian women performing Naqqhali
• Lee Lee Hozak (Homa Sarshar's article about Iranian folkloric songs in Iranian-Americans)