Zahhāk & Jamshid

Zahhak's story in the Shahnameh is rather similar to Goethe's Faust. In the Shahnameh he is a symbol of tyranny and evil. Originating from the Avestan azhi-dahaka - three-headed dragon-like demon of angry and greed, in the later Iranian folklore he is already a human coming from Yemen.with two snakes emerging from his shoulders, a consequence of a dark pact he made with the devil to obtain his father's throne.. In the Shahnameh he was invited to rule Iran after his predecessor Jamshid was executed. Zahhak's reign lasted for a 1000 years, during which he physically devoured almost all young male population of the country. Shimanovskaya's Zahhak is a self-tormenting monster, whose horrible snakes are not acquired elements of his body but are already parts of his evil self - his arms