Night Manifestations in Shahnameh

Abstract

The concept of time is one of the important aspects in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh which can be considered aesthetically. It constantly accompanies the poet in telling his stories. The time is even involved and effective in determining the fate of heroes in Shahnameh. The time has different types in Shahnameh’s hero stories. The time which passes in sleep and predictions is occult time. In most of the dreams in Shahnameh (especially in fateful sleeps), the hero travels to another time and faces with his/her destiny. In the unreal time, the hero sees his/her destiny in the mirror of dream. The dream time is not chronological; it is supernatural. A view which is seen in dream occurs in real time; for example, the dream of Zahhak which is his fate or the dream of Afrasiab which its occurrence lasts a long time.