Shahbaz (bird)
Fabled bird in Iranian mythology
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shahbaz (Persian: شَهباز) is the name of a fabled bird in Persian mythology.[3] It is described as having a body similar to an eagle, being bigger than a hawk or falcon, and having inhabited an area within the Zagros, the Alborz, and the Caucasus within Greater Iran. In ancient Persian mythology, the Shahbaz was a god who helped the Iranian peoples and guided the Faravahar to the Iranian lands.
History
The word Shahbaz literally translates to "royal falcon".[4][5][6] It was standard practice for the Persian Shah to keep a royal eagle or another bird of prey.[7] This symbol represented both strength and aggressiveness.[6] The ancient Egyptian deity of Horus is speculated[by whom?] to have been the archetype for the standard of Cyrus the Great[citation needed], who founded the Achaemenid Empire.
British explorer Richard F. Burton considered the symbol to refer to the goshawk species Accipiter gentilis.[4] Shahbaz could have alternatively referred to another common bird over the skies of the Iranian Plateau: the eastern imperial eagle, though this observation has never been claimed by historians as merited.
See also
- Chamrosh, a Persian mythical bird that is described as having inhabited the Alborz Mountains
- Huma bird, a legendary bird in Persian mythology
- Simurgh, a mythical bird in Persian literature
- Derafsh
- Derafsh Shahdad
- Derafsh Kaviani
- Lion and Sun, Persian motif associated with pre-1979 Iran
- List of Iranian flags#Historical state flags
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