Totemism and Its Role in Negating Practice of Marriage among Siblings in Ancient Iran

Marriage among siblings has remained a controversial subject in the study of ancient Iranian customs and rites, especially in regard to Zoroastrianism. There have been endless debates on the existence of such a custom in ancient Iran. What have largely remained unnoticed in such a study are the religious beliefs of the ancient Iranians in the primitive forms of totemism. Totemism is an ancient form of religion that existed amongst many communities and many scholars believe that it rejected marriage between brothers and sisters and instead encouraged marriage with non-relatives in society. The present research attempts to: a. reflect some of the research done on marriage amongst siblings in ancient Zoroastrian Iran, b. use evidence from Shahnameh as well as Zoroastrian texts to show the existence of totemism in ancient Iran, c. consider such diverse researchers and scholars’ views as Freud, Durkheim, and Strauss in consolidating the theory that a totemistic society would hardly allow such marriages.