Wisdom in Persian Epic Poems and its Measurement with Zoroastrian Texts (Case Study: Garshaspnameh, Bahmannameh and Koushnameh)

Persian epic poems often recite the narratives related to ancient Iran. Besides Shahname, other epic poems may root back in the Sassanid era, therefore, one can expect that the Zoroastrian concepts and beliefs affected these poems. One of the most essential concepts in Zoroastrian texts is wisdom, and the present paper examines the continuity of this concept in epic poems. The case study and comparison of the concept of wisdom in the Zoroastrian texts and the epic poems show that the poems follow the Zoroastrian, especially the Pahlavi literature. This continuity is not only in the significance of the concept of wisdom but also in the description of its features and the similes related to it. Although the concept of wisdom in these poems is not as bold as its influence in Shahname of Ferdowsi, it can still be traced; especially in Garshasb-name, in which many couplets are devoted to the concept of wisdom and the similes are closer to the ones in Pahlavi texts.