A Comparison of the Nature of 'Pari' in Ancient Iran with its Nature in Persian Literature

The nature of ''Pari'' in Persian reference sources is vague and complicated. The Greeks, the ancient Iranians, and the post-Islam Iranians had their own special beliefs about Pari. The interference of these beliefs has led to the ambiguity of its nature and signified in the minds of many. This study aims at giving a clear image of the nature of Pari, helping a better and a more accurate understanding and comprehension of literary, religious, and historical texts. For this purpose, the signified of this word, from the oldest times to the present, has been studied in relevant sources; its referent and nature in ancient times; and its referent, nature, literal meaning, and figurative meaning in Persian literature has been represented. With this in mind, In ancient times, Pari was an evil, foul creature and an enemy of Roshanan (the stars) and Mazdisnan (Zoroastrians), which had many types. Reaching the Persian literature from the ancient and medieval times, Pari changed its nature from an evil, negative creature to a righteous, positive creature. In Persian literature, Pari is mostly referred to as ''the Muslim jinn'', a devout, righteous creature. It can be said that ''Pari'' is the only misfortunate word which has found luck, as it has reached light from darkness, beauty from ugliness, right-doing from wrong-doing, and obedience to God from helping the devil. The result is that Islamic teachings have been positivist, and the Persian language has had a proper capacity for the inclusion of new concepts and ideas in the form of its original words.