Shabdiz and Golgon, Two Manifestations of Mithras and Bahram

Shabdiz and Golgon, two beautiful horses of Khosrow Parviz’s court, have been the subject of many historians, especially Shabdiz, that according to some historical sources, was one of the wonders of the court of Khosrow Parviz. The fame and glory of this historic horse brought it into the world of myths as far as many Persian literary works came out and many poets used it to create unique works. Since the name of Shabdiz is linked to night and darkness, it is a beautiful theme for the poet's imagination to fly in the night sky; however, the poet's imagination was not limited to the night sky, but the sky of the day, with its companionship, Golgon, was seized by him. Nizami is one of the most talented poets in the field, which illustrates the story of these two beautiful horses in the style of Myth-Lyric. The symbolic birth of Shabdiz's birth is somewhat reminiscent of the birth of the Mithras from the Stone and a marker of the new processing of the ancient myths, which undoubtedly derives from the past ritual beliefs in the drawing of day and night as a horse; it is possible that Nizami depicted Shabdiz and Golgon to associate them with Mithras and Bahram and as the symbols of day and night. Golgon symbolizes the day and the brightness of the god Bahram, and his counterpart, Shabdiz, is the night sky, and is a symbol of Mithras, the god of the night, as if they are a concept of time in a hall of symbols and similes. The magic of the Nizami’s word, with the preservation of the historical and structural framework of narrative, has tied the story of these two horses to the ancient beliefs, rituals and mythologies, so that the names of these two always shine in Persian literature.