The Semiotics of Tools in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh

Terms referring to tools are among the most frequently used symbolic terms in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh( The Book of kings) as well as many other mythical literary works of the World. There are numerous references to various tools. And weaponries, such as armor, helmet, spear, javelin and so on in Shahnameh, were they are simply used in their purely denotative sense. The current paper will nevertheless strive to conduct and analysis of only those tools in Shahnameh that besides their denotative function also serve a cryptic and symbolic function from semiotic and mythological points of view. To this end, a special emphasis will be put on different definitions offered for symbols as rhetorical artifacts and various functions they serve in shahname. Since Shahnameh is an epic poem and and epics originate from myths, the paper will also devote a special attention to epic symbols.