Gordāfarid, Penthesilea and Athena: the identification of a Greek motif in Ferdowsī’s Šāh-nāma and its possible association with Hellenistic art in the East

Abstract

The description of the duel between Gordāfarid and Sohrāb in Ferdowsī’s Šāh-nāma carries structural resemblances to the depiction of Penthesilea’s fight with Achilles. In the course of combat, the armour of both female warriors is damaged and their true identities are revealed after being defeated by their male opponents. In case of the Amazon from the Greek tale, the sudden revelation of her womanly appeal takes place after her death, whereas Gordāfarid survives the duel, and even manages to go free. A key factor in Ferdowsī’s description is the woman’s “Greek” helmet, a factor that suggests Ferdowsī borrowed from the Greek story, and also made a reference to Hellenistic and post-Hellenistic depictions of armoured goddesses of the type of Athena, who was widely known across the Ghaznavid territory, where Ferdowsī’s work was written and presented.