I draw from world mythology to
create demons and monsters in my stories. Zohak is such a demon. His myth
begins deep in antiquity in the tales of the early Iranians. When we look at
these myths, we have to be aware that there are many variants, and that a myth
develops in time.
Zohak is the villain in the Fire
Chronicles (Son of Fire, Trial by Fire, Burned Dreams, and Banner of Fire), as
well as the Fire Demon Chronicles (not yet published.) His story is one pieced
together from the Indo-European dragon mythology. Azhi means a dragon or dragon
snake in Old Iranian. The dragon was often depicted as hoarding water in
mountains, causing drought.
Azhidahaka (Dahaka is a shortening
of his name, and Zohak is a later spelling) is a three-headed dragon in Iranian
myth. I use Dahaka as the name for Zohak’s wizard father). This dragon tries to
steal away the Royal xwarnah, (in later Persian Farr).
Azhi Dahaka’s myth tells about how
he ruled after the first king, Yima (Jamshid). He rules for 1,000 years, during
which time he experiments with breeding half human, half demon creatures, and
works sorcery of all sorts.
He is finally chained in Mount
Damavand until the end of the cycle, when he will break out and terrorize the
world, eating a full third of humans and animals in existence.
In the Fire Chronicles, I combine
these motifs. Dahaka, the evil wizard brother of the Firestarter Anacharsis,
wants glory and kingship, but he doesn’t have the power to overcome his
brother. He steals Anacharsis’ love, Queen Cunaxa the Pure, and produces a son,
Zohak. Anacharsis later has a son by Cunaxa, Atar, who is destined to be the
next Firestarter and king of the Seven Kingdoms. Throughout the books, a giant
boar with golden hooves and tusks follows Atar, whose name means fire. This
boar represents the royal Farr, or power of kingship granted by the gods, in
Persian myth.
Zohak covets power and longs to
gain the throne, but finally, he does so only by selling his soul, unwittingly,
to the demons. In one Persian myth, Zohak is an Arab who has as a mentor the
Devil Iblis. Zohak starts out as a good son, but he has an evil seed in his
heart. Iblis appears to him as a lovely boy who steals his heart. Zohak is
irritated with his father, Merdas, who has a generous heart, and gives too much
to the poor. Iblis councils him to kill his father, but Zohak can’t stand the
thought of it. Iblis does it for him by digging a hole in a garden path Merdas
takes in the predawn hours to pray in his garden. When the poor man falls in,
evil Iblis buries him alive.
Now when Zohak goes to Iran and
conquers the region, Iblis appears again in a different guise, as a comely
young cook. He corrupts Zohak further. Zohak does not eat animals, for at this
time, people were more civil. First Iblis introduces eggs into his diet, then
meats of all sorts until Zohak is hopelessly hooked. Zohak is most pleased and
offers Iblis a boon. Iblis asks only that he be allowed to kiss Zohak’s bare
shoulders.
When he does so, a horrific
snake-dragon breaks through each shoulder. They demand the brains of innocent
humans as food. So, Zohak goes from being ambitious, to being a monster
himself. Eventually, the only way to stop him is to chain him up in a cave in
Mount Damavand, where he still lives today, waiting to be released.
The Fire Chronicles follow Zohak as
he goes from being a jealous brother to a demi-demon who can’t be killed. He is
a tragic figure, because he is tricked by the Devil, but only because he has
the seed of evil in his heart.
