Div (mythology)

Div or dev (Classical Persian: ‫ دیو‬dēw; Iranian Persian:

Div
‫ دیو‬dīv) (with the broader meaning of demons or
fiends) are monstrous creatures within Middle Eastern
lore, and probably Persian origin.[1] Most of their
depictions derive from Persian mythology, integrated
to Islam and spread to surrounding cultures including
Armenia, Turkic countries[2] and Albania.[3] Despite
their Persian origins, they have been adapted according
to the beliefs of Islamic concepts of otherworldly
entities.[4](pp 37) Although they are not explicitly
mentioned within canonical Islamic scriptures, their
existence was well accepted by most Muslims just like
that of other supernatural creatures.[5](p 34) They exist
along with jinn, parī (fairies)[6] and shaitan (devils)
The Div Akvan throws Rostam into the sea.
within South and Central Asian demon-beliefs.[7]
Miniature from the manuscript of the
They are described as having a body like that of a Shahnameh, 16th-17th century
human, only of gigantic size, with two horns upon their Grouping Mythical creature
heads and teeth like the tusks of a boar. Powerful, cruel Folklore Persian mythology
and cold-hearted, they have a particular relish for the Armenian mythology
taste of human flesh.[8] Some use only primitive Albanian mythology
weapons, such as stones: others, more sophisticated, Turkish mythology
are equipped like warriors, wearing armour and using
Country Iran, Armenia, Albania, Turkey
weapons of metal. Despite their uncouth appearance –
and in addition to their great physical strength – many
are also masters of sorcery, capable of overcoming their enemies by magic and afflicting them with
nightmares.[9]

Their origin is disputed, although it may lie in the Vedic deities (devas) who were later demonized in the
Persian religion (see daeva). In Ferdowsi's tenth-century Shahnameh, they are already the evil entities
endowed with roughly human shape and supernatural powers familiar from later folklore, in which the
divs are described as ugly demons with supernatural strength and power, who, nonetheless, may
sometimes be subdued and forced to do the bidding of a sorcerer.

Terminology and relation to other spirits

The divs are often confused with jinn.[9] Some academics proposed div is simply the Persian term for
jinn. However, this poses a problem, because the two terms are not synonymous. While the divs are
considered evil, the jinn have free will and are morally ambivalent or even benevolent.[5](p 519) Others
argue that the term jinn refers to all kinds of spiritual entities, including both benevolent and evil
creatures. In early Persian translations of the Quran, when the term jinn was used to refer to evil spirits,
they have been interpreted as divs sometimes.[10]

In other works, such as People of the Air, the div are explicitly distinguished from jinn.[11](p 148) In some
cases, the term div is juxtaposed to the terms ifrit, shaitan (devil), and taghut (idol), all some sort of
demons in Islamic belief, indicating a relationship between those beings but distinct from the (regular)
jinn.[12] In Abu Ali Bal'ami's account, the div are used interchangeable with marid, a type of devil which
assaults the heavens in an attempt to steal news from the angels.[4](pp 41–42) The term marid is likewise
confused with ifrit, in some works, like the standard MacNaghten edition of One Thousand and One
Nights.[13]

History
The divs seem to have originally been Persian, pre-Zoroastrian,
divine or semi-divine beings who were subsequently demonized.
By the time of the Islamic conquest, they had faded into Persian
folklore and folktales, and hence disseminated throughout the
Islamic world. They were modified during that dissemination to
include foreign (specifically Hindu) deities, and elements already
present in local folklore.

Origins
Divs probably originate from the Avestan daevas, deities who
share the same origin with Indian Deva (gods). It is unknown
when and why the former deities turned into rejected gods or even
demons.

Zoroastrianism King Solomon and two demons in a

In the Gathas, the oldest Zorastrian text, they are not yet the evil Persian miniature
creatures they will become, although, according to some scholarly
interpretations, the texts do indicate that they should be
rejected.[14][a]

First known opposition

Evident from Xph inscriptions, Xerxes I (reigned 486–465 BCE) ordered the destruction of a sanctuary
dedicated to Daivas and proclaimed that the Daeva shall not be worshipped.[15] Therefore, first
opposition of Daeva must be during or before the reign of Xerxes.

However, the original relation between Daeva and Persian religion remains up to debate. There might
have been a pantheon with several types of deities, but while the Indians demonized the Asura and deified
the Deva, the Persians demonized the Deva, but deified Asura in the form of Ahura Mazda.[16]
Middle persian era
In Middle Persian texts, they are already regarded as equivalent to
demons. They are created by Ahriman (the devil) along with sorcerers
and everything else that is evil. They roam the earth at night and bring
people to ruin. During the advent of Islam in Persia, the term was
used for both demonized humans and evil supernatural creatures. In
the translations of Tabari's Tafsir, the term div was used to designate
evil jinn, devils and Satan.[17]

Although the term dew (Middle Persian for div) is not attested in the
Babylonian Talmud, they are mentioned in Jewish Babylonian
Aramaic bowls next to shedim (demi-gods), ruḥot (spirits), mazzikin
Arzhang Div (The Shahnameh
("harmers"), and "satans".[18][19] The exact differences between these of Shah Tahmasp)
entities are, however, not always clear.[20] Asmodeus is designated as
the king of both shedim and devs.[21]

Dissemination into the wider Islamic world

From this Persian origin, belief in div entered Muslim belief. Abu Ali
Bal'ami's work on the history of the world, is the oldest known
writing including explicitly Islamic cosmology and the div. He
attributes his account on the creation of the world to Wahb ibn
Munabbih.[4](p40)

Some divs appear to be considered the incarnation of (false) Indian

deities, who, unlike jinn, refused to obey the Prophet Solomon.[22]

Evident from the epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi Black Div (The Shahnameh of
between c. 977 and 1010 CE, that, by his day the div had become Shah Tahmasp)

associated with the people of the Mazandaran of legend (which is not

to be identified with the Iranian province of Mazandaran).[9]

While some div appear as supernatural sorcerers, many div appear to

be clearly demonized humans, including black people, attributed with
supernatural strength, but no supernatural bodily features. Some
people continued to worship div in their rituals during the early
Islamic period, known as "Daevayasna", although probably out of
fear.[23] People of Mazdaran might have been associated with such
worship and therefore equated with these entities. Despite many div
that appear human in nature, there are also clearly supernatural div,
like the white div, who is said to be as huge as a mountain.

Akvan Div (The Shahnameh of

Shah Tahmasp)
Muslim texts
Div (demons or fiends) are the former masters of the world,
dispossessed yet not extinguished, they are banished far away
from the human realm. They occupy a liminal place both spatial
and ontological, between the physical and the metaphysical
world.[4](p 41) The souls of wicked people could also turn into a
demon (div) after death, as evident from Al-Razi[24] an idea
recalling the concept of original daeva.[25] His idea comes from
the assumption that after death, the desire of the soul remains and
that a soul thus turns back to the world in an ugly and demonic
shape. His view has frequently been criticized by other Muslim
authors.[26]

Throughout many legends they appear as villains, sorcerers,

monsters, ogres, or even helpers of the protagonist. It is usually
necessary to overcome the div to get his aid. After defeating the
div, one must attach a horseshoe, a needle or an iron ring on his
body to enslave them.
Persian miniature — Ali fighting
divs. Ali might serve as a substitute
On the other hand, a div can not be killed by physical combat,
for Tahmuras, a Persian hero, who
even if their body parts are cut off. Instead, one is required to find conquered the divs as well. Here,
the object storing the soul of the div: After that object is destroyed, the sword Zulfiqar clearly indicating
the div is said to disappear in smoke or thin air. The notion of a the representation of Ali.
demon tied to a physical object, later inspired the European
genie.[27]

Sometimes they are referred to as maradah.

In the Shahnameh
The div in the Shahnameh might include both demonic supernatural beings as well as evil humans.[28]

The poem begins with the kings of the Pishdadian dynasty. They defeat and subjugate the demonic divs.
Tahmuras commanded the divs and became known as dīvband (binder of demons). Jamshid, the fourth
king of the world, ruled over both angels and divs, and served as a high priest of Ahura Mazda
(Hormozd). Like his father, he slayed many divs, however, spared some under the condition they teach
him new valuable arts, such as writing in different languages.[29] After a just reign over hundreds of
years, Jamshid grew haughty and claimed, because of his wealth and power, divinity for himself.
Whereupon God withdraws his blessings from him, and his people get unsatisfied with their king. With
the ceasing influence of God, the devil gains power and aids Zahhak to usurp the throne.[29] Jamshid dies
sawn in two by two demons. Tricked by Ahriman (or Iblis), Zahhak grew two snakes on his shoulders and
becomes the demonic serpent-king.[30] The King Kay Kāvus fails to conquer the legendary Mazandaran,
the land of divs and gets captured.[31] To save his king, Rustam takes a journey and fights through seven
trials. Divs are among the common enemies Rustam faces, the last one the Div-e Sepid, the demonic king
of Mazandaran.
Rustam's battle against the demonic may also have a symbolic meaning: Rustam represents wisdom and
rationality, fights the demon, embodiment of passion and instinct.[32]: 115 Rustam's victory over the White
Div is also a triumph over men's lower drives, and killing the demon is a way to purge the human soul
from such evil inclinations. The killing of the White Div is an inevitable act to restore the human king's
eyesight.[32]: 115 Eliminating the divs is an act of self-preservation to safeguard the good in oneself's, and
the part acceptable in a regulated society.[32]: 115

Origin legends
Abu Ali Bal'ami reports from Wahb ibn Munabbih that legend it is that god first created the demons (div),
then 70,000 years later the fairies (peri), 5000 years later the angels (fereshtegan), and then the jinn.
Subsequently, Satan (Iblis) was sent as the arbiter on earth, whereupon he became proud of himself.
Thus,Adam was created and given dominion over the earth as the jinn's successor. A similar account is
provided by Tabari, who however, omits the existence of fairies and demons, only referring to the jinn as
predecessor to mankind, a narration attributed to ibn Abbas.[4](p40)

According to the Süleymanname, the divs were created between the faeries and the jinn, made from the
fires of the stars, wind, and smoke; some of them have wings and can fly while others can move
quickly.[33]

Edward Smedley (1788–1836) retells Bal'ami's account as an Arabian-Persian legend (not attributed to
Bal'ami but to Arabian and Persian authors in general) in greater detail. Accordingly, the jinn were ruled
by Jann ibn Jann for 2000 years, before Iblis was sent. After the creation of Adam, Iblis and his angels
were sent to hell, along with demons who sided with them. The rest of the demons linger around the
surface as a constant threat and test for the faithful. Arab and Persian writers locate their home in
Ahriman-abad, the abode of Ahriman the personification of evil and darkness.

The div were manifest (ashkar) and evident (zaher) until the great flood. Afterwards, they became
hidden.[4](p 43)

Sufi Literature
The term div was still widely used in the adab literature for personifications of vices.[34] They represent
the evil urges of the stage to the al-nafs al-ammarah in Sufism.[35] As the sensual soul, they oppose the
divine spirit, a motif often reflected in the figure of a div and the prophet Solomon.[36] Attar of Nishapur
writes: "If you bind the div, you will set out for the royal pavilion with Solomon" and "You have no
command over your self's kingdom [body and mind], for in your case the div is in the place of
Solomon".[37]

In Rumi's Masnavi, demons serve as a symbol of pure evil. the existence of demons provide an answer to
the question about the existence of evil. He tells a story about an artist who draws both "beautiful houris
and ugly demons". Images of demons do not diminish the artists talents, on the opposite, his ability to
draw evil in the most grotesque way possible, proves his capabilities. Likewise, when God creates evil, it
does not violate but proves his omnipotence. (Masnavī II, 2539–2544; Masnavī II, 2523–2528)[38]

The Kulliyati Chahar Kitab reads as follows to explain the effect of demons on the human soul:[39]
 "The desire to give up nafs is weak, the worship of God will
weaken nafs.... Anyone who gives up hedonism, he will
overcome the oppressive nafs.... If one behaved according to
his carnal desire, how could one make jihad [struggle] with
nafs. ... The killing of nafs may not be possible except by
means of the use of the dagger of silence, the sword of
hunger, or the spear of solitude and humility.... If you want to
kill the div [demon] of nafs, you must stay away from the
haram [forbidden].... If you are a slave of your sexual desire,
even if you think you are free, you are a prisoner."

Folklore
Div capturing a parī

Armenian
In Armenian mythology and many various Armenian folk tales, the dev (in Armenian: դև) appears both
in a kind and specially in a malicious role,[40] and has a semi-divine origin. Dev is a very large being with
an immense head on his shoulders, and with eyes as large as earthen bowls.[41] Some of them may have
only one eye. Usually, there are black and white devs. However, both of them can either be malicious or
kind.

The White Dev is present in Hovhannes Tumanyan's tale "Yedemakan Tzaghike" (Arm.: Եդեմական
Ծաղիկը), translated as "The Flower of Paradise". In the tale, the Dev is the flower's guardian.

Jushkaparik, Vushkaparik, or Ass-Pairika is another chimerical being whose name indicates a half-
demoniac and half-animal being, or a Pairika—a female Dev with amorous propensities—that appeared
in the form of an ass and lived in ruins.[41]

In one medieval Armenian lexicon, the dev are explained as rebellious angels.[42]

Persian
According to Persian folklore, the divs are inverted creatures, who do the opposite of what has been told
to them. They are active at night, but get sleepy at day. Darkness is said to increase their power.[9]
Usually, the approach of a div is presaged by a change in temperature or foul smell in the air.[9] They are
capable of transformation and performing magic. They are said to capture maidens, trying to force them
to marry the div.[9] Some have the form of a snake or a dragon with multiple heads, whose heads grow
again, after slain, comparable to the Hydra.[43] In his treatise about the supernatural Ahl-i Hava (people of
the air), Ghulam Husayn Sa'idi discusses several folkloric beliefs about different types of supernatural
creatures and demons. He describes the Div as tall creatures living far away either on islands or in the
desert. With their magical powers, they could turn people into statues by touching them.[11][44]

The divs are in constant battle with benevolent peris (fairies).[45][46] While the divs are usually perceived
as male, the peris are often, but not necessarily, depicted as female.[47] According to a story, a man saved
a white snake from a black one. The snake later revealed that she was a peri, and the black snake a div,
who attacked her. The divs in turn, frequently try to capture the
peris and imprison them in cages.

Turkic
Div in Turkish language refers to a (primordial) giant.[48]
According to Deniz Karakurt, they usually feature as elements of
fairy-tales as enemies of a hero,[49] but others also identified them
in folktales.[50] In such tales, they are associated with Erlik (Lord
of the underworld), but unlike Erlik, they can be killed.[51] In
some later depictions, they aren't necessarily evil and a hero might
turn them into benign and supportive creatures.

In Kazakh fairy-tales, they often capture women, live in caves,

and eat human flesh. Many ancient people probably believed such Rostam dismembering the White
tales to be true, and that places beneath the earth's surface, where Div, demon king of Mazandaran
no human has gone before, were inhabited by gods and divs.[52] In
Tatar folklore, the divs are described as beings living in the depths
of the waters under the earth. They may bewitch people or invite them as guests for dinner. They could
smell the spirit of humans, whenever they enter their lairs. If one speaks bismillah, all the offered dishes
turn into horse droppings and the demon himself disappears.[52]

In Kisekbasch Destani ("Story of the cut head"), a Turkish Sufi legend from the 13th or 14th Century, Ali
encounters a beheaded men, whose head is still reciting the Quran. His wife has been captured and his
child has been devoured by a div. Ali descends to the underworld to kill the div. Here, he finds out, the
div further captured 500 Sunnites and the div threats Ali, to destroy the holy cities of Mecca and Medina
and destroy the legacy of Islam. After a battle, Ali manages to kill the div, release the inmates, saves the
devoured child and brings the severed head, with aid of Muhammad back to life.[53]

In modern times, the role of the divs are sometimes inverted. Galimyan Gilmanov (2000) drawing from
Tatar folklore, reinvents the story of a girl encountering a div in the forest. Here, the div who owns the
meadow in the forest is supportive and grants the girl a wish after she offers him her comb.[54]

Occult depictions
Div appear within Islamic treatises on the occult. Their depictions often invoke the idea of Indian deities
or are directly identified with them.[55] To enslave a div, one must pierce their skin with a needle or bind
them on iron rings. Another method relies on burning their hair in fire, to summon them.[9] As Solomon
enslaved the devils, same is said to be true about the div.

Probably, the legends of the Quran about Solomon are conflated with the legends of the Persian hero
Jamshid, who is said to have enslaved the divs.[56] In later Islamic thought, Solomon is said to have
bound both devils and the divs to his will, inspiring Middle Eastern magicians trying to also capture such
demons.
In some stories, divs are said to be able to bestow magical abilities upon others. Once, a man encountered
a div, and the div offered him to learn the ability to speak with animals. However, if the man tells
someone about this gift, he will die.

Footnotes
a. The scope of aēnah- "error" is not precisely understood, and in Yasna 32.3 it is unclear if the
association of daeva- with unambiguously negative terms (for example with aka- "evil")
formulates a relationship or is the revocation of one. The definitions of Yasna 32.3 occur
with a syntactical construct that is otherwise unattested.

See also
Jötunn
Marid
Ifrit
Oni
Shaitan

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