Where Did the Battle Between Wištāsp and Arǰāsp Take Place?

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Middle Persian epic work of Ayādgār ī Zarērān is one of the most interesting specimens of the Pahlavi secular literature providing a link between the old Iranian epic tradition and Ferdowsi's Šāhnāma. Its language is simple, although sometimes obscure words or sentences occasionally make some passages difficult for interpretation. In the current paper it is tried to give a new interpretation for the word in §19, which previously has been discussed by a number of scholars who worked on the text of Ayādgār ī Zarērān. Besides this, the location of the mythical Spēd razūr (“White Forest”), the place where the battle between Wištāsp and Arǰāsp took place, is discussed. The correct interpretation of the word may provide an answer to the question where did the battle between the mythological rulers Wištāsp and Arǰāsp take place, according to the Middle Persian tradition.