Eranshahr Creatures Catalog: Modern Discoveries

About This Catalog

The Eranshahr Project represents ongoing documentation of Iranian mythical creatures, collecting oral traditions and regional folklore that were previously unrecorded. This catalog indexes creatures from their comprehensive 1001 Mythical Creatures directory.

Recent Documented Entities

Deities & Divine Forces

Hura (هورا): Location: Kermanshah
Category: Deity
Description: A creator god of life and existence, symbolized by a radiant sun or golden spiral. Hura shapes the world and sets life in motion. Creativity is considered a sacred echo of Hura's power, and followers honor creation through art, invention, and childbirth. Dawn is especially sacred to this deity, representing new beginnings.
Arouda (آرودا): Location: Kermanshah
Category: Deity
Description: A guardian deity whose power protects the world, strongest during twilight hours. Represents the liminal force that watches over transitions between day and night.
Māraspand (مارسپند): Category: Deity (Zoroastrian)
Description: A Zoroastrian deity of sacred speech, perception, and healing. Provides protection against demonic disease and corruption of language.

Serpents & Dragons

Naznāz (نضناض): Category: Serpent
Description: A smoke-breathing serpent with a human face found in desert regions. Its heart, if obtained, grants the power to speak with animals. Combines human intelligence with serpentine form in a unique manifestation.
Samand Eslar (سمند اسلار): Category: Serpent
Description: A deadly two-headed serpent mentioned in wonder literature. Its gaze alone is fatal—no physical contact needed. Represents the ultimate predatory serpent in Persian lore.

Jinn & Spirits

Shah Veh (شَه وِه): Location: Mahabad
Category: Jinn / Aal
Description: A postpartum-protecting spirit that can be repelled by sickles, knives, and constant light. Represents both threat and protection for new mothers, depending on proper precautions.
Pīrezan Mārku (پیرزن مارکو): Location: Hamadan
Category: Jinn
Description: A terrifying old woman spirit who appears to frighten disobedient children. Part of the widespread Persian tradition of elderly female spirits used as moral enforcers.
Āj Ānghīrān (آج آنقیران): Location: Tabriz
Category: Jinn
Description: A jinn that dwells in holes and drags victims away with sudden noise and force. Represents dangers lurking in abandoned or dark places.
Parizad-e Derakhti (پریزاد درختی): Location: Bandar Abbas
Category: Jinn / Fairy
Description: A beautiful tree-dwelling fairy who combs her golden hair from the branches. Represents benevolent nature spirits tied to specific trees and groves.
Shumut (شوموت): Location: Chenaran
Category: Jinn
Description: A black jinn that appears on walls in darkness and silence, particularly before the age of electricity. Represents pre-modern fears of darkness and the unknown.
Xēyr Bar Kar (خیر بر کر): Category: Fairy / Benevolent Spirit
Description: A benevolent Lak spirit who visits homes on Yalda Night (winter solstice) to bring blessings and nourishment. Represents the protective spirits of seasonal celebrations.

Demons & Malevolent Forces

Spazg (اسپزگ دیو): Source: Bundahishn (Zoroastrian text)
Category: Deev / Demon
Description: A demon of slander who spreads lies and hatred through convincing speech. Corrupts communication and turns words into weapons of division.
Nasav / Nasu (نس دیو): Source: Zoroastrian belief
Category: Deev / Demon
Description: The demon of decay who corrupts dead bodies and contaminates the living. Druj Nasu rushes to corpses immediately upon death, making proper funerary rites essential.

Child-Stealers & Bogeymen

Āptār Jolī (آپتار جُلی): Location: Iranshahr
Category: Boogy
Description: A fearsome child-stealing entity that abducts children from homes at night. Parents invoke its name to enforce bedtime and good behavior.
Goje-Ferfer (گوجه فرفر): Category: Boogy
Description: A mischievous boy who rides a tomato and punishes lazy children by boiling them. Combines playful absurdity with genuine menace in children's cautionary tales.
Omme Xazra Va-Allīf (ام خضره و اللیف): Location: Khuzestan
Category: Boogy
Description: A leaf-haired old woman who kidnaps children from palm groves. Her unusual appearance (hair made of leaves) connects her to vegetation spirits.
Khāle Ghulak (خاله غولک): Location: Jahrom
Category: Boogy
Description: A ghostly female figure who steals newborns and haunts postpartum mothers. Another manifestation of the widespread Al/Aleybani tradition.

Unique & Unusual Entities

Tirg (تیرگ): Location: Sistan
Category: Zombie / Location
Description: A sealed mud-brick tomb where the dead may rise screaming, though unseen and unheard by the living. Represents a liminal space between death and undeath.
Mehr Giah / Mandrake (مهر گیاه یا مردم گیاه): Category: Plant / Magical Herb
Description: A magical human-shaped root (mandrake) said to bring love, danger, or divine mystery. The Persian tradition of the mandrake includes unique local beliefs about its powers and proper harvesting.

Collections & Special Categories

Old Women in Iranian Folklore

A special collection documenting the prevalence of elderly female spirits across Persian folklore. These entities serve multiple functions:

Moral enforcers for children's behavior
Guardians of boundaries and liminality
Keepers of traditional knowledge
Representations of both wisdom and threat

Documentation Sources

The Eranshahr Project collects these creatures through:

Oral Submissions: Direct reports from community members
Field Research: On-site documentation in Iranian provinces
Historical Texts: Zoroastrian scriptures, local histories, wonder literature
Community Verification: Cross-checking with elders and local experts

Regional Patterns

By Geography

Northwestern (Azerbaijan, Ardabil): Turkic-influenced entities, mountain spirits
Western (Kermanshah, Kurdistan): Unique deities like Hura, guardian forces
Central (Hamadan, Isfahan): Urban folklore, historical spirits
Southern (Khuzestan, Hormozgan): Water spirits, maritime entities, palm grove dwellers
Eastern (Khorasan, Sistan): Desert creatures, tomb guardians, isolated phenomena
Northern (Gilan, Mazandaran): Forest spirits, coastal entities

By Function

Protective: Shah Veh, Xēyr Bar Kar, guardian deities
Threatening: Child-stealers, jinn in holes, demons of decay
Moralizing: Bogeymen who punish specific bad behaviors
Liminal: Entities tied to thresholds, twilight, death
Creative/Generative: Hura and other forces of life and making

Integration with Historical Entities

These modern documented creatures exist alongside classical Persian mythology:

Many are regional variations of classical entities (Al variants, div manifestations)
Some preserve Zoroastrian concepts in folk form
Others represent genuine local traditions distinct from mainstream Persian mythology
The collection shows how ancient beliefs evolved through oral transmission

For World of Némand:

These recently documented entities can serve as:

Regional variations of divs and yazatas adapted to local contexts
Lesser supernatural forces that escaped formal classification
Folklore interpretations of Pair of Threes phenomena
NPCs, encounters, and quest hooks with authentic Persian roots
Evidence that the supernatural permeates daily life at all levels

Further Research

Visit the Eranshahr 1001 Mythical Creatures Directory for:

Full illustrated entries for each creature
Persian and English descriptions
Community notes and verification
Author and source attribution
Ongoing additions as new creatures are documented

Source: Eranshahr L.L.C. - Iranian Mythical Creatures Project