A comparative study of the image of Achaemenid Cyrus in historical sources and historical novels1

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Persian Language and Literature, University of Qom

2 Department of Persian Literature, University of Qom

Abstract

Achaemenid Cyrus is one of the greatest kings of Iran who has been mentioned in various sources, but

his real identity was discovered by decoding Achaemenid inscriptions and the Cyrus cylinder. Historical

books and novels are sources that have depicted him from different perspectives. It is necessary to

examine and compare these two sources against each other, as well as the information and views that

the authors offer on this great person. While Cyrus’ identity and personality have been researched

extensively, there has been no research that compares and evaluates his personality and position in

these two categories of works yet.This issue has been addressed by the current research using a library

and comparative-analytical method. The results of the research were: 1- Cyrus' character in historical

books is contradictory due to the absence of Achaemenians names in Avestan sources. So to account

for him in the history of Iran’s kingdom, historians sometimes depict him as an agent of other kings and

sometimes as having diverse personalities. 2- Historical novels portray a mythical figure of Cyrus in two

ways: 1- through moral virtues that depict him as a perfect human being (Asho), and 2- through

nationalism that led to the creation of an independent country through his bravery. 3- Historical

novelists recalling the glories of Cyrus' reign see him as a savior and hope that his arrival will free Iran

from foreign rule and establish a powerful government that respects the people's opinion, unlike the

incompetent Qajar rulers.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Research in Narrative Literature

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 25 November 2024

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