Ninth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

Gender discrimination even within subjects of study in the social sciences have dismissed the subject matter of goddess -sovereign or not- as unworthy of serious study” and was continued until 1987, the discussion on The Encyclopedia of Religion. The discipline of Kurdish studies, another discriminated field that remains a largely marginalized one in academia. Yet, the interconnections between mythology and Kurdish history and, in particular, the place and significance of women in Kurdish mythology and history of religion remain largely unexamined. Shaymaran is an important response to that. “Shaymaran” is a semi snake and semi women deity. The word made up of two words: “sha”(shah) and “mar” (snake) which means Shah of the snakes in Kurdish. The image of Shaymaran often seen hung in walls in Kurdish households and the myth is the most popularly circulated tale in which her tragic killing takes place. In my presentation, I will focus on the symbolic existence of a female deity, the Shaymaran, within the Kurdish mythological canon and, goddess-worshipping. An intricate analysis of the Shaymaran myth and the image will be the primary content of my presentation, which particularly focuses its attention on the connection between the Shaymaran imagery and her origin story. In particular, I will analyze the greater symbolism embedded in the Shaymaran myth, its dualistic nature, and her status as a possessor and a protector of knowledge. Archeomythology will be the main method of this study.