The story of Shah Maran - Queen of Snakes
In most Kurdish houses, especially grandmothers houses, hangs on the wall a picture of a woman whose upper half is a human and her lower half is a snake. This is Shah Maran, in Kurdish it means Queen of Snakes. It is not just a picture, but a thousand-year-old legend, reflecting wisdom, loyalty, and betrayal, and in its folds it holds deep philosophical meanings
The beginning of the story:
An orphan girl was said to have lived with her grandmother, and fell in love with a poor young man. Her cousin wanted to marry her, but she rejected him repeatedly, her cousin got angry, and he kidnapped her poor boyfriend and tortured him in front of her until he was killed, and then falsely accused the girl of losing her honor.
Grandma was frightened for her granddaughter's safety, and advised her to run away, which she did. While escaping, she fell into a deep well that looks like a cave in the depths of the earth, and everyone thought she was dead.
At the bottom of the well, the girl woke up injured and thirsty, and while drinking from the water, a huge kind snake appeared to her, reassuring her and asking her to put her feet in the water. And as she did, the lower half body turned nto a snake. The snakes welcomed her and made her queen over them, and called her "Shah Maran". Since then, she has been going out every night secretly to put food and money in front of the poor people's homes.
Then, a poor young man named Jamsab appeared in a forest looking for honey, and he found an abandoned well with bee nests. He helped his friend to go down, but after collecting honey, he betrayed his friend and left him in the well. Jamsab found an opening in the well that leads to a strange world full of rivers, trees and treasures, and there he found himself surrounded by snakes, which led him to their queen, Shah Maran, he was marveled by her beauty, and mysterious personality.
Shah Maran welcomed him, fed him, gave him safety. Three days later, he asked her to marry him, and she agreed on the condition that he answered three questions:
- 1. What is life and death?
He answered: Life is incomplete but it needs freedom and peace, death is a secret to be accepted, both are in sync.
2. What power is ruling the world?
He said: Love, because there is no life without love, and no love without life.
3. Can you leave your world and stay with us?
He answered: yes I can.
BETRAYAL AND CHEATING:
As the years passed, Jamsab missed his mother, and asked Shah Maran for permission to visit her. Sadly, she let him with a warning: “People don’t keep their promises.” He promised her he would never reveal her secret.
Jamsab returned to the outside world where the king was seriously ill. A magician said the cure is the blood of ‘Shah Maran’, soldiers searched for the only person who knew her whereabouts: Jamsab. He refused at first but they tortured him until he confessed.
Grab Basha Maran and bring her to the king. Jamsap to speak to her for one last time, and she told him:
“They will take away three cups of my blood: one for poison, the second for healing, and the third for science. Don't drink the poison. ”
When she was murdered, Jamsap replaced the stash cups:
- • The king drank the healing cup and was recovered.
• Jamsab drank the cup of wisdom, and increased knowledge
• And the magician drank the poisonous cup and died.
After her death, Shah Maran's body was returned to her kingdom, and three days later her daughter, aged 14, emerged from her body to become the new queen.
It is said that snakes will one day take revenge on humans for their betrayal.
