آتش سوخرا خاموش شد، باد مهران وزید

 
Abstract
In ancient Iranian history, political, socio-economic, and cultural-religious attitudes have often been conveyed through proverbs. These proverbs, created by unknown individuals, sometimes narrate significant historical events, preserving the memory of these events for future generations. The proverb “Sūkhrā's wind has died away, and a wind belonging to Shāpur has now started to blow,” or “Sūkhrā's fire went out, and a wind belonging to Shāpur has now started to blow,” is one of the oldest surviving Iranian proverbs from the Sasanian period and remained popular at least until the middle of the fifth century AH. Although historical sources indicate that the proverb originated from the conflict between two prominent Iranian commanders during the reign of Kavād I (488-496 and 531-496 AD), the exact original form of the proverb from the Sasanian period is not well-documented. In this essay, we will explore the historical background of this proverb's origin, aiming to identify its initial form within the context of Iranian religion and culture, as well as how Iranian proverbs have evolved over time.
Keywords: Sasanians, Sūkhrā, Shāpur, Kāren and Mehrān families, Iranian proverbs.
 
Introduction
Iranians possess a long and rich history, and one of the most significant aspects of Iranian culture is its proverbs. The origins of these proverbs are diverse, and their creators are often unknown. Nevertheless, we recognize that many of these proverbs refer to important historical events, retelling events of great significance to the populace in a memorable format. The proverb “Sūkhrā's wind has died away, and a wind belonging to Shāpur has now started to blow,” or “Sūkhrā's fire went out, and a wind belonging to Shāpur has now started to blow,” is among the oldest known Iranian proverbs, tracing back to the Sasanian era. It continued to be used at least until the first half of the 5th century AH. Historical sources clearly indicate that this proverb pertains to a major event during the Sasanian period: the death of Sūkhrā, a distinguished Iranian commander of the House of Kāren, at the command of King Kavād I and at the hands of Shāpur, another esteemed commander from the House of Mehrān. While the origins and circumstances surrounding this proverb are evident, its original form during the Sasanian era remains unclear. We may wonder whether the original version referred to the extinguishing of Sūkhrā's fire or the subsiding of his wind. In this research, we will first provide a brief overview of the historical context surrounding the emergence of this proverb in the Sasanian period, followed by an exploration of its original form through various sources, within the framework of Iranian religion and culture, and the evolution of Iranian proverbs.
 
Materials and Methods
This research employs a descriptive-analytical approach to examine a proverb from the Sasanian period, which has been recounted in several Islamic sources. The proverb alludes to a significant event during the reign of Kavād I—the killing of Sūkhrā, a notable Iranian commander of the House of Kāren, by his rival Shāpur of the House of Mehrān. This event was of such importance that it was narratively transformed into a proverb, which remained in the collective memory of Iranians for centuries after the fall of the Sasanian Empire. The proverb has been recorded in a few different forms in Islamic-era sources: 1) “Sūkhrā's wind has died away, and a wind belonging to Shāpur has now started to blow,” 2) “Sūkhrā's fire went out, and a wind belonging to Shāpur has now started to blow,” and 3) “Sūkhrā's wind has died away, and a wind belonging to Mehrān has now started to blow.” The goal of this research is to uncover the original form of this Sasanian proverb, considering the influences of Zoroastrian religion, Iranian culture, and the evolution of Iranian proverbs over time.
 
Discussion and Result
One of the most significant events of the Sasanian period was the execution of Sūkhrā of the House of Kāren, ordered by King Kavād I and executed by Shāpur of the House of Mehrān. From that time onward, Iranians expressed the decline of Sūkhrā's power, glory, and influence, as well as the rise of Shāpur and the strengthening of the House of Mehrān, through this poignant proverb. This ancient Iranian saying was remembered and used until at least the mid-5th century AH. Historical sources from the Islamic period recount the rivalry between Sūkhrā and Shāpur, the death of Sūkhrā, and Shāpur's ascent to power while also documenting the use of a proverb referring to this event in several forms, with slight variations in wording: 1) “Sūkhrā's wind has died away, and a wind belonging to Shāpur has now started to blow”; 2) “Sūkhrā's wind has died away, and a wind belonging to Mehrān has now started to blow”; 3) “Sūkhrā's fire went out, and a wind belonging to Shāpur has now started to blow.” This variation indicates that the creators of the proverbs, possibly drawing from the Sasanian era itself, interchanged Shāpur's name for his family name (wind of Shapur / wind of Mehrān) and also swapped the key terms “fire” and “wind”.
 
Conclusion
Looking at the construction and meaning of this proverb through the lens of Zoroastrian cultural and religious beliefs of the Sasanian era, as well as the symbolic importance of each family's fire as a representation of prosperity, strength, endurance, and the power of historical figures and families, we can hypothesize that the original, correct, and distinctly Iranian-Zoroastrian form of this proverb during the Sasanian period is likely the version still in use by Iranians at the time of the unknown author of Nihāyat al-Arab fī Akhbār al-Furs wa al-'Arab: “Sūkhrā's fire went out, and a wind belonging to Shāpur has now started to blow.” The extinguishing of Sūkhrā's fire refers to the death and decline of his glory and power, alongside that of the House of Kāren. In contrast, the blowing of the wind of Shapur/ Mehrān signifies Shāpur's rise to power and the wind blowing on the banner of the noble House of Mehrān.