Discursive Reading of Snow and Rain Magic in Iranian Heroic Epics Based on Michel Foucault’s Theory
Abstract
The phenomenon of black magic involving snow and rain in Persian heroic epics such as the Shahnameh, Garshaspnameh, Jahangirnameh, Faramarznameh, and Shabrangnameh is employed as a tool to generate natural chaos and dominate Iranian enemies. This magic, which manipulates natural phenomena and is primarily wielded by Iran’s adversaries and Ahrimanic forces, suddenly descends upon the Iranian army in unseasonable times. The spell is ultimately broken when the sorcerer is slain by Iranian heroes.
This magic is not merely a mythological element; rather, it constitutes part of a discursive system of power-knowledge. It deploys demonic occult knowledge as a repressive form of knowledge to weaken the enemy’s physical body and expose it to death through the disruption of nature. This discourse transforms nature into an instrument for creating fear and turmoil. Therefore, snow and rain magic in these epics functions as a discursive mechanism in the struggle for dominance over nature and bodies. Ultimately, it is stabilized through the victory of the Iranian discourse over the Ahrimanic one.
The present study, grounded in Michel Foucault’s discourse theory, employs a descriptive-analytical method. Its primary aim is to demonstrate how this magical phenomenon evolves from a mere climatic anomaly into a discursive tool of power, converting the arena of physical combat into a battlefield of competing discourses. The findings indicate that the power-knowledge component is among the most frequent elements in these heroic epics, followed by resistance and the subject, while visibility exhibits a descending trend.
Keywords: discursive reading, snow and rain magic, Persian heroic epics, Michel Foucault