Name
Aži Dahāka
Persian / Middle Eastern
Back to atlas
Dragon Myth Entry
Persian / Middle Eastern
Aži Dahāka
Middle East & Persia
Some dragon forms emerge where myth speaks in deserts, kings, and cosmic struggle. In the Avesta the three-headed Aži Dahāka is overcome by the hero Thraētaona; in the Shahnameh it becomes the serpent-shouldered tyrant Zahhāk, bound beneath Mount Damāvand - primordial chaos that heroes and empires must overcome.
Associated With
Cosmic struggle, deserts, eclipses, ancient kings
Atmosphere
Some dragon forms emerge where myth speaks in stars, deserts, kings, and cosmic struggle.
Region
Middle East & Persia
Avestan roots to later Persian epic tradition
Atlas Context
This entry is part of Where Dragons Dwell, an interactive atlas of dragon myths and sacred serpent traditions across world cultures.
Sources & Further Reading
Every reference below was verified against a live URL or a standard published edition. Primary texts and foundational ethnographic records are marked primary; modern academic studies and museum resources follow.
trans. James Darmesteter · 1898 (text c. 1st millennium BCE)
Names Aži Dahāka as the three-mouthed, three-headed, six-eyed dragon smitten by Thraētaona.
Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings (Zahhāk episode)
PrimaryFerdowsi, trans. Dick Davis · c. 1010 CE (trans. 2006)
In the epic the dragon becomes the serpent-shouldered tyrant Zahhāk, bound beneath Mount Damāvand.
Encyclopaedia Iranica: “AŽDAHĀ (dragon)”
ScholarshipP. O. Skjærvø et al. · 1987 (updated 2017)
Standard scholarly reference covering Old and Middle Iranian sources, Persian literature, and folklore.