Before the advent of Zoroastrians, the Iranians believed in two groups of gods (Ahuras and demons). The publication of Zoroastrian’s doctrines is the cause of the sanctification of demons in Iran. Folk legends are an important treasure for identifying cultural cha
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Before the advent of Zoroastrians, the Iranians believed in two groups of gods (Ahuras and demons). The publication of Zoroastrian’s doctrines is the cause of the sanctification of demons in Iran. Folk legends are an important treasure for identifying cultural characteristics and finding how many beliefs and attitudes develop in societies. The purpose of the present study is to answer the question whether the collected folk legends from Khorasan of Iran and its partner countries Afghanistan and Tajikistan can show the evolution of Iranian society's attitude towards demons? In some folk legends, demons have a moral character; for example, they have a grateful personality, help the protagonist, they are good and kind, and they do specialized work. In some folk tales, human being oppresses the demons and even kills them for no reason, while the demons refuse to kill anyone. In many stories, by the influence of religion, negative role has been attributed to the demons, but the stories in which the demons play a positive role show the triumph of the worship of demons over the teachings of Zoroastrians.
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