In Avestan, Kay Kāvus or Kauui Usan is introduced as great and the most glorious king of Kayanian dynasty. He has divine royal glory (khvarenah or farre izadi) which gives him special features. One of these features is “flying to heaven” and companionship wi More
In Avestan, Kay Kāvus or Kauui Usan is introduced as great and the most glorious king of Kayanian dynasty. He has divine royal glory (khvarenah or farre izadi) which gives him special features. One of these features is “flying to heaven” and companionship with Ahura Mazda. But in the passage of time, the myth of Kay Kāvus has changed. He has fallen from his high state and has turned into an idiot king that kills his son, Seyāvash; His flying to heaven is interpreted as invading the divine territory and wishing to conquer heavens.
The present article, after presenting the myth of Kay Kāvus, tries to consider the reasons of his “flight to heaven” and change in the myth. Then, the original structure of the story will be revealed by displacing some of couplets of the story in Shānāmeh.
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