This gallery was motivated by this earlier post. This webpage is the source of all the images and their descriptions, as follows (with the image numbering starting from the top left of your screen and proceeding horizontally before vertically).
1) Hitler-Zahhāk sitting on the throne among his bodyguards. The two snakes on his shoulder are Mussolini and the Japanese Prime Minister and Commander in Chief Hideki Tōjō. Göbbels as a small hoofed evil – Iblis – serves them coffee. The verse: On Zahhāk’s shoulders two serpents grew by magic and destruction was rained down on the people.
2) Hitler-Zahhāk and Göring find their pleasure only in torturing and killing. The iconography follows a later episode of the Shahname, the execution of the socialist and anti-clerical Mazdak and his disciples. The verse: The law of the wise became hidden, and the desires of madmen became widespread; the hand of the government grew long in evil purpose, goodness was only heard of in secret.
3) Hitler-Zahhāk sees a dream about the three kings who come to kill him. The verse: Then, from the palace of the emperor, he saw three warriors suddenly appear.
4) Left: Kaveh, the blacksmith rises against Hitler-Zahhāk. The verse: He cried and raised his hand before the Shah: O Shah I am Kaveh in demand of justice. There must be a limit to oppression; oppression must always have a just cause.
Right: The three kings (Churchill always in the lead!) with Kaveh carrying Hitler-Zahhāk fastened to the saddle and crushing Göring. The onlookers, seeing Zahhāk’s defeat, take off their swastikas. The verse: Strongly he tied his two hand and waist, so that his fetters could not be broken, even by a raging elephant.
5) Hitler-Zahhāk is nailed to Mount Damavand. The verse: Swiftly, as a post-messenger, he brought Zahhāk away and bound him to Mount Damavand and, when the name of Zahhāk became as dust, the world was cleansed of his evil.
6 & 7) The three kings happily chase away by arrows, sword and spear the three evils: Hitler, Tōjō, and Mussolini. The latter, wounded by Churchill’s arrow, already fell on the ground, as a reference to the British landing in Italy. The verses running around the edges recount how Rustam, personified by Churchill in the poster, fits eagle’s feathers on his arrow and shoots them on his enemies.
View Full-screen Gallery
Comments