Saturday, April 5, 2014

Sahmaran DEADLY BEAUTY...

Maran refers to being part human and part snake. Snakes are common in legend for being mysterious creatures, and are connected to many stories and beliefs. South-eastern Turkey is full of such legends. One legend tells that Sahmaran was the sultan of the Maran. Though the original legend tells of him being a man, a more commonly known and romantic version tells that Sahmaran was actually female.


Once upon a time, a shepherd accidently fell in a cave full of snakes. Afraid for his life, he heard a soft voice calling to him. “Do not be afraid...” it said, and the snakes proceeded to move aside and open a path for him to follow. At the end of the path, he found a beautiful woman sitting on a throne covered with jewels, and from her waist down she was a snake...
On account of a prophecy foretelling that this man would cause her death should he leave, she had to find a way to keep him in her cave. Inviting him to stay with her, she fell in love with the willing shepherd, and would tell him many tales as a way of filling his loneliness. But still the shepherd began to miss life outside, and miss his mother, so one day he asked Sahmaran that he might spend a day outside the cave, promising to return and never to tell a soul of her and the palace in the cave. Sahmaran, though, knew full well what would happen if she were to let him go...
Meanwhile, the king of the land had fallen incurably ill. Only the flesh of Sahmaran could heal him, it was said. An evil witch told the king to force all the people to go to the hamam (Turkish baths), there to disrobe, because it was said that part of the body of whoever had seen Sahmaran would be covered with snake scales. When the shepherd returned to his village, he was taken captive by soldiers and brought to the hamam. Forcing him to take off his clothes, they found snake scales on his back.
They took him to the palace and threw him into the dungeons to compel him to tell them the whereabouts of Sahmaran... After several days of suffering, the shepherd finally told them that he could bring Sahmaran to them, and so they released him.
The shepherd went back to the cave and told Sahmaran that if she wanted, he could show her his village. Sahmaran looked into the eyes of her lover, and even though she saw the truth in them, she accepted his invitation. Together they left the cave and traveled to the village. In the hamam, the soldiers attacked her. But with one simple move, she defeated them, declaring that should anyone dare to approach her, she would kill them with the snakes on her head. Only the shepherd could kill her, she told them. “Cut my body into three pieces,” she said. “Whoever takes a bite from my snake scales will gain the secrets of the world; whoever eats my body will be rid of all illnesses; but whoever takes a bite from my head will die instantly.”
The shepherd turned on his lover, killing her. The witch forced to him take a bite of the head, while she took a bite of the scales, and the king a bite of the flesh. The king was healed, as foretold, but the witch got her comeuppance and died, while the shepherd was not affected at all. Even as Sahmaran passed away, she took care of her love...
Today, Sahmaran has a well-known form: a part-snake / part-human body with six snakes for legs. She wears a crown adorned with ram horns, and generally in the background is a big rose. A common belief is that paintings of Sahmaran protect houses from fire. Even today, Sahmaran paintings can be seen in Eastern Turkey, especially as part of a girl’s dowry.