Among the many sources to explore virtues in contemporary and ancient cultures ,there are the works about art and myths that belonging to this culture and era. Myth is mostly emphasis through mediums like poems or stories, carvings or drawings, etc; though not ordinary ones. This fact that can make myth similar to art works.
In this article, our research focus on a poem in Pahlavi language called "Assurik Tree" which is thought to be the oldest one found in Iran. In "Assurik Tree", a tree (and very probably a palm tree) have tough that has quarrel with a goat, in which each of them boasts about himself and points out its characteristics and productions that should be taken as better. They also threaten each other in different ways. The threat and the boast both are much longer and more sophisticated for the goat side of the quarrel; a fact that can mean a sort of tendency from the poets toward the character of the goat in the story. So, it is not surprise to announc the victory for the goat in the end. But why and how is this victory expressed and understood? Is it just a piece of literature that dramatically brings its characters to life in order to let its readers enjoy or think or learn some lesson? Could there be other hidden parts, planned or developed among and for a certain group of people? Why does goat stands for what or who? And the same question about the tree. There have been a number of interpretations for the characters of the tree and the goat. To whom these two characters belong? Some have suggested that they are symbols of Iranians and Sumerians, the goat stands for Iranians and the tree for Sumerians. Some preferred Zoroastrians (the goat) against Pagans (the tree). Some others, believe that there are symbols of two kind of living, that are farming and photorealism. Here we have reanalyzed the elements in the poem that are or could be acceptable as a reason to the victory of the goat. Many of them are related to religion and spiritual life, including various Zoroastrian cults. Many of the goat's productions are either used by Ahura Mazda and its rituals, or used to provide a higher quality of life and even for luxury. While the products that the tree is boasting are mostly related to the human's basic needs and nothing more than that. From the side of religious perspective, the goat refers to some cultural elements such as musical instruments, costume, perfume, warlords, etc. There is also a list of mythical creatures and gods that mentioned by the goat that are partly common with Zoroastrian believes. The whole set of the elements that belong to character of the goat all seem cultural and spiritual factors , in comparison to the poor spiritual presentation of the tree, the main point that can explain is why the goat can be announced as the winner of the quarrel in the end.
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