54 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. |N.S., XLX, 
above fact, viz. the bird’s fondness for solitary, 
deserted ee places as its seat or abode, seems to be the real 
cause of its being taken by mankind as inauspicious. The 
following Ca story, as given by Mirkhond, in his Rauzatis 
Safa, presents the old Persian folklore about the owl being held 
inauspicious from very remote times. 
Mirkhond’s siory about the origin ol the custom of taking 
omen from owls 
Before the time of Kayémars, there was a kind of disorder 
n the affairs of the world, and sickness was much prevalent. 
So, several wise men met and resolved, that they should appoint 
one man as a ruler who can controlall. After asking for divine 
help (istikharat 3)l=i«!)! and deliberating (istisharat s)liiv! ), 
they resolved to elect one of them asa ruler, and their lot of 
selection fell wpon one Kayomars ( ols! ses pbs sat de 58 ),° 
who —e thus elected, took an oath (paéman)* of gible gies 
He had a son, Siamak by name, who had retired into Mou 
Denavaid One day, he started from his place to go to see 
his son Siamak in his retirement. On his way thither, his eye 
fell upon ‘‘an owl’’ (jaghd os») which shouted several times. 
Kayomars was affected by its voice and he said to himself : 
me thy news (i.e. news seemed to be conveyed by your voice), 
will be associated with good news (khair) and rejoicing (sarar 
ae 1 wish that you will be acceptable for vour intelligence 
( s9,F ebb “y20). Otherwise you will always be persecuted and 
rejected ( Fee 9 Syybe ).4 On going to his destination, 
Kayomars found that his son was killed by a huge stone 
hurled over him by the Divs and Afrits. ee Eos: deposited 
the body of his son in a well (ly), revealed to him by God 
on the mountain where Siamak lived, and he kindled a prea’ 


of the Elphinstone High Behraat: then — on the Picket Road, w 
the rebiei pre _ ddle Schoolis now situated. The English Peace! 
ay an owl from his ‘aon: -room sitting upon a part 
of ee bart ‘bui nildiow. He took up a tile ee an adjoining roof, hast- 
e the spot where it sat, and drove it 
1 ‘Mirk khond’s Text of Rauzat-us Safa. Munchi Nawal Keshore’s litho- 
graphed edition, Vol, 1, p. 149,1. 9 
2 Ibid. This statement hone that according to —— premitive 
people selected from among themselves a king and that selection was 
considered to be a kind of divine as settled by a kind cof 2 Cf. the 
selection of Viraf for a Divine Vision, (Vide my Asiatic Papers, Pt. I, 
poi, By seq). 
3 It seems that according to old everest tradition, a kind of oath was 
taken by the person selected as a Kin 
* Nawal Keshore’s Ed., I, p. 149, 1. 20. 

