Sahmeran; It is a being seen in Iranian-Persian mythology and considered the ancestor of all snakes. This being, which is depicted as a snake from the waist down and a human being on the top, is known as a being that never ages. It is believed that all snakes on earth are descended from Şahmeran, who lives seven floors below the ground. Şahmeran is seen as the source of eternal wisdom and healing. There are legends that Cemşab, who is mentioned in the legends of Şahmeran, is Lokman Hekim, who is known to heal with the information he learned from Şahmeran.
The legend of Shahmaran, about which there are many rumors, was born in Mesopotamia and continued for centuries. Shahmaran, a Persian word, means “the king of snakes”. There are many places where Şahmeran, who is described as a female being, lived in Anatolia. There are rumors that he lived in the Tarsus district of Mersin. There are stories that he lived in the Snake Castle between Adana’s Ceyhan district and Misis Antique City. At the same time, Şahmeran village of İslâhiye district of Gaziantep was established at the foot of Şahmeran Mountain. It is believed that Şahmeran lived on this mountain. A similar story takes place in the Mardin region. Sahmeran paintings made by masters from Mardin adorn the walls of the houses.
This legend, which is told in different ways in each region; It is said that good will be met with good and evil will be met with evil. In some narrations, it is mentioned that a great love can result in death. According to the common legend, Şahmeran; It is a harmless creature that lives with its snakes in the underworld. In the legend of Illuyanka, told during the Hittite period, the battle of Illuyanka, a snake-like creature, with the storm god Tesup is told. Another creature in Greek mythology that may be the source of the Shahmaran legend is Medusa, who was beheaded by Perseus.
The Legend of Şahmeran and Cemşab
In the legend that is told to take place in the Tarsus district of Mersin; The snakes living in the region are called Meran. Living with their queen, Şahmeran, these snakes are intelligent, compassionate beings living in peace. Cemşab, who is said to be the first person to see Şahmeran, went into a cave with his friends to collect honey. His friends left Cemşab in the cave to get more honey. Cemşab, who stayed in the cave for a long time, noticed a hole through which light was leaking and enlarged this hole by carving. Cemşab saw a garden with unique beauties inside the hole. Many snakes live in this garden together with Şahmeran. Cemşab, who stayed here for many years, gained the trust of Şahmeran. Şahmeran allowed Cemşab to go out on the condition that he would not tell anyone about his existence.
Cemşab, who kept his promise for a long time, did not tell anyone about Şahmeran until the sultan got sick. But the sultan needs to eat the meat of Şahmeran in order to be healed. According to the rumor, the skin of the person who sees Şahmeran should shine. Knowing this, the vizier gathered everyone and forcibly took them to the bath. Cemşab, whose secret was revealed, had to tell Şahmeran’s place. Seeing that Cemşab was upset, Şahmeran told him to feed his own meat to the sultan, boil it and make the vizier drink the first water and drink the second water himself. After this practice, the vizier died, the sultan was healed, and Cemşab reached all the wisdom of Şahmeran. However, the snakes that heard that Şahmeran had died invaded Tarsus.
There is a belief that Cemşab in the legend is Lokman Hekim, who is said to have healed people with the wisdom he received from Şahmeran. It is said that Lokman Hekim found the elixir of immortality with this information, but later lost its formula. There are many stories about how he lost the formula. According to a story, he dropped the bottle containing the elixir of immortality into the water while crossing the bridge. In another story, the formula he wrote was erased in the rain. According to another belief, this formula was destroyed by Gabriel by the order of Allah. It is thought that Lokman Hekim, who found a cure-all, learned advanced medical knowledge from the smithy. For this reason, it is thought that the snake symbol used in medicine is Shahmaran.
The Legend of Shahmaran and Tahmasp
According to another story told; Şahmeran is a very beautiful woman with a snake shape below the waist. She lives peacefully in a dark cave with the basilisk snakes. One day, a young man named Tahmasp fell into the cave where Şahmeran lived. Seeing Tahmasp, Şahmeran fell in love with him and wanted him to stay there and be his guest. Sahmeran, who did everything in his power to make her comfortable, realized the longing for her family and home. For this reason, she let him go, thinking that she would not betray him. But on the way she told Tahmasp not to go into the water no matter what.
One day, the king of the country fell ill and the evil vizier claimed that the only solution was in Şahmeran. The vizier’s wish is to reach the infinite wisdom of Şahmeran. For this reason, he put everyone in the water to find the person who saw Şahmeran, and Tahmasp’s body, who entered the water, was flaky. Tahmasp, who was tortured by the vizier, had to tell Şahmeran’s location. Seeing that Tahmasp was upset, Şahmeran said that whoever eats from his tail will be wise, and whoever eats from the flesh of his head will face death. Hearing this, the vizier killed Şahmeran and died on the spot by eating a piece of his tail. Tahmasp, who could not bear the death of his loved one, took a bite from Şahmeran’s head at the same time as the vizier. Thus, the infinite wisdom of Şahmeran passed to Tahmasp. Estimating what will happen, Şahmeran left the infinite wisdom to the person he loves as a final gift.
