Iran and the Caucasus 18 (2014) 315-324

Review Article
The Yezidi Religion
Peter Nicolaus
Former UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Kabul, Salzburg

Abstract
The article presents a detailed discussion of several key issues concerning the essentials of
the Yezidi identitythe Yezidi religion, particularly the folk pantheon and the conceptions of divinity, based upon the analysts of the recent monograph by Garnik S. Asatrian
and Victoria Arakelova.
Keywords
Yezidi Religion, Yezidi Folk Pantheon, Heretic Sects, Peacock Angel, Serpent

Garnik Asatrian and Victoria Arakelova have succeeded introducing a

book1 entirely dedicated to the essentials of Yezidi identitythe Yezidi
religion, or more precisely the so-called Yezidi folk pantheon in its varied
dimensions (p. ix), which also probes Yezidi conceptions of divinity in
the light of a comparative religious analysis (p. x).
Part I initially addresses the notion of God (Monotheism versus Polytheism), and then explores the manifestations of Godthe Yezidi triad
(Malak-Tws, Sheikh Adi, and Sultan Ezid). By comparing, inter alia, Old
Iranian, Islamic, and Greek concepts of the divine, the authors clearly
demonstrate that Yezidism is, without any doubt, a monotheistic religion,
and that the component deities within the Yezidi triad are unambiguous
manifestations of the one god (p. 3)known to the Yezidis as Xwad.
The authors then segue into an analysis of Xwads rather bizarre nature.
1

Garnik S. Asatrian, Victoria Arakelova, The Religion of the Peacock Angel: The Yezidis
and their Spirit World, Durham: Acumen, 2014, 157 pp.
Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2014

DOI: 10.1163/1573384X-20140306

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Xwad is a transcendent creator-god who is completely disinterested in

his creation and has no concern about its fate. In other words, a typical
deus otiosus,2 who in turn doesas already Layard remarkednot receive any direct prayer or sacrifice from the people he created.3 After a
careful examination of the syncretistic background, the authors convincingly suggest that Xwad could be the residue of the hidden god of some
ancient Gnostic system, and that his manifestations in the triad are comparable to the emanations from the far removed divine (p. 6 and p. 124125). However, Xwad is not only the echo of the removed Supreme Being
(the highest and unknowable God of the Gnostic), but has also merged
with the Gnostics image of the Demiurge (p. 125). This already confusing dichotomous trait of Xwad is further blurred by Xwad transferring
his demiurgical functions to the triad (see below), in particular to MalakTws, the Peacock Angel. Thus, the authors are implicitly inviting the
question of whether the dualistic nature of Malak-Tws is actually not
the result of the unique and strictly non-Gnostic merging of the Supreme
Being (good) with the Demiurge (evil, or at least imperfect), and the
subsequent manifestation of Xwad in Malak-Tws.
Malak-Tws, the Peacock Angel, is the most important character in
the Yezidi belief. He dominates all major and minor divinities of the pantheon. The authors analyse, in detail, the supreme role of this deity in the
Yezidi cult and tradition, introduce the genesis and symbolism of the peacock image, explain the role Malak-Tws plays in other traditions, and
examine not only this cosmically ambiguous character but also his relation to the fallen angel of Islam and the apologia he receives in early Sufism. They conclude that, in the Near Eastern tradition (including Iran),
the peacock symbolises not only magnificence and grandeur, but also
pride, vanity and lust; he displays beauty (stunning plumage), but also has
repelling features (ever-open, evil staring eyes, ugly legs and an unpleasant voice). In Old Iranian beliefs, the peacock is fashioned by the principle
of evil (Ahriman)his only creation of something good. Hence, the peacock seems to possess both divine and infernal attributes (p. 26). The
2
In the same vain Eszter Spt, The Yezidis, London, 2005: 32; and Birgl Aikyildiz, The
Yezidis, The History of a Community, Culture and Religion, London/New York, 2010: 71.
3
A. H. Layard, Nineveh and Its Remains, vol. 1, London 1849 (Reprint, Piscataway, 2010):
297.

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view of early Sufisreflected by several Yezidi mythsthat Satan is an

adherent absolutely devoted to his creator (p. 28), who failed out of love
and the desire to keep Allahs law, merged with the ambivalent nature of
the peacock. This synthesis suggests that the Peacock Angel represents
both God and evil at the same time; and that the double nature of [his]
character, whose glorification had become a crucial concept (p. 29) in
the Yezidi religion, catapulted Malak-Tws to the top of the Yezidi pantheon.
In the context of the genesis of the peacock image, the authors make
an interesting connection between the peacock and the Gnostic serpent
(p. 24 and 126-127). This somehow reminds one ofa quip of a Yezidi princess (a member of the Mirs family) associating Malak-Tws with both
the peacock and the snake: The peacock represents the beauty of the
worshiped and the snake his wisdom, because he is both beautiful and
wise.4 Such juxtaposition of the Peacock Angel with the serpent would
certainly further underline Malak-Tws dualistic trait, as the likewise
Delphic nature of the serpent (death and destruction, as well as fertility,
life and wisdom) would complement the aforementioned ambiguous
character of the peacock. Furthermore,following the authors remark
about the serpent and the peacock, appearing together, Yezidism has inevitably [to be viewed] within the orbit of Gnosticism(p. 24)one could
speculate that Malak-Tws, in addition to being the emanation of
Xwad, has also become the manifestation of the salvific figure, often depicted by Gnostics as serpent.
In their chapter concerning Malak-Tws, the authors also solve the
Sharfadin enigma. Although an insignificant figure of Sheikh Adis family,
Sharfadin is quoted by many Yezidis as the representative of their faith:
Sharfadin is my religion (p. 29). araf ad-dn means the Honour of Religion in Arabic, and the authors conclude that the term had been one of
the main epithets of the principal deity and, at a later stage, replaced in
many instances the partially tabooed name of Malak-Tws. Thus, the
term Sharfadin came to denote the religion in general. Then, by way of
a secondary reference, the name became associated, even identified, in
4

Shaikh Iskandar Yusuf al-Hayik, apud Sami Said Ahmed, The Yazidis. Their Life and
Beliefs, Miami 1975: 222.

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the folk tradition with the respective member of the Adawi family (p.
30).
The two other representatives of the Yezidi triad arein contrast to
the purely religious and mythical figure of Malak-Twsdeified historical personalities: the great Sufi Master Sheikh Adi bin Musafir and the
Umayyad Caliph Yazid. Their functions, characteristics, and titles are superposed and intertwined with each other and with that of Malak-Tws.
The authors even refer to a unification of the characters and stress that
they can act in tri-unity (p. 39).
With regard to the Sufi saint, it is interesting to note thatcontrary to
other experts of Yezidism5the authors clearly and rightly see Sheikh
Adi among the Sufis exculpating Iblis, a fact that later dramatically influenced the whole Yezidi doctrine (p. 38). Nevertheless, during the time of
Sheikh Adi and shortly thereafter, Yezidism was firmly rooted in mainstream Islam; and as an example for this the authors quote from the Yezidi requiem Qawl Saramarg and conclude: Much as this fact seems
amazing, in the religion, now totally dissociated from Islam and even approaching the Muslim milieu as hostile, the death of the Prophet of Islam
and the first Shia Imam is represented as terminus comparationis in the
context of a personal grief, a loss of kinsman, or, rather, the inevitability of
death for any human beingeven for Allahs messenger and his close kin
(p. 42). Other thought-provoking findings by the authors, in the context of
Sheikh Adi, are significant Shia elements in Yezidism, like the deity
(Sheikh Adi) riding Dundul, the legendary and mythical steed of Caliph
Ali, the first Shia Imam, and the glorification of the main subjects of Shia
veneration, Ali and his wife Fatima, as well as their sons Hasan and
Hussain. All of them are captured in religious Yezidi lore and hymns (e.g.
the Hymn to Ali, Gods Lion). In view of the hatred that mainstream Shia
bears towards the Umayyad Caliph Yazid, whom they hold ultimately responsible for the death of the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad
(Hussain) in the battle of Karbala and whom they consider the eponym of
Yezidi people, the authors convincingly suggest that these features en5
E.g. Kreyenbroek, Yezidism, Its Background, Observances and Textual Tradition,
Lewiston, 1995: 47: [A]lthough a certain veneration for Iblis was not unknown in Sufi circles in his time, Sheykh Adis work shows no trace of such attitude and goes no further
than to affirm that Satan is subordinate to Gods omnipotence.

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tered Yezidism from the heterodox Shia milieu, or were rather shaped
out of the same heretical field (p. 42).
Although Sultan Ezid, compared with Sheikh Adi and Malak-Tws,
plays only a secondary role in the Yezidi triad, the authors attest that his
name is used to identify the Yezidi faith: Sultan Ezid is our religion (p.
45). They very rightly equate Sultan Ezid with the Yazid bin Muwiya ibn
Ab Sufyn, the second Umayyad Caliph (680-683). They further substantiate this fact by pointing out that the second part of the name Muwiya,
in the form of Mw, occurs in Yezidi religious hymns (p.48).However,
the authors also emphasise that many Yezidis categorically negate any
connection between their deity (Sultan Ezid) and the historical character,
and recognise this as an attempt to separate the Yezidi tradition from Islam and from any personage attested in the history of Islam (p. 49). Their
work also answers the striking question as to how a ruler, whose dubious
character is even recognised within some Sunni quarters, could become a
major deity in the Yezidi pantheon: a political and religious movement,
supporting and venerating the Umayyad dynasty, which called themselves Yezidis, joined, together with other groups and sects, the Adawiyyas (venerating Sheikh Adi) in the early 12th century. They proved to be
influential enough to succeed in the deification of their adored Caliph
Yazid and to impose their name on the entire conglomerate by the 16th
century, when the endo-ethnonym Yezidi (one among others) also became a pejorative exo-ethnonym applied mainly by the Shias to the
people venerating the cursed enemy (p. 48).
The highlight of this book is most definitely Part II, which introduces
the minor deities of the Yezidi folk-pantheon. It is based on an article previously published by the authors (Iran and the Caucasus, vol. 8.2. (2004):
232-279), but the analysis is more in-depth, and characters of veneration
are introduced, which were not included in the earlier publication, like
Sheikh Kirs (Spirit of the Garment), Sheikh Shams (Sun), and Malak
Farxadin (Moon). There is a particularly interesting analysis of one of
these newly introduced deities, namely Sheikh Kirs, as well as Pr Ft,
the foremother of the Yezidis, and Xidir-Nab, the universal deity.
Sheikh Kirs isas the authors attestan almost forgotten deity,
which is most probably linked to the process of death, transmigration of
souls, maybe even reincarnationthe exchange of bodies like that of

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clothes (p. 77). The authors suggest that Sheikh Kirs could have been an
epithet to the name of Nasr ad-din, a psychopomp and the angel of death,
one of the manifestations of Malak-Tws (p. 78); and that at a later stage
this epithet was transformed into a separate personage with particular
functions. Considering the great devotion Yezidis profess for the garment
(robe) of faith, it is very surprising that the interest in the deity representing the venerated garment has faded away. Due to the fact that the belief
in reincarnation being almost completing, replaced by the concept of
paradise and hell (which existed before in tandem), the importance of
Sheikh Kirs has diminished, at least among the Armenian Yezidis. However, this does not explain why he also vanished into thin air in the centre of Yezidism (Northern Iraq). There both concepts continue to coexist,6
but reincarnation is not dominating (p. 122) and, at the time of Furlanis
research in the 1930s, Sheikh Kirs was still known (p. 77). In other words,
a fascinating question that invites further studies.
The authors should be praised for their field research in Armenia, as
well as for their discovery and subsequent analysis of the second, almost
submerged, myth describing the genesis of the Yezidis. So far, the legend,
introducing Shahid bin Jarr (the son of Adam, but not of Eve) as the forefather of all Yezidis, was considered the only myth of origin. Spt has analysed this Semitic myth in detail and highlighted its Gnostic background.7
The lore discovered by the authors has no Gnostic pedigree, but is rooted
in Iranian mythology involving the female deity Pr Ft (literally Old
Woman Ft). In the Yezidi tradition she is the patroness of women in labour, as well as of new born babies, who protects them from the evil
demoness l (p.73). In this legend of the origin of the Yezidisonly partially preserved through secondary and indirect referencesshe is the
keeper of the seed from which the Yezidis originatea primordial liquid
representing the pearl, the quintessence of the universe, coexisting with
the divine in eternity, prior to everything else (p. 127). For seven hundred,
oraccording to other sourcesseven thousand, years Pr Ft keeps the
seedentrusted to her by Sheikh Abu Bakr, the incarnation of the Angel

6
During my own research in 2003, most of the Yezidis interviewed in Lalish and other
villages confirmed that they believed in reincarnation, as well as in heaven and hell.
7
Eszter Spt, Late Antique Motifs in Yezidi Oral Tradition, Piscataway, 2010: 327-368.

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Michael (one of the Avatars of Malak-Tws) and only releases it on Gods

command to produce the first Yezidi from the primordial seed (p. 76).
Ft is certainly a short form of Ftima, denoting the daughter of the
Prophet Muhammed, who has absorbed many of the features of pre-Islamic patron deities of fertility and family (p. 74), and who is adored all
over the Muslim world and venerated, in particular, within the different
shadings of the Shia. There Fatima shows many traits of the Old Iranian
Goddess Anahita, but does not play the role of a seed-keeper. The Yezidi
religion associates her even more closely with her archetype, as Anahita
is in charge of the mans seed, as well as childbirth: she is the purifier of all
mens seed and all womens womb (p. 75). From Anahita the authors turn
to the primal creation (Bundahishn) of Zoroastrianism, where the deity of
the earth (Armati-Spandrmat) keeps the seed of the first man
(Gaymard), and they conclude that the preservation of the primordial
seed [] is in general a common mythologeme in the Iranian tradition(p.
76). The authors findings invite more extensive and targeted research
into other Yezidi communities to establish whether more information
about this myth of creation has survived in different countries and regions
where Yezidis live.
As the authors confirm, Xidir-Nab is certainly a secondary figure (p.
95) within the Yezidi pantheon. However, his presence there triggers interest, because he seems to be a classical example of syncretism. In a
number of Islamic and non-Islamic traditions, he is known as a messengereven as a prophet. Over time the figure of Al-Xidr has merged with
various mythical personages and saints. The Yezidis in Armenia and
Northern Iraq equate him with the Prophet Elijah, which causes the
emergence of a character with a double name Xidirnab-Xidirayls (p.
95) and with Surb Sargis (Saint Sergius),8 a popular Armenian saint. XidirNab has borrowed several features from this Armenian saint, and their
respective annual feasts are celebrated during the same period (the second half of February). One can only agree with the authors conclusion:
Xidir-Nab is a regional character with a very extensive range of functions, an incomer from the Muslim environment, though having been
8

Some of the Yezidi men of religion, I interviewed in Lalish in 2003, mentioned in the
context of Xidir-Nab also Saint George.

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shaped as a pantheon figure against the Armenian cultural and historical

background (p. 97). Among other prominent findings of the authors is
Milykat-qanprobably the only relict of the phallic cult among the
Iranian peoples.
In Chapter 5, the authors cursorily reflect on animals, plants and celestial bodies in the Yezidi tradition, all of them turning out to be a reflection of early forms of religion (p. 109).
Since the peacock and the serpent are introduced and analysed in
other parts of the book, the authors focus on the chameleon (the celestial
snake), the rooster, and the dog. They also dispel, with good reasons, a
theory according to which the donkey was allegedly venerated by the Yezidis. Of particular interest is how they outline traces of the ancient Iranian dog cult, which, however, must have sank into oblivion centuries
ago, as it is last mentioned in the 17th century.
The authors confirm that there is no explicit tree or plant veneration
in Yezidism, and that cults around the onion and the mandrakeif they
ever existedare, nowadays, merely references made to these plants in
fairy tales. They also refer to interesting connections between the respective Yezidi lore on plants and the surrounding Armenian Christian environment. Another interesting element with regard to sacred trees, is, a
short reference to the existence of a cultic complex connected with the
so-called Dr-mirz or the Trees of Desire (p. 113). These are trees of
no particular species, but they grow at sacred sites, or possess particular
attributes, like shape and age. Festivals celebrated under these trees, in
late autumn, and their background could certainly be the subject of
thought-provoking research.
With regard to natural phenomena, as well as celestial bodies, the authors emphasise that the interpretations of natural phenomena in the
Yezidi belief are as a whole typical for the Near Eastern region, yet some
of them are not devoid of interest (p. 116). They briefly introduce earthquake, rainbow, thunder and lightning, rain and hail, as well as the Milky
Way, the constellation of Aries, Pleiades and Libra, Venus, Sun and Moon,
Comets, and the personal star possessed by each person, according to Yezidi belief. The main celestial bodies are dealt with elsewhere in the book,
e.g., Sheikh Shams (Sun) and Malak Farxadin (Moon) are found in the
chapter on minor deities, whilst the natural phenomena are mostly at-

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tributed to a deity discussed previously. Therefore, the authors constrain

themselves to some additional information from the relevant Yezidi tradition.
The last chapter of the book consists of a summary of the sources of
the syncretistic Yezidi religion: heterodox Shia sects, Gnosticism and Sufi
elements.
The comparison between Yezidism and the extreme Shia sects, like
Ahl-i-Haqq and the Alevism of the Zaza people, is highly interesting and
shows striking similarities; for instance, the parity of their cosmology, reincarnation, and religious practices. One of the authors summarises the
problem and the way forward in an (unfortunately) not yet published paper: Comparative study of heterodox Islam and its derivatives (like the
Yezidism) naturally reveal multiple parallels easily explained by the common Muslim origin or regional popular traditions. Some of those striking
similarities, however, occur in the religious systems separated from each
other by time and geography and thus can hardly be determined by religious developments of a certain historical period in a concrete area. The
esoteric character of most such traditions excludes the factor of their mutual influence as well. Revealed on different levelsbeing either among
the main characteristics of non-dogmatic traditions or among their marginal elementsthese phenomena can still be generally defined as specific markers of the Near Easternheretic milieu, and not only that of
the heterodox Islam.9
The section on Gnostic influences in Yezidism bolsters the arguments
already made with regard to the Peacock Angel, the Serpent and the Pearl.
A great point of fascination lies with the serpent and its role in Gnostic
systems, as well as the parallels to the Mandaean religion. The authors
very convincingly conclude that the serpent was originally one of the
main symbols of Gnosis and, quite naturally, in most traditions affected
by Gnosticism this symbol had to be preserved, either in a degraded form
(as with the Mandaeans), or in a formal representation with no [or at least
hidden] dogmatic context (as among the Yezidis) (p. 126). In this context,
the authors also mention the enigmatic image of a snake preserved and
revered by the Sheikhly Dr Mirz clan in Armenia. Although the
9

Victoria Arakelova, <http://www2.filg.uj.edu.pl/ecis7/ecis7_abstracts.pdf>.

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holder of the image has, meanwhile, revealed some background information and even allowed a non-Yezidi to see it,10 the conundrum concerning its role in the Yezidi religion still exists.
With regard to the Sufi heritage, there is mention of the two most obvious elements, or rather figures that greatly shaped Yezidism: Sheikh
Adi, the Sufi master, who was later deified, and Malak-Tws whose cult
was mainly developed upon the Sufi idea of the apology of Iblis (p. 128).
As these both personages were introduced and analysed in previous chapters, the authors, therefore, focus here more on other, relatively unknown,
pieces of Sufi legacy, such as the Yezidi abhorrence of the circle. They also
demonstrate, by quoting from early and later qauls (hymns), how the initial positive Sufi image deteriorated with the lapse of time; in other words,
from early qauls in which prominent Sufis are approached as righteous
Yezidis defending their faith (p. 129), to later qauls, written at a time
when Yezidism had disassociated itself from Islam and was considered by
the Muslims as a form of devil worship (where Talibs, Sufis and Mullahs
are called stupid liars, who will be thrown into hell). These examples evidence the difficulties faced if one interprets religious lore and hymns
without considering the Zeitgeist prevailing at the time of their origin.
This book is yet another masterpiece in which the authors have more
than lived up to the expectations of an audience interested in Yezidism.
They have produced a work that addresses and analyses the core aspects
of the Yezidi religion, and that encompasses, as well as introduces all
known deities of the Yezidi pantheon. This allows the reader to see the
quintessence of Yezidisms cosmic vision. By analysing and comparing the
deities of the Yezidi religion with Old Iranian beliefs, variants of the extreme Shia, Gnosticism and Sufism, the authors have further solidified
the place Yezidism holds within a (heretic) milieu, characterised by numerous sects and religions patched together in the Near and Middle East.

10

See Peter Nicolaus, The Serpent Symbolism in the Yezidi Religious Tradition and
the Snake in Yerevan, Iran and the Caucasus, vol. 15, 2011: 49-72.