A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

Miz Mast o Khumar is born as a black snake to a king and queen. Married to Mer-Niga, translated as Eye of Grace, he removes his skin at night and appears as a young man. His wife burns the skin despite his warning, and he disappears until she has worn out seven iron pairs of shoes and seven paper cloaks searching for him.

Reunited at his aunt’s house, he gives his wife hairs that summon him when burned and helps her survive impossible tasks. His aunt and her husband are expressly identified as divs. After killing their daughter, whom he was to marry, he escapes with Mer-Niga, creating barriers from reeds, a needle, salt and sea-foam through appeals to God in the name of the Prophet Suleman. The pursuing divs drown after mistaking foam for a supporting rock. The tale ends with the couple’s return and marriage celebrations.

Snake-form princeNamed textual version
01

Origins & earliest records

Kermani storytelling, Iran

02

Records & interpretation

Complete tale and all continuation pages directly read; original edition contents checked for regional division and locators.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Persian Tales

    D. L. R. Lorimer and E. O. Lorimer, collectors/translators · 1919

    Kermani tales; VI, pp. 25–32

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

Primary records and illustrations

Direct primary record

D. L. R. Lorimer and E. O. Lorimer, Persian Tales (London: Macmillan, 1919)

Kermani tales. Tale VI, pp. 25–32

Complete narrative, including every continuation page, read; historical scan OCR contents confirms regional ordering. Individual narrator not supplied. Modern site presentation is not treated as a new authored tale.

Inspect the digitized plate · Source collection manifest

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Historical translated folktaleD. L. R. and E. O. Lorimer, Persian Tales (1919), tale VI, pp. 25–32Research access: 2026-10-05
  2. Historical translated folktaleD. L. R. and E. O. Lorimer, Persian Tales (1919), tale VI, pp. 25–32 (continued)Research access: 2026-10-05
  3. Historical editionOriginal 1919 scan: Internet Archive persiantales00loriialaResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

FT·1380 · RESEARCH EDITION 01Back to top ↑