Azad also bears a resemblance to a character in the Shahnameh called Shiroyeh (who corresponds to the historical figure of Kavad II), a prince with an ill-omened horoscope who overthrows his father (and eliminates his brothers) in a military coup and is ultimately poisoned.
There is also a figure called the Shahmaran in the folklore of various West Asian cultures who is a benevolent snake queen, but my Shahmar is not based on that figure.
THE SIMORGH
As in the novel, the simorgh is a mythical bird in folklore. The story in the novel of the simorgh adopting a son is a loose version of the story of Zal in the Shahnameh. In the story (which happens after Zahhak’s story in the Shahnameh, not concurrently, as in the novel), the simorgh adopts an infant boy who has been abandoned by the mountainside because he has white hair (a sign of evil). This boy, Zal, grows up to be the chief adviser to the shah. He is also the father of Rostam, a legendary figure who is similar to Hercules.
Years later, when Rostam is grievously wounded, Zal calls up his adopted mother by burning one of the three feathers she gave him, and the simorgh heals Rostam’s wound by soaking one of her feathers in milk and placing the feather over the wound.
SURI AND NOG ROZ
The festival of Suri in the novel is a combination of the festivals of Chaharshanbeh Suri and Fravardigan. Fravardigan was traditionally held the five (or sometimes ten) days before the New Year. During this time, people clean their houses and welcome and celebrate the fravashi (guardian spirits) of their ancestors. Zoroastrians still celebrate a modern equivalent of this festival today.
Chaharshanbeh Suri is celebrated on the Tuesday night before the Persian New Year. On this night, celebrants jump over small bonfires and say, “Give me your red and take back my yellow” (meaning, less poetically, “Give me health and take my sickness”). In this way, they release the negativity of the past year and welcome the year to come.
Nog Roz is the Middle Persian name for Norouz, the Persian New Year celebrated on the vernal equinox. Norouz has its roots in ancient Zoroastrian times as the most important of several agricultural festivals, but it is still celebrated today by people of various religions, inside and outside of Iran.
ODDS AND ENDS
Esfand: A Persian tradition/superstition is to burn esfand (or wild rue) to chase away the Evil Eye and other negative vibes. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. (It smells great, too.)
The Pariks’ Forest: The pariks’ forest is based on the Hyrcanian forest (also called the Caspian forest) in the north of Iran. The strip of land between the Caspian Sea and the Alborz mountain range is a lush coastal rainforest that you should absolutely look up online because it’s gorgeous and so different from the desert landscapes we’re used to associating with the Middle East.
There was and there was not: Persian oral stories do have a common beginning, the equivalent of “Once upon a time”: yeki bood, yeki nabood, which literally translates to “there was one, there wasn’t one.” This phrase is the inspiration for the novel’s more loosely translated “there was and there was not,” variations of which can be found in the stories of other cultures as well.
FURTHER READING
To learn more, check out the following sources:
Shahnameh by Abolqasem Ferdowsi (translated by Dick Davis)
Persian Mythology by John R. Hinnells
Wise Lord of the Sky: Persian Myth by Tony Allan
The Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies: www.cais-soas.com
Encyclopaedia Iranica: www.iranicaonline.org
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Writing this book was such a labor of love. Thank you to everyone who helped bring it to life:
To my agent, Meredith Kaffel Simonoff, for your insight, empathy, and support.
To my editor, Sarah Barley, for your incredible creative vision and your love for this book.
To everyone at Flatiron, including Amy Einhorn, Patricia Cave, Claire McLaughlin, Caroline Bleeke, Sydney Jeon, Bryn Clark, Brenna Franzitta, Emily Walters, Anna Gorovoy, and Melanie Sanders.
To Tom Mis, Nikki Massoud, and the Macmillan Audio team.
To Sasha Vinogradova, Kelly Gatesman, and Keith Hayes, for that glorious cover.
To Flora Hackett at WME, for your enthusiasm and drive.
To early readers Parik Kostan, Dahlia Adler, Naz Deravian, and Luna Monir.
To Emily Duncan, Patrice Caldwell, Tasha Suri, S. A. Chakraborty, Kat Howard, Gita Trelease, Shveta Thakrar, Cristina Russell, Cody Roecker, Laura Graveline, Kalie Barnes-Young, and Sami Thomason, for reading, loving, and blurbing.
To dear friends, for your support, friendship, and encouragement over the years.
To all the librarians, booksellers, bloggers, reviewers, artists, and readers, for sharing their enthusiasm, their words, and their art with me and others.
And finally, to my family, who have to witness my ups and downs during the writing process:
To Mom, for knowing and loving and understanding me, for always believing in me, and for answering all my random questions.
To Dad, for your constant love and support, and for encouraging me to be proud of and interested in Persian culture.
To Roxanne, for being my confidante, personal cheerleader, and occasional muse.
And to my grandparents and extended family, for being proud of me.
ALSO BY MELISSA BASHARDOUST
Girls Made of Snow and Glass
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MELISSA BASHARDOUST received her degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley, where she rediscovered her love for creative writing, children’s literature, and fairy tales and their retellings. She lives in Southern California with a cat named Alice and more copies of Jane Eyre than she probably needs. Girls Made of Snow and Glass was her first novel.
Visit her online at www.melissabash.com, or sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Epigraph
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
Also by Melissa Bashardoust
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
GIRL, SERPENT, THORN. Copyright © 2020 by Melissa Bashardoust. All rights reserved. For information, address Flatiron Books, 120 Broadway, New York, NY, 10271.
www.flatironbooks.com
Cover design and illustration by Sasha Vinogradova
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-19614-9 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-76494-2 (international, sold ou
tside the U.S., subject to rights availability)
ISBN 978-1-250-19615-6 (ebook)
eISBN 9781250196156
Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at [email protected].
First U.S. Edition: May 2020
First International Edition: May 2020
Girl, Serpent, Thorn Page 30