Dragon slayage

By Yousef Alikhani

Translated by: Paymaan JafarNejad

It doesn’t matter that Zereshkies, riding their bulls didn’t look at the combat between hazrat-gholi and the dragon who had scratched the mountains to reach to Milak. It also doesn’t matter that they have turned to stone and anyone who passes over the crest right before Zereshk can those stones on the left hand mount and the right hand mount is bloody of the slain Dragon by Hazrat-gholi. It’s true that the Dragon had sabered form the bottom of the valley and while reaching the peak scratched and drew a spiral line to the top.

It does matter that now there is the evidence that when Milakies phoenix climbs ups and downs of Zereshk, you can tell here is the place indeed that the story has happened.

When Hazrat-gholi figured that the dragon was aimed Milak to demolish it, he rode his mule directly from Qazvin and confronted him right before Zereshk. When the dragon saw Hazrat-gholi swinging his burnished sword over his head, reared back a little, and tried to go down the mount and to climb from the other side to get to the Gadook and then from the crest of Falar wanted to look at Milak, on the other side of Sha-rud River, sitting on the porch of Alborz Mountains. But Hazrat-gholi came to the valley and here their battle started.

Hazrat-gholi didn’t come down his mule otherwise he never ever could defeat the dragon whose head by itself was taller than him. He raised and swung his sword and his first stroke slashed the air over his head. Dragon raised his head and figured that Hazrat-gholi was not an ordinary human being and was not going to give up. Dragon kicked mule’s but with his tale very hard. The mule propelled forward. Hazrat-gholi grabbed the bridle tight and returned. With three strokes he cut dragon in three pieces. His tail stayed in the river, his bottom half rolled down the mount deep to the valley and his head is still on top of the mountain.

Zereshkies had seen all, but they turned to stone because they didn’t help him and hazrat-gholi put the dragon to the sword all by himself.

This is not the main point either. The story goes back to Milakies’ Emamzadeh. Years and years later, one of Hazrat-gholi descendents supposed to escape form the ruler of his era and to take shelter in Milak. If the dragon had demolished Milak, no shrine would have been built in Milak and Hazrat-gholi’s memory would have been lost.

It’s not clear that Hazrat-gholi has died of Dragon’s poison right there, or gets tired and had a heart attack. In any case when Milakies’ phoenix was passing by the mount before Zereshk, someone narrated the story.

It’s still not the main point that there were a Hazrat-gholi and a dragon and Zereshkies didn’t help him and he put dragon to his sword all by himself, the point it that nobody still knows whose light arises from Dragon Slayage on Sizdabedar’s nights.

Milak has stood still in its place and many years later when Esmaeel, Hazrat-gholi’s descendent, was passing by the Alamout, and stayed in Milak for a night. It’s been a thousand years from that night and it’s still a mystery if he died by himself or someone scared him or someone killed him to cut him short proceeding Milak.

Narrator says it’s it that Hazrat-gholi went to confront the dragon to save Milak and his descendent would die there and a Shrine would be built? I say that it’s right. He says “Now, so what?”

He says” Well, He knew he would go to Milak, I wonder why he couldn’t prevent him be murdered or no, die in Milak?”

I say Vallah I don’t know. He knew it, well, legends are capable of these but it’s in Ahadith that legendary people are not able to stop something that is going to take place. Moreover, it’s also doesn’t matter that he dies or murdered in Milak and later a shrine has been built for him, then on the weekend it becomes crowded of the pilgrims from near or far who each scarifies a lamb, sheep, goat, or something and consequently Milak gets meat every week. What matters is that every Sizdabedar night, the light arising from the Shrine of the Milak unites the light arising from Dragon Slayage.

Narrator says ”It’s all true, and all Milakies have seen it, but it also doesn’t matter.”

I say “Then, what does matter?”

He says “When these two lights unite they go to the Shrine of Sha-rashid.”

At Sizdabedar night, when it’s stormy, women and girls, who go mushroom-picking at the time of thunder, lose their way and they have to climb the only close mount, to stay safe when it pours. They go and shelter under the Shrine of Sha-rashid. They see the light of Dragon slayage and the Shrine of the Milak unite and go into the dome of Sha-rashid.

I say that in my opinion it doesn’t matter as well, we need to see when these two light return to their own places.

Narrator stops narrating.

I also don’t know anything.

Milakies have never seen when these two lights return to their own place. But always and every year when it’s Sizdabedar, they go and sit on the roof of their houses to see when is it that Hazrat-gholi and Emamzadeh go to Sharashid together.

About the Author

Yusuf Alikhani, an Iranian writer was born in 1975 in the village of "Milek" in the Roodbar and Alamut region of Qazvin. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Arabic Language and Literature from the University of Tehran.

*Published works:*

Dragon slayage* * (short stories), Negah Publication, 2007

Ghadam Bekheir was my grandmother (short stories), Ofogh Publication, 2003

Looking for Hassan Sabbah:, the Life story of the god of Alamut for Young

Adults, Qoqnoos Publication, 2007

saeb tabrizi's Life, Madraseh Publication, 2007

Ibn Batuteh's Life, Madraseh Publication, 2004

Aziz and Negar: Re-reading a love story, Qoqnoos Publication, 2002

The Third Generation of Fiction Writing in Today's Iran: Interviews with

Writers, Markaz Publication, 2001

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