A Note on Balaam’s Chimaera | Zendy

James R. Russell | Zendy

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A Note on Balaam’s Chimaera

Author(s) -

James R. Russell

Publication year - 2017

Publication title -

iran and the caucasus

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 0.175

H-Index - 11

eISSN - 1609-8498

pISSN - 1573-384X

DOI - 10.1163/1573384x-90000004

Subject(s) - talmud , curse , mythology , mesopotamia , legend , ancient history , history , central asia , asian studies , philosophy , classics , theology , archaeology , judaism , china

The Biblical tale of Balaam and his taking donkey was elaborated in the Babylonian Talmud: Balaam commits bestiality with the animal and this is accounted one of his failings as a pagan prophet, which accumulate as he tries and fails to curse the Children of Israel. This aspect of testing, probably transmitted by Jews of Iran and Sasanian Mesopotamia, probably becomes the source of an Iranian folk myth about a demonic ass called "mantrier". The myth enters Armenia from there and becomes a legend about the trial that a Christian holy man successfully overcomes.

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