"Shahmaran with Guernica's mother"
Nilgun Akyol
oil painting - 20 Inches x 28 Inches
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“Shahmaran” is derived from the Persian Shah-i Maran and means “King of the Serpents”. Shahmaran was a composite mythological creature with the body of a serpent and the head of a man. His real name was said to be “Yemliya”. He dwelt in a cave in a lush, paradisiacal garden. He sat on a throne of beryl and could converse like a human being. Known as Şahmaran in Turkey, the legend of this creature is still quite alive in many parts of Anatolia and it is possibly one of the oldest myths of its kind. The reasons for its popularity probably have to do with the natural human desires to control one’s destiny, gain power, and achieve immortality as much as with the colorfulness of its events.
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