List of Yazidi holy figures

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This is a list of holy figures (Kurdish: Xudan, Xas, Babçak, Mêr) in Yazidism.[1]

There are a total of 365 Yazidi holy figures venerated by Yazidis.[2] Many Yazidi tribes and lineages are named after Yazidi holy figures and there are many temples and shrines built in their honor.[3][4] Holy figures in Yazidism are designated by various special terms including Babçak,[2] Xudan (lord, master, owner, holder, proprietor, protector, deity), Xas (selected, notable, special, elite) and Mêr which translates to (holy) man.[5][6] According to Yazidi belief God is almighty and absolute, and the Xudans are a part of His power, moreover, in relation to nature, Yazidis believe in Xudans for most of natural elements and phenomena and they are regarded as divine powers that have control over these phenomena. In Yazidi mythology, the Xudans appeared after the creation of the world for the four elements of nature and their manifestations.[6]

Sheikhs[edit]

This section is about Yazidi Sheikh figures venerated as holy figures. For a more comprehensive list of Yazidi Sheikhs and their lineages, see Yazidi social organization § Sheikh.

Below is a list of Yazidi holy figures belonging or associated with Sheikh caste:[3]

Adanî[edit]

Qatanî[edit]

  • Şêxûbekir, patriarch of the Qatanî Sheikhs, member of the Heptad
    • Şêx ʿEbdilqadir
    • Şêx Îsmaîlê ʿEnzelî
    • Şêx Kara
    • Şêx Maviyê Zar
    • Şêx Mehmedê Batinî
    • Şêx Sorê Sora
    • Şêx Xelîfeta

Şemsanî[edit]

Other Sheikh figures[edit]

Pîrs[edit]

This section is about Yazidi Pîr figures venerated as holy figures. For a more comprehensive list of Yazidi Pîrs and their lineages, see Yazidi social organization § Pîr.

Below is a list of Yazidi holy figures belonging or associated with the Pir caste:[1][11]

  • Tawûsî Melek, Lord of this World and Leader of the seven Divine Beings. Only one angel is considered to be a Pîr by Yazidis; he is Tawûsî Melek and he is considered to be the "bavê Pîran" (Father of Pîrs) and the greatest Pîr, which is why he is considered to be a Pîr of all the Pîrs from Pîr Hesen Meman lineage, who in turn are considered Pîrs of the forty homes of Pîrs. Tawûsî Melek's name is seldom mentioned openly and he is instead called Pîr Melekê Elladî ('The Pîr Angel of the Best Religion'), Pîrê Batinî ('Concealed Pîr') and Pîrê Perdê (Pîr of the Veil) in religious texts.[12][13]
  • Pîr Hesen Meman, was one of the close associates of Sheikh Adi, Pir of the forty Pirs and the head of Pirs. According to the Yazidi tradition, he was the ruler of Harir near Erbil.
  • Pîr Xetîb Pisî
  • Pîr Afat, Xudan of floods, storms and natural disasters, invoked to protect human life and agricultural production from natural disasters, storms, floods or cold during winter[14]
  • Pîrê Cerwan, Xudan of Scorpions. Subdivisions:
  • Pîr Khanî. Traditionally had close ties with the Xaltî tribe in the Diyarbakir area of southern Turkey, with clan members now living in Ain Sifni in northern Iraq.
  • Pir Ali (?)
  • Pîr Sinî Daranî/Bahrî (Lord of the sea and son of a sea maiden)
  • Gavanê Zerzan (protector of cattle)
  • Mem Şivan ("the Shepherd"), protector of sheep, he is represented in the bas-reliefs here with his crook and sheep.[15][9]
  • Pîrê Libnan, Xudan of weddings and family life, during the feast of Xidir Liyas and Xidir Nebî, Yezidis perform rites to ask Xidir Nebî as well as Pîrê Libnan about their wedding and happiness, according to oral tradition, Libnan constructed many places of pilgrimage, acquiring him the epithet of "the Pîr of building-blocks"[8]
  • Pîrê Ewra, Xudan of the Clouds, Yazidis venerate the clouds as the source of rain and snow in winter. Some Yazidis fast for one day in his honour.[16]
  • Pîr Dawud, a loyal servant of Sheikh Adi
  • Pîrê Terjiman, Sheikh Adi's Arabic to Kurdish translator (since Sheikh Adi was born in Lebanon)
  • Pîr Mehmedê Reben, has a shrine at Lalish, the current holder of the Baba Chawish position comes from his lineage
  • Pîr Alû Bekr, possesses curative powers over mouth diseases. Has a shrine at Lalish.

Other holy figures[edit]

Below are other holy figures, many of whom are considered to be Xudans of specific objects and functions.[1][17]

  • Derwêşê Erdê ("Dervish of the Earth"), Xudan of the Earth, invoked during sowing season and at burials, protector of property (In the past, when Yazidis left something valuable on the ground for a few hours, he was invoked to protect it)[18]
  • Baba Gûshgûsh, possesses curative powers over ear diseases
  • Sitt Nefîse ("Lady Precious") possesses curative powers over fever and insomnia. Personification of a sacred fig or olive tree near Bashiqa.
  • Feqire 'Eli
  • Kanî Zerr/Kaniya Zerka, possesses curative powers over jaundice, personification of a spring. His name literally means "yellow spring."
  • Melekê Mîran (Mêran), possesses curative powers over rheumatism
  • Evdê Reş/'Ebd Resh ('Ebdî Resho), Xudan of springs. Some Yazidis fast on one day in his honor. He has shrines and holy springs in his honour at the villages of Kerabeg, Kendale and Dêrebûn.
  • Bû Qetar Baba, representative of Sheikh Adi in the Mardin area, where a major shrine is dedicated to him
  • Hekîm Fêris/Hekkî Fîres/Hakim Luqman, a descendant of Luqman. Patron saint of wounds, since his descendants cure wounds with herbs and medicines.
  • Lakmadîn Baba, Sheikh Adi's secretary and guardian of his secrets.
  • Se‘d and Mes‘ûd (or Se‘îd and Mes‘ûd, Mes‘ûd and Musey‘id). Mes'ûd’s shrine is near Bahzani, while the shrines of Mes‘ûd and Musey‘id are in Bashiqa.
  • Dayka Jakan, Has a shrine near Bahzani.
  • Xidir Liyas/Nebî, Xudan of water, streams and seas, in some Qewl passages, described as a Zindî (Immortal) and his place is the sea or seashore, therefore, he is described as having an eternal life,[19] during the feast of Xidir Nebî and Xidir Liyas in February, Yazidis who are in love perform rites to ask Xidir Nebî as well as Pîrê Libnan about their wedding and happiness[9]

Holy figures of Abrahamic and Sufi background[edit]

In Yazidism, figures of Abrahamic or Sufi origin include:[1]

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • Asatryan, G. S.; Arakelova, Viktorii︠a︡ (2014). The religion of the Peacock Angel : the Yezidis and their spirit world. Durham, UK. ISBN 978-1-84465-761-2. OCLC 855582572.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Kreyenbroek, Philip (1995). Yezidism: its background, observances, and textual tradition. Lewiston NY: E. Mellen Press. ISBN 0-7734-9004-3. OCLC 31377794.
  2. ^ a b Spat, Eszter (8 October 2016). "Hola Hola Tawusi Melek, Hola Hola Şehidêt Şingalê: Persecution and the Development of Yezidi Ritual Life". Kurdish Studies. 4 (2): 155–175. doi:10.33182/ks.v4i2.426. ISSN 2051-4891.
  3. ^ a b Omarkhali, Khanna (2017). The Yezidi religious textual tradition, from oral to written: categories, transmission, scripturalisation, and canonisation of the Yezidi oral religious texts. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 978-3-447-10856-0. OCLC 994778968.
  4. ^ Kreyenbroek, Philip (2005). God and Sheikh Adi are perfect: sacred poems and religious narratives from the Yezidi tradition. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 978-3-447-05300-6. OCLC 63127403.
  5. ^ Voskanian, Vardan (1999). "Dewrēš E'Rd the Yezidi Lord of the Earth". Iran and the Caucasus. 3–4 (1): 159–166. doi:10.1163/157338499x00128. ISSN 1609-8498.
  6. ^ a b Aysif, Rezan Shivan (2021). The Role of Nature in Yezidism. Göttingen: Göttingen University Press. pp. 94, 107. doi:10.17875/gup2021-1855. ISBN 978-3-86395-514-4. S2CID 246596953.
  7. ^ Aysif, Rezan Shivan (2021). The Role of Nature in Yezidism. Göttingen: Göttingen University Press. p. 107. doi:10.17875/gup2021-1855. ISBN 978-3-86395-514-4. S2CID 246596953.
  8. ^ a b Omarkhali, Khanna (2008). "On the Structure of the Yezidi Clan and Tribal System and its Terminology among the Yezidis of the Caucasus". Journal of Kurdish Studies. 6: 104–119. doi:10.2143/JKS.6.0.2038092. ISSN 1370-7205.
  9. ^ a b c Omarkhali, Khanna (2008). On the structure of the Yezidi clan and tribal system and its terminology among the Yezidis of the Caucasus. Peeters Press. OCLC 553645028.
  10. ^ Pirbari, Dimitri; Grigoriev, Stanislav. Holy Lalish, 2008 (Ezidian temple Lalish in Iraqi Kurdistan). pp. 30, 33.
  11. ^ a b c Pirbari, Dimitri; Mossaki, Nodar; Yezdin, Mirza Sileman (March 2020). "A Yezidi Manuscript:—Mišūr of P'īr Sīnī Bahrī/P'īr Sīnī Dārānī, Its Study and Critical Analysis". Iranian Studies. 53 (1–2): 223–257. doi:10.1080/00210862.2019.1669118. ISSN 0021-0862. S2CID 214483496.
  12. ^ Omarkhali, Khanna (2017). The Yezidi religious textual tradition, from oral to written : categories, transmission, scripturalisation, and canonisation of the Yezidi oral religious texts : with samples of oral and written religious texts and with audio and video samples on CD-ROM. Wiesbaden. pp. 351, 352, 362. ISBN 978-3-447-10856-0. OCLC 994778968.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  13. ^ Omarkhali, Khanna (2007). Ezdiyatî : civak sembol rîtûel. Ergîn. Opengîn. Beyoğlu, İstanbul: Avesta. p. 80. ISBN 978-9944-382-25-0. OCLC 225003464.
  14. ^ Aysif, Rezan Shivan (2021). The Role of Nature in Yezidism. Göttingen: Göttingen University Press. pp. 100, 174, 218. doi:10.17875/gup2021-1855. ISBN 978-3-86395-514-4. S2CID 246596953.
  15. ^ "The Yazidi Mausoleums of Mam Chevan". Mesopotamia. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  16. ^ Aysif, Rezan Shivan (2021). The Role of Nature in Yezidism. pp. 101, 175. doi:10.17875/gup2021-1855. ISBN 978-3-86395-514-4. S2CID 246596953.
  17. ^ Aysif, Rezan Shivan (2021). The Role of Nature in Yezidism: Poetic Texts and Living Tradition. Göttingen: Göttingen University Press. pp. 175, 198. doi:10.17875/gup2021-1855. ISBN 978-3-86395-514-4. S2CID 246596953.
  18. ^ Aysif, Rezan Shivan (2021). The Role of Nature in Yezidism. Göttingen: Göttingen University Press. pp. 101, 107, 159, 175. doi:10.17875/gup2021-1855. ISBN 978-3-86395-514-4. S2CID 246596953.
  19. ^ Aysif, Rezan Shivan (2021). The Role of Nature in Yezidism. Göttingen: Göttingen University Press. pp. 97, 98, 220–224. doi:10.17875/gup2021-1855. ISBN 978-3-86395-514-4. S2CID 246596953.
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