Iranian painting, particularly in illustrated religious and literary texts, has long reflected cultural beliefs, values, and narratives. This art form not only visualizes events but also functions as a semiotic system, conveying concepts through the integration of color, form, and composition. Within this context, the notions of “symbol” and “myth” are central to the visual language and crucial for understanding hidden layers in artworks. A symbol is a sign that, beyond its outward appearance, denotes a broader concept or deeper meaning. In religious or mythological art, symbols mediate between the perceptible world and spiritual or metaphysical concepts; for example, the halo as a sign of sanctity in Shi‘i culture, or composite creatures representing good or evil forces. Myth, on the other hand, is a narrative structure that, within a cultural framework, explains the origins of creation, cosmic forces, or heroic behavior. In the Iranian cultural sphere, pre-Islamic myths often revolve around the conflict between good and evil, heroism, and the forces of nature, and many of these elements were later integrated with religious concepts during the Islamic era.
In Iranian culture, especially in miniature painting, symbols have not only aesthetic functions but also significant semantic and ideological weight. Understanding a symbol in Persian miniature painting is difficult without knowledge of its religious, mystical, and literary background. Thus, analyzing symbols in artworks requires an interdisciplinary approach informed by art history, religious values, mythology, and religious studies. The concept of good and evil in the Iranian visual tradition has followed a complex, multilayered path—from pre-Islamic mythology, reinterpreted in Islamic art, to the Safavid period, when the convergence of Iranian mythology and Shi‘i symbolism becomes especially apparent.
Falnamas, as divinatory texts, occupy a distinct place in the history of Iranian culture and art. Particularly in the Safavid era, these works, beyond their divinatory function, contain illustrations that fuse Shi‘i beliefs with Iran’s mythological heritage through the lens of good and evil. Among comparable miniatures across four illustrated Falnama manuscripts from this period, the painting “Imam Reza (AS) Rescuing the People of the Sea” appears in three distinct versions. This work highlights prominent Shi‘i symbols by depicting Imam Reza (AS) as a heroic savior.
At the same time, it creates a semantic connection between Iranian mythology and Shi‘i symbolism through elements like sea monsters and demons from Persian myths. Here, the struggle between good and evil is portrayed not only in religious terms but through deeper cultural and mythical dimensions. This study examines how the visual interplay and juxtaposition of Shi‘i symbols and Iranian myths contribute to reinterpreting the concept of good versus evil. To this end, it clarifies the semantic and visual mechanisms underlying the coexistence of these two traditions and reveals how each—Shi‘i and mythological—shapes the overall message of the artwork. The term “coexistence of Iranian myths and Shi‘i themes” here does not imply conceptual equivalence, but rather the simultaneous presence of signs from different origins within one visual structure, where meaning emerges from their relationship and opposition.
The research is descriptive-analytical and uses a qualitative method for data interpretation. Its aim is to explore how Shi‘i symbols and Iranian myths are visually juxtaposed in Imam Reza (AS) Saving the People of the Sea and to explain their role in re-creating the metaphor of good and evil. A theoretical framework on juxtaposition, myth, and symbol was established through library and digital sources. Then, four artworks from three versions of the Falnama—one from a private collection, two from the Topkapi manuscript, and one from the Sultan Ahmed manuscript—were analyzed with iconographic and comparative-mythological methods. Of these, three images were of adequate quality, though one Topkapi piece was examined despite low resolution. The analysis of these artworks shows that in “Imam Reza (AS) Saving the People of the Sea,” the concept of good versus evil is re-created through the juxtaposition of Shi‘i symbols and Iranian myths.
Drawing upon both traditions, the artist presents a multilayered vision of the eternal struggle between light and darkness, good and evil. The central figure, Imam Reza (AS), appears as the hero and savior—representing absolute good and divine mediation in Shi‘i belief—while also being linked to the Iranian mythical figure of Saoshyant. Just as Saoshyant defeats Ahriman to restore Ahura Mazda’s order, the Imam embodies salvation and the triumph of good over evil, signifying the continuity of Iran’s savior belief in a Shi‘i framework.
The halo of light around the Imam’s face exemplifies the fusion of these traditions. This radiance derives both from the Quranic and mystical concept of divine and Muhammadan light and from the Zoroastrian farr—a celestial brilliance symbolizing legitimacy, purity, and divine election. Thus, the Imam inherits the farr of ancient Iranian kings and heroes in a sacred form. Angels, symbols of mercy and goodness in Islam, parallel the Amesha Spentas and Yazatas of Iranian mythology, emphasizing the support of benevolent forces. In contrast, demons and monstrous hybrids represent chaos, falsehood, and cosmic disorder, serving as the Imam’s adversaries. The naked, drowning figures signify sinful individuals who, through disbelief, have fallen into destruction. Water—traditionally an element of purity and rebirth—here becomes an agent of ruin and return to chaos. The Zoroastrian tradition of the battle between Ahura Mazda and Ahriman, alongside the Shi‘i belief in the Imam as a savior and divine light, is juxtaposed with the depiction of the demon on the other side, thus creating a unified image of the eternal conflict between good and evil.
Consequently, the artwork is not merely a reflection of religious belief, but a manifestation of cultural continuity, and the unity of Iranian-Islamic thought and aesthetics in articulating the universal concept of good and evil. Through spatial juxtaposition, kinetic opposition, hierarchical arrangement, and the linking of symbols with natural elements, it crafts a multilayered concept of good and evil. In this artwork, good is manifested not only in the character of the Imam, light, elevation, and direction of movement, but also in signs such as visual order, the act of salvation, and the presence of sacred forces. Conversely, evil is depicted through visual chaos, antagonistic actions, the disintegration of the human body, and association with untamed natural elements, alongside the image of the demon and the naked humans.
Thus, good and evil derive their meaning in this artwork from the relationship between pictorial elements and their juxtapositional relationships. This visual system is the result of a conscious amalgamation of Shi‘i symbols and Iranian myths within the context of Safavid art. Ultimately, the analysis of this artwork leads to a deeper understanding of the process of “constructing the concept of good and evil” in Safavid Iran. Good in this image is not only a religious force but also an Iranian identity force; and evil is not merely a religious adversary but a continuation of those same demonic forces that have been represented for centuries in Iranian mythology. For this reason, the artwork “Saving the People of the Sea” is not just a religious artwork; rather, it is a confluence of two semantic worlds that were creatively intertwined during the Safavid period.
This connection demonstrates that Iranian culture, in its engagement with the official religion, was not passive but played an active role in re-creating religious symbols. Based on this, it can be concluded that Falnama illustrations, especially those related to the Imams, are not only reflections of religious beliefs but also represent a complex field of cultural and mythical interactions. The artwork “Imam Reza (AS) Saving the People of the Sea” serves as a clear example of how the Iranian visual tradition has been able to reconstruct its ancient concepts within the framework of the new religious structure, presenting an image that is comprehensible to both the Shi‘i mind and the Iranian mythical subconscious. Therefore, analyzing such artworks opens a window into a deeper understanding of the history of Iranian subjectivity during the Safavid era.