The Cult of the Peacock Angel

PREFACE

THE few pages contained in this volume are the outcome of curiosity aroused in myself as to the ancient faith of the little known Yezîdi tribes, based on a visit to their strongholds and amplified by a little research amongst the existing literature on the subject. A certain amount of local gossip has been included and a few deductions drawn from the little information available as to the origin of these remarkable people and their rites, their lives being so far removed from the march of civilization. From a study of the Yezîdî it will be appreciated that the followers themselves of Melak Tâ'ûs, the Peacock Angel, are unable (perhaps unwilling) to throw much light on their ancient history, and that it has been left to Christians and Muhammadans to crystallize certain nebulous theories in connection therewith. It must, therefore, suffice for us to know that the religion has survived the vicissitudes of at least a thousand years ; and, although the numbers of the Yezîdîs have lately been much reduced, their faith in the worship of the Devil remains serenely unchanged by the conflict of the claims of three of the great world religions which surround them.

The manuscript of this book was virtually completed at Baghdad, and it was not until my arrival in London that I came across a most interesting book by Dr. Isya Joseph on the same subject. I have, therefore, to some extent altered the chapter dealing with the origin of these tribes in view of this American writer's careful analysis of the theories already advanced in this respect. His own contention is evidently the result of much research, and is, so far as I am aware, entirely an original one.

The photograph shown as a frontispiece represents a steel figure (originally in three pieces) of a peacock, standing on a plinth, partly inlaid with antimony on the body and the tail expanded and ornamented with human and animal figures in the lobed border (human busts and `deer alternately), and the head gilt with turquoises. The image, which is 352 inches high, is said to have been used by the Yezîdî tribes of the district of Hâlitîya, and to have come in 1882 from their Temple at Dahadîa near Diarbekr in North Kurdistân. It is of Persian origin, and was presented to the British Museum by Mr. Imre Schwaiger of Calcutta in 1912. It is reproduced by kind permission of the Trustees of the British Museum.

An illustration of a peacock resembling the one shown appears facing page 39 of Anthropos, Volume VI (1911), accompanying an article by Pere Anastase Marie, entitled, " La decouverte recente des deux livres sacrés des Yezîdis." This peacock, which is of iron, is one of four stolen by Reshîd Pâshâ in 1837. It found its way into an antique shop in Baghdad, kept by a Mussulman named 'Alî, who sold it a few years later to a rich Christian called Futhu'llah Abbud. The base only of this peacock is of slightly different design.

I have heard of only two other symbols, outside a Yezîdî shrine. One is now in the possession of Mr. J. W. Dowden of Edinburgh, and the other is in the State Museum of Jeypore (Jaipur) in India.

I have to thank Mr. Kenneth MacKenzie, Mr. T. Spencer James and Mr. E. N. Fallaize for their suggestions ; and Squadron Leader G. S. Trewin and Captain A. I. Sargon for their help and interest in the expedition to the Holy Temple at Sheikh 'Adî. I am also indebted to Squadron Leader V. R. Scriven and to Mr. A. Riley for the reproduction of certain photographs, to the late Miss Gertrude Bell for additional facts concerning the Temple, and to certain past writers on the subject of Devil Worship.

On my return to England I visited the Oriental Department and the Department of Ceramics and Ethnography at the British Museum, whose officials I wish to thank for their courtesy, particularly Mr. H. J. Braunholtz. Further, after my return, I asked Sir Richard Temple to comment on my remarks, and as he did so at considerable length, with the object of adding as much as he could to the general knowledge of the Yezîdîs, I have appended his observations to mine as a Commentary on my own researches.

This Commentary has raised the question of the spelling of Muslim names and words. Sir Richard Temple remarked to me that Arabic is differently pronounced by both Asiatic and European nations using the language and its proper names, and accordingly the Arabic characters are so differently transliterated by European scholars, that each writer has practically to adopt his own spelling. Thus, the name of the founder of Islam has been variously represented in Roman characters as Muhammad, Mahommed, Mahomet, Mehemet, Mammet—all more or less accurately representing a formal pronunciation of the name, spelt in Arabic, m-h-m-d. So also Shefket and Shauqat both fairly represent the pronunciation of the same Arabic characters, sh-w-q-t ; so do Evliya and Auliâ represent Aw-l-yâ. In these circumstances he has adopted in his Commentary the spelling used for half a century in his own journal, the Indian Antiquary, and by the Government of India. In order, too, that the reader shall not be unduly puzzled, I have adopted the same spelling wherever possible. Pedantry has, however, been avoided, and certain well-known names are spelt as they are usually known, e.g., Yezîdî, Diarbekr, Reshîd Pâshâ, Jebel, Sheikh, Medina, Mecca, Zemzem and so on. In the spelling of Melak Ta'ûs, Melak Îsâ and the like, I have adopted Melak as I heard the name pronounced to mean " angel " and thus distinguished it from Malik, " lord or master," though in Arabic script there is no difference in the characters used, m-l-k. Also in the name Wetnhiyûn, I have left the name as I found it in the work I quoted, though Sir Richard Temple has pointed out that it must represent Watn Haiyûn or Watnu'l-Haiyûn, the Land of the Serpents.

Sir Richard Temple has not always adopted my own or my authorities' explanations, but I do not look on this as a misfortune, as the object before us is to get at the truth, which is often accomplished by noting and eventually reconciling differences of views on matters still but imperfectly known. For this reason he has not interfered with any opinions expressed by myself.

A few further remarks are necessary as to the title of this book—the Peacock Angel, representing Melak Tâ'ûs. In the word melak, translated " angel " by me, we find ourselves in one of the worst of the many enigmas that Arabic presents as a language, and I cannot do better than quote the following observations Sir Richard Temple has made to me on this point : " The word spelt m-l-k in Arabic is variously pronounced as malk, melk, milk and mulk, and then means fundamentally ' property.' These characters m-l-k are also pronounced as malik, melik and then mean ' the possessor of property, lord, master, king.' They are further pronounced malak, melek, melak and then mean ' angel.' Malaku'l-Maut is the Angel of Death, i.e. 'Azrâ'îl. Then again mâ-l-k, pro¬nounced malik, malak, plural amlâk, and also malak, means ' lord, king.' Maliki-Mâliku'I¬Mulk means ' King of Kings of the Kingdom,' i.e., God. There are further intricacies of the forms and senses of this terrible word which need not be gone into here." In view of the above remarks, Sir Richard thinks I am justified in my title, " Melak (or Melâk) Tâ'ûs, the Peacock Angel," especially as any Arabic used by the Yezîdî would be a local dialect.

It is in the hope that these pages may be of some small use to students of strange peoples and strange customs, that, apart from any purely theological interest, I must excuse my temerity in endeavouring to justify their inclusion on a bookshelf.

R. H. W. E.