The Evolution of the Meaning of the Word “Hamasah” until 1313 (Millennium of Ferdowsi)

Abstract

The present research sought to extract the history of the concept of epic from dictionaries, texts, and press reports. In Persian, the term “Hamasah” denotes the epic genre. This equivalence has happened only recently. Earlier, the word was used in Arabic to suggest three different meanings: 1. courage, 2. Qasidas and Qetas in the Arab literature mainly revolving around the achievements of tribes and individuals, and 3. a type of poetry selection. Probably around 1828, the Arabic word “Hamasah” was considered synonymous with the epic and used to denote this notion for some time. However, after a point, Arab speakers chose the word “Malhamah” as an equivalent for the epic. In Persian, too, the word “Hamasah” has meant the same as was common in Arabic before being used to denote a literary genre. However, the instances of the usage of this word to indicate such meanings are scant in old dictionaries of Persian and are rarely used in texts. In the Persian language, the Kaveh newspaper was apparently the first to use the word “Hamasah” in its modern meaning. Notably, this newspaper was not published in Iran. Afterward, the press and books gradually began utilizing this word. However, the word continued to be used to denote its old (particularly honor and achievements) and new meanings for a while. In some instances, it was used in a way suggestive of both meanings.

Keywords

• epic
• epic poetry
• hamasah of abu tammam
• kaveh newspaper
• malhamah