A Collection of Old Women in Iranian Folklore

Xēyr Bar Kar – A benevolent Lak spirit who visits homes on Yalda Night to bring blessings and nourishment.

Hura – A radiant creator god of Kermanshah, Hura symbolizes life, creativity, and the sacred power of dawn.

Naznāz – A smoke-breathing, human-faced serpent of the desert whose heart grants speech with animals.

Shah Veh – A postpartum-protecting spirit of Mahabad, repelled by sickles, knives, and constant light.

Pīrezan Mārku – A terrifying old woman spirit from Hamadan who appears to frighten disobedient children.

Māraspand – A Zoroastrian deity of sacred speech, perception, and healing against demonic disease.

Āptār Jolī – A fearsome child-stealing entity said to abduct children from homes at night in Iranshahr.

Spazg – A demon of slander in the Bundahishn who spreads lies and hatred through convincing speech.

Āj Ānghīrān – A jinn from Tabriz that lives in holes and drags victims away with sudden noise and force.

Goje-Ferfer – A mischievous boy who rides a tomato and punishes lazy children by boiling them.

Samand Eslar – A deadly two-headed serpent whose gaze alone kills, mentioned in wonder literature.

Tirg – A sealed mud-brick tomb in Sistan where the dead may rise screaming, unseen and unheard.

Omme Xazra Va-Allīf – A leaf-haired old woman from Khuzestan said to kidnap children from palm groves.

Khāle Ghulak – A ghostly female figure in Jahrom who steals newborns and haunts postpartum mothers.

Nasav/Nasu – A demon of decay in Zoroastrian belief who corrupts dead bodies and contaminates the living.

Parizad-e Derakhti – A beautiful tree-dwelling fairy in Bandar Abbas who combs her golden hair from the branches.

Arouda – A guardian deity of Kermanshah whose power protects the world, strongest during twilight.

Mehr Giah (Mandrake) – A magical human-shaped root said to bring love, danger, or divine mystery.

Shumut – A black jinn of Chenaran who appears on walls in the dark silence before electricity.