Şahmaran, Queen of the Snakes
Anatolian legend tells of a wise queen who is half woman, half snake, living in a hidden cave, betrayed by the man she trusted.
What was reported
In stories told across Türkiye, Iran and the wider region, Şahmaran is the queen of the snakes, with the head and upper body of a woman and the body of a serpent. A young man who fell into her underground realm was taken in and taught her wisdom, and he promised never to reveal where she lived.
Later, the king of the land fell ill, and his vizier said only Şahmaran's flesh could cure him. The young man was forced to betray her. Before she died, she shared her knowledge with him.
Explanations offered
It's a folk legend with many versions. Tarsus has a bathhouse called the Şahmaran Hamamı connected with the story, and her image is a popular folk art motif in eastern Türkiye, painted on glass and copper as a symbol of wisdom and good fortune.
- When
- Told for centuries
- Where
- Tarsus, Mersin, Türkiye
- Witnesses
- Anatolian and Middle Eastern tradition
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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