Most people have heard of the Holy Grail as the cup from which Jesus Christ drank during the Last Supper. Later, according to legend, Joseph of Arimathea was entrusted with the Holy Grail.
Some researchers believed that he took the sacred artifact to Glastonbury. Others believed that the Holy Grail was under the protection of the Templars, who took the cup from the Temple Mount during the Crusades.
In Persian mythology, there are tales of a mysterious artifact resembling the Holy Grail. It is called the Chalice of Jamshid and contains the elixir of immortality. The cup belonged to Jamshid, the hero of myths and legends.
Legendary hero of Persia
The Avesta (a collection of sacred texts by the Zoroastrians) tells how Yima (the ancestor of mankind from Iranian mythology) faces a number of difficulties when he has to deal with the coming catastrophe. King Yima understands that people will perish, and, like the biblical Noah, is obliged to ensure the survival of the human race.
He builds a huge underground cave where he hides men and women, as well as a couple of each species of animals, birds and plants in order to survive. This story is very similar to the biblical story about Noah's Ark, as well as the myth of Utnapishtim and the Babylonian Flood. Myths and legends reminiscent of the great catastrophe that destroyed humanity can be found in all corners of the world.
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Over time, the story of the Avestan hero Yima developed, and in Persian mythology he became known as Jamshid.
King Jamshid.
The hero is credited with many great inventions. He possessed extraordinary abilities as a person, being the fourth king of the world, towering above all angels and demons. During the time when he ruled as a powerful king, diseases disappeared, life expectancy increased and people coexisted peacefully. He also taught the people to build houses of bricks and sail the oceans on sailing ships. People have mastered the art of medicine, discovered how to produce perfumes, jewelry and wine.
Jamshid's fame and popularity were so significant that he became associated with Persepolis, the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (ancient Persia), founded by Cyrus the Great, one of the most prominent figures in human history. For centuries, people called the city of Persepolis "Throne of Jamshid".
The palace complex of the Achaemenid kings in Persepolis.
Vision of the future
Anyone who consumed the elixir from the Chalice of Jamshid became immortal. This magical object was also used to look into the future. By looking into the bowl, one could see all seven heavens of the universe and learn a deep truth. Sometimes the artifact was compared to a crystal ball, considering it to be the key to the success of the Persian Empire.
Although the Chalice of Jamshid and the Holy Grail are similar, they also differed in many ways.
Some scholars have suggested that the Jamshid Cup may have inspired stories of the Holy Grail.
Just as treasure hunters searched for the Holy Grail, so many tried to find the Cup. Unfortunately, none of the artifacts has yet been found.
