The Kalid-i-Afghani was a British publication released in 1872, intended as a textbook to educate British officers and soldiers who were to be posted to what is now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (then-NWFP). This publication includes a rather mistranslated version of an epic, Behram o Gul Andamay.
Shehzada Behram o Gul Andamay was absorbed into Pashto and Urdu folklore from Persian literature. Originally, it was part of Haft Paykar by Nizami, also known as the Behramnama.
The epic features three main characters: Prince Behram of the Sultanate of Rum, Gul Andamay, the Princess of China, and King Saifoor. Saifoor is introduced in the epic as an antagonist but later becomes Behram’s closest friend and aide. In the English translation, Saifoor is referred to as the "King of Fairies." This is problematic because, in folklore, fairies do not have kings; they have queens.
While lore does mention the Perizaad (the menfolk of the fairies) and fairy princes, the race is predominantly feminine and is thus ruled by women. Several epics across the Persianate world mention the "Malika" (Queen) of the Fairies.
The word used in the Pashto Masnavi is "Peeryan," which means "Jinn." It is possible that, due to the similarity in sound between "Peeryan" and "Peri," Sir Hughes made an error that went uncorrected, thereby altering one of the most important nuances from a folklorist’s perspective.
Furthermore, fairies is not quite the accurate translation for “Peri” either. It may be the closest English translation, but one can argue cultural erasure given the difference in characteristics.
The fairies, as we know them in Europe, can include ike the Asrai, Banshees, Changelings, Dryads, Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Goblins, Imps, Leprechauns, Nymphs, Pixies, Pookas, Selkies, Unseelies, Trolls, Wee Folk, and Wichtlein.
In the Indo-Persian region, however, the Peri’s are tiny, winged, feminine creatures, who are well-disposed to humankind. The race is also believed to be in eternal war with perceived evil, the Jinns, Deos, and Divs. Marrying them, or accepting gifts from them, is quite all right, unlike the fairies. Marzolph also discusses the Indo-Iranian origin of the Peri at length.
In ancient Zoroastrian tradition, the Peri’s (Parika) were believed to be spirits trapped in their form to atone for their past sins, or one of those by their ancestors. They were neither mean, nor kind, and could simply be messengers, or harmless tricksters. Some of them were evil and were also beaten by the heroes in the Shahnameh.
Over time, it evolved into an invariably kind spirit, most likely owing to interaction with the Houra in Muslim tradition, and South Asian folklore, particularly from regions around the Indus, which were ruled by successive Persian empires for several centuries.
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