‘Divan-e Div’ is an encyclopedia about evil and malevolent creatures in Iranian culture, written and researched by Mehrak-Ali Sabounchi. This book, the first in the Evil Series published by Charkh, was released in the winter of 2025.
The author has studied Zoroastrian and Manichaean texts, epic poems, and Islamic-era writings to find and categorize these evil creatures. In essence, everything presented in this encyclopedia is derived and organized from primary texts and first-hand sources.
In the introduction, Sabounchi first gives an overview of past research on Iranian demonology and books published on the topic. Then, he explains how he has categorized the sources, dividing them into four main groups and their subcategories. At the end of each category, he includes a table listing all the harmful beings from those sources. In the section on Islamic texts, the author specifically focuses on Ajayeb-nameh (Books of Wonders) and ‘One Thousand and One Nights,’ while in the other three categories (Zoroastrian, Manichean, and epic literature), he examines nearly all primary and fundamental texts.
Following the detailed introduction on textual criticism and sources, we enter the main section of the book, the encyclopedia. In this section, despite his deep knowledge of the subject, the author avoids personal opinions and only presents what the original texts say. In each entry, if previous researchers have provided any opinions on the subject, they are included as footnotes, and even different spelling of some names are noted. Since the book has many footnotes to clarify details, a guide for reading them is provided at the beginning.

Two things make ‘Divan-e Div’ stand out. First, the book traces how some of these creatures changed over time, from Zoroastrian texts to Islamic-era writings. Second, for some beings—mainly those from epic stories—a short summary of their tale is included in a different font so readers can also understand their original stories.
At the beginning of each entry and opposite the name of each malevolent entity, the source from which they are extracted is also mentioned; for example, ‘Div-e Sepid’ (Shahnameh of Ferdowsi) or ‘Sanavizak’ (Zoroastrian texts). At the end of the book, there is also a detailed table of these beings and their opponents.
Because it is based on a wide range of sources, including original Zoroastrian and Manichaean texts, ‘Divan-e Div’ is one of the most complete and accurate books about malevolent creatures in Iranian culture. It is also important because, unlike many earlier books on the subject, it is an original work rather than a translation. Another key strength of the book is its clear and accessible writing style. Whether you are a researcher, a writer, an art student, or an animator, this book can be a useful resource. It is a reference that deserves a place in every library.