Simurgh
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According to Persian legend Simurgh is a gigantic, winged monster representing a bird; similar to a peacock but, with the head of a dog and the claws of a lion. It is said to live in proximity of water. This creature is told to be so old it has thrice seen the world destroyed. During this incredibly long time, it has learned so much, it is believed to possess universal knowledge accumulated through the ages. It is featured in Farid al-Din Attar's classic book of poetry Conference of the Birds.
The Scythians and Sarmatians revered the Simurgh as the protector of seeds and plant growth.
The ancient Slavs have a similar creature called the Simurg. It was a winged dog (a griffon-like creature), and served Trajanus, one of the Slavic gods.
Etymology
Persian sīmurγ, modern Fārsī simorγ, from Pahlavī sēn murw, composed of Pahlavī sēn (Avestan saēna) mythical bird (cf. Sanskrit śyena bird of prey) and murw (Avestan mərəga) bird. The first element has been connected in folk etymology to Persian sī thirty, but it is not historically related.
Sources
Encyclopedia Mythica (http://pantheon.org)nl:Simurgh