Eros and the Pearl

The monograph is devoted to the Yezidi cosmogonic myth and its parallels in other religious traditions, esp. Yarsanism, Mandaeism, Manichaeism, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Gnosticism, Hermeticism, Early Christianity, Sufism and Harranian 'Sabianism'. It is based on the author's field research, source analysis, and interdisciplinary methodology.

Eros and the Pearl is the first monograph devoted to the Yezidi cosmogonic myth. It is based on the author's field research among the Yezidi people in Iraq, Turkey, Georgia, and Armenia. The author focuses on the analysis of the cosmogonic motif of Pearl and Love and, referring to various source materials, traces the presence of analogous threads in other religious traditions, esp. Yarsanism, Mandaeism, Manichaeism, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, as well as the Greek philosophical concepts of Eros and the primordial One that influenced Gnosticism, Hermeticism, Early Christianity, and Sufism. Demonstrating the complexity of the Yezidi tradition, the author also points to Harranian 'Sabians' as those who may have contributed to its beliefs at the beginning of the formation of the Yezidi religion.