Shahmar, the 'king of snakes,' is a great serpent of Tat and wider Caucasian-Iranian folklore, ruler of all snakes and keeper of hidden knowledge and buried treasure. He is imagined dwelling in caves and beneath the earth, sometimes crested or with a semblance of a human head. One who wins his favour, or who eats of his flesh, gains the understanding of the speech of animals and the secrets of healing herbs. The protective house-serpent, which guards the home and must never be killed, is reckoned among his kind.