Sheikh Fakhr ad-Din (Fexredîn), the Moon
Sheikh Fakhr ad-Din, in Kurmanji Fexredîn, is one of the seven Holy Beings of the Yezidi Heptad and the personification of the Moon, forming a complementary pair with his brother Şêşims, who personifies the Sun. On the earthly plane he is counted among the four sons of the prince Êzdîna Mîr who make up the group of the Four Mysteries, and he is especially revered as a composer of sacred poetry: Yezidi religious authorities credit him with the authorship of many thousands of qewls, beyts and qesîdes, of which only a small fraction is said to survive the centuries of persecution. He is remembered as having had several sons who themselves became important Yezidi saints, and his name remains among the most frequently invoked in the community's liturgy.
Domains
- the moon
- composition of sacred hymns
Powers
- to personify the moon as the night counterpart of the sun
- to compose the sacred hymns of the community
Epithets
- Şêx FexredînPhilip G. Kreyenbroek and Khalil Jindy Rashow, 'God and Sheikh Adi are Perfect: Sacred Poems and Religious Narratives from the Yezidi Tradition', Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden, 2005. (secondary)
Relations
- sibling: Sheikh Shams ad-Din (Şêşims), the SunFexredîn, the Moon, and Şêşims, the Sun, are two of the four sons of Êzdîna Mîr counted among the Four Mysteries; they form a complementary lunar–solar pair.Philip G. Kreyenbroek, 'Yezidism: Its Background, Observances and Textual Tradition', Edwin Mellen Press, 1995. (secondary)
- subordinate to: Tawûsî Melek, the Peacock AngelAs a member of the Heptad he serves under its chief, the Peacock Angel.Christine Allison, 'Yazidis i. General', Encyclopaedia Iranica, 2004. (secondary)
Sources
- Sheikh Fakhr ad-Din (Fexredîn) is a member of the Yezidi Heptad who personifies the Moon, one of the four sons of Êzdîna Mîr counted among the Four Mysteries, and is revered as a great composer of the sacred qewls.: Christine Allison, 'Yazidis i. General', Encyclopaedia Iranica, 2004. (secondary); Birgül Açıkyıldız, 'The Yezidis: The History of a Community, Culture and Religion', I.B. Tauris, London, 2010. (secondary)