Spoiler Warning: This review contains major spoilers and reveals many important aspects of Cow. If you have not seen the film and would prefer to experience its story without knowing what happens, we recommend skipping this review.
A Note on the Sources Behind This Analysis
This analysis of The Cow draws on a range of established sources in Iranian and comparative mythology, as well as the literary work on which the film is based. To examine the mythology of ancient Iran, we consulted Bundahishn, translated by Mehrdad Bahar; From Myth to History by Mehrdad Bahar; and Pahlavi Rivayat, translated by Mahshid Mirmohammadi.
We also examined Gholam-Hossein Saedi’s Mourners of Bayal, including the story “The Cow,” which provided the basis for Mehrjui’s film. Additional sources included Myths of Iran by John Hinnells and Zhaleh Amouzgar, as well as comparative works on mythology, including Freud’s Totem and Taboo and Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology.
These sources were considered across the mythological traditions of Mesopotamia, Iran, India, and Greece to provide a broader context for the symbols, rituals, and mythological references discussed throughout this analysis.
Why did Mashdi Hasan pretend that his cow was still alive after it had died? At first, his behavior may seem strange, and you might think that he had simply lost his mind. But what if pretending that the cow was still alive was, in fact, the best thing he could have done?
In this article from From Cinema, we explore The Cow (1969) by Dariush Mehrjui through a mythological lens. Many viewers may not have noticed the significance of the cow as a mythological symbol in the film. Rather than focusing on a psychological interpretation, we will examine its mythology, symbolism, rituals, and signs, particularly their connections to ancient Iranian beliefs.
Through this analysis of The Cow, we will explore how ancient Iranian myths, rituals, symbols, and cultural traditions are reflected in Iranian cinema—and how they contribute to the deeper meaning of Mehrjui’s film.
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The Cow (1969): Plot Summary — Spoilers Ahead
In a small village, a man named Mashdi Hasan owns the only cow in the community. One day, the cow unexpectedly dies. Knowing how deeply attached Mashdi Hasan is to his cow, the villagers decide to tell him that it has run away.
Unable to accept that his cow has simply disappeared, Mashdi Hasan gradually begins to see himself as the cow. Believing that he has lost his mind, the villagers try to take him to the city for treatment. On the way, Mashdi Hasan escapes, falls from a mountain, and dies.
Now that we have introduced the story of The Cow, let us take a closer look at the film and explore its deeper meanings.
Awards and Nominations for Dariush Mehrjui’s The Cow
FIPRESCI Prize, 32nd Venice International Film Festival, 1971.
Best Actor Award for Ezzatolah Entezami, Chicago International Film Festival, 1971.
OCIC Award – Recommendation, Forum of New Film, 22nd Berlin International Film Festival, 1972.
Best Screenplay Award, Sepas Film Festival, 1970.
Directors’ Fortnight selection, Cannes Film Festival, 1971.
Golden Hugo nomination, Chicago International Film Festival, 1971.
The Cow: A Symbol of Life
The cow holds an important place in the mythology of many cultures around the world. We have previously explored the significance of cattle in ancient Greek mythology in our analysis of Alexander, as well as their broader role in [Myth and Cinema].
In ancient Iranian mythology, however, the story begins with the cow itself. According to Zoroastrian creation mythology, the primordial bovine, known as Gavaevodata, was among the first creations of Ahura Mazda. After the cow, the first human, Gayomard, was created. Ahriman, however, sought to destroy the creations of Ahura Mazda. He attacked both the primordial cow and Gayomard. After the cow’s death, plants and grains emerged from its body, while rivers were said to have originated from its blood.
This ancient Iranian myth reveals the cow as a powerful symbol of life, fertility, and regeneration. Now consider The Cow from this perspective. There is only one cow in the entire village. Every day, the village women wait with their bowls for Mashdi Hasan and his cow, hoping to receive some milk. At the same time, everyone is waiting for the pregnant cow to give birth and bring new life to the village.
When the cow dies, the entire village mourns its loss. In the following sections, we will examine the death of the cow more closely and explore the profound effect of its absence on the villagers.
The Cow: The Death of the Cow and the End of Being
After the cow dies in Mehrjui’s film, the villagers worry that Mashdi Hasan might die from the shock of hearing the news. They therefore decide to tell him that his cow has run away. Unfortunately, this decision sets everything in motion.
Mashdi Hasan is certain that his cow has not run away. At that very moment, he accepts that the cow must have died, yet he cannot bring himself to believe it. This is where the mythological dimension of the film begins to emerge.
Spoilers ahead.
The death of the cow ultimately leads to Mashdi Hasan’s own death. He refuses to accept that the cow is dead because he understands, perhaps more deeply than anyone around him, that accepting the cow’s death means accepting the loss of life itself—while the villagers fail to understand what the animal represents.
Later in the film, before Mashdi Hasan returns to the village, we see the villagers mourning the cow. They wail in grief, dress in black, and hold a mourning ceremony for the animal. It is unusual to see an entire community perform such a ceremony for an animal.
Yet The Cow makes it clear that this particular animal holds a position comparable to that of a member of the village. The villagers never hold such a ceremony for any of their other animals. For instance, when the people from the neighboring village, known as the Balouris, steal three sheep from the village, no one organizes a similar mourning ceremony for them.
The Rising Moon: A Reason to Keep Life Going
Another important mythological symbol in The Cow is the moon. In our discussion of Iranian cinema, we can see that the connection between the moon and the cow appears repeatedly in mythologies ranging from ancient Mesopotamia to ancient Iran. The moon is associated with life and its continuation.
According to ancient Iranian mythological traditions, after the death of Gavaevodata, the primordial bovine, the animal’s seed was carried to the moon so that it would remain safe from Ahriman and the demons. After Ahriman’s assault on the earth had ended, it was returned so that life could continue.
In Dariush Mehrjui’s The Cow, Mashdi Hasan sits on the roof after hearing that his cow has run away and waits for the moon to rise. When the villagers ask him, “What if you stay here and your cow gets thirsty?” he replies, “My cow gets thirsty whenever the moon rises.”
Immediately after this moment, we no longer see the moon rising. Mashdi Hasan gradually becomes the cow in his own mind, as though assuming the animal’s identity is his way of preserving life.
If we therefore consider The Cow as a mythological film, the connection between the moon and the cow becomes significant: the moon is directly associated with the presence of the cow, while the cow itself becomes a sign of the continuity and persistence of life.
Mashdi Eslam: The Wise Elder
Mashdi Eslam is one of the most important characters in The Cow. Throughout the film, whenever something happens, the villagers turn to him for guidance. Even the village headman accepts whatever decision Mashdi Eslam makes.
From a mythological perspective, Mashdi Eslam resembles the archetype of the Wise Elder: a figure who possesses knowledge, offers guidance, and helps others find a way through seemingly impossible situations.
Eventually, when Mashdi Hasan is tied up and taken toward the city, we see Mashdi Eslam completely convinced that Mashdi Hasan has actually become a cow. He beats him and repeatedly tells him, “Walk, animal!”
Although this scene is disturbing to watch, it reveals something important about Mashdi Eslam as well. He, too, seems to have reached a deeper form of understanding. He refuses to accept that the cow has died and that Mashdi Hasan’s life has come to an end. In a sense, he ultimately recognizes Mashdi Hasan as a savior—a figure whose transformation may be necessary for life itself to continue.
The Old Woman, Magic, Spells, and Folklore
One of the characters who draws attention in The Cow is a frail, thin old woman who constantly mutters spells under her breath. After Mashdi Hasan’s cow dies, she brings a bowl of water, sprinkles it over the villagers, and says, “A plague has come; a calamity has descended. May God have mercy on us.”
She appears to be attempting to cleanse the darkness of death with water and ward off the evil that has fallen upon the village. Later, we see the same woman retrieve a ceremonial banner from beneath the damp, cold basement, pulling it from among old and decaying flags. This moment suggests that although the villagers may have gradually abandoned certain rituals and religious practices, the crisis surrounding the cow’s death drives them back toward their old beliefs and rituals.
The hand depicted on the banners is another significant symbol. Its history can be traced across different mythological and religious traditions, from ancient Mesopotamia and India to Phoenicia and Iran, and later into Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The symbol of the hand has a remarkably long history across the mythologies and cultures of different peoples.
Its basic meaning is relatively simple: acceptance, surrender, and submission. The Hamsa, or Hand of Fatima, traditionally depicted as an open hand raised toward the sky, is associated with protection and the warding off of evil. In the context of The Cow, the villagers’ return to this symbol can be understood as an expression of their desire to restore safety, order, and peace in the face of an overwhelming crisis.
If Humans Were Cows, Would the World Be a Better Place?
In this article, we explored the mythological concepts, symbols, and rituals at the heart of The Cow (1969) by Dariush Mehrjui. What becomes clear throughout the film is the way Gholam-Hossein Saedi and Dariush Mehrjui drew upon the myths, beliefs, rituals, and worldview of their culture to create a deceptively simple story filled with symbolic meaning.
The cow is more than an animal in the film. It becomes a symbol through which life, death, identity, and the relationship between human beings and the world around them can be examined. Mashdi Hasan’s transformation can therefore be read not simply as the story of a man losing his mind, but as a profound response to the loss of the source of life around which the entire village has been organized.
Perhaps this is why the film ultimately invites us to reconsider the boundaries between human beings, animals, life, and death. If the cow represents life, then Mashdi Hasan’s refusal to accept its death becomes an attempt to preserve that life—even at the cost of his own identity.
In this sense, the final tragedy of The Cow is also its deepest mythological idea: sometimes, recognizing what we have lost may change the way we understand what it means to remain alive.