Cup of Jamshid
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The Cup of Jamshid (Cup of Djemscheed or Jaam-e Jam, in Persian: جام جم) is a cup of divination which, according to legend, was long possessed by the rulers of ancient Persia. The cup has also been called Jam-e Jahan nama, Jam-e Jahan Ara, Jam-e Giti nama, and Jam-e Kei-khosrow. The latter refers to Kaei Husravah in the Avesta, and Sushravas in the Vedas.
The cup ("Jām") was said to be filled with an elixir of immortality and was said to have been used in scrying. As Dehkhoda reports, it was believed that one could observe all the seven heavens of the universe by looking into it (از هفت فلک در او مشاهده و معاینه کردی). It was believed to have been discovered in Persepolis in ancient times. The whole world was said to be reflected in it, and divinations within the Cup were said to reveal deep truths. Sometimes, especially in popular depictions such as The Heroic Legend of Arslan, the cup has been visualized as a crystal ball.
The Cup of Jamshid has been the subject of many Persian poems and stories. Many authors ascribed the success of the Persian Empire to the possession of this artifact. It appears extensively in Persian literature. Examples:
سالها دل طلب جام جم از ما میکرد
"For years our heart desired the power of the Cup of Jamsheed
وان چه خود داشت ز بیگانه تمنا میکرد
and begged from others what it had within itself."
from The Divan of Hafez
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