Goudarz ( fa, گودرز) is one of the main Iranian heroes in

Shahnameh The ''Shahnameh'' or ''Shahnama'' ( fa, شاهنامه, Šāhnāme, lit=The Book of Kings, ) is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c. 977 and 1010 CE and is the national epic of Greater Iran. Consisting of some 50,00 ...

, the

national epic A national epic is an epic poem or a literary work of epic scope which seeks or is believed to capture and express the essence or spirit of a particular nation—not necessarily a nation state, but at least an ethnic or linguistic group with as ...

Greater Iran Greater Iran ( fa, ایران بزرگ, translit=Irān-e Bozorg) refers to a region covering parts of Western Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, Xinjiang, and the Caucasus, where both Culture of Iran, Iranian culture and Iranian langua ...

, and progenitor of one of its most prominent families. He is son of

Kashvad Kashvād (Persian: کشواد) is an Iranian mythical hero. He is an emblem of victory, justice and loyalty in a story narrated in the poetic opus of ''Shahnameh The ''Shahnameh'' or ''Shahnama'' ( fa, شاهنامه, Šāhnāme, lit=The Book ...

, father of Giv and

Roham Rohām ( fa, رهام) is an Iranian hero, described in the Iranian epic poem Shahnameh. Roham is son of Goudarz, grandson of Keshvad and the father of Farhad. He fought in the Keykhosrow wars and in wars to avenge his father's defeat. Family tr ...

and the grandfather of Bizhan. His first appearance is in the time of

Kay Kavus The name Kay is found both as a surname (see Kay (surname)) and as a given name. In English-speaking countries, it is usually a feminine name, often a short form of Katherine or one of its variants; but it is also used as a first name in its own ...

and thereafter he appears almost in every story of the heroic age, sometimes he is the

spahbed ''Spāhbed'' (also spelled ''spahbod'' and ''spahbad'') is a Middle Persian title meaning "army chief" used chiefly in the Sasanian Empire. Originally there was a single ''spāhbed'', called the , who functioned as the generalissimo of the Sasani ...

of Iranian Army. His personality is described very positively with traits such as loyalty, patience and altruism.

In Shahnameh

Goudarz plays a vital role in the story of Kay Khosrow. Kay Khosrow is one of the greatest kings of

and he is the son of

Siavash Siyâvash ( fa, سیاوش) or Siavash ( fa, سياووش) is an Iranian legendary prince, a major figure in Ferdowsi's epic, the ''Shahnameh''. Siyâvash or various other transliterations from Persian/Farsi/Azerbaijani languages may also refer to ...

and

Farangis Farangis ( fa, فَرَنگیس) or Frigis ( fa, فریگیس) is a female character in the Persian epic ''Shahnameh''. She is the eldest daughter of Afrasiab, king of Turan. She is also the second and favourite wife of Siyâvash, the saintlike ...

and the grandson of

. Kay Khosrow was born and grown up in

Turan Turan ( ae, Tūiriiānəm, pal, Tūrān; fa, توران, Turân, , "The Land of Tur") is a historical region in Central Asia. The term is of Iranian origin and may refer to a particular prehistoric human settlement, a historic geographical re ...

. One day the Soroush (angel) comes to Goudarz in his dream and tells him that the son of Siavash is in Turan and Iranians should go there and bring him back to Iran. He tells Goudarz that only his son, Giv, could do this job. Goudarz then sends Giv to Turan in search of Kay Khosrow and after seven years, Giv finally finds Kay Khosrow and brings him back to Iran. At this time, Goudarz is an old man. Goudarz is the one who kills

Piran Veyse Piran son of Viseh ( fa, پیران ویسه) is a Turanian figure in Shahnameh, the national epic of Greater Iran. Beside Shahnameh, Piran is also mentioned in other sources such as Tabari and Tha'ālibī. He is the king of Khotan and the spah ...

in the story of

Davazdah Rokh Davāzdah Rokh ( fa, دَوازدَه رُخ) (Twelve combats) is a story in Shahnameh. This relatively long story (almost 2,500 verses) is described as one of the finest stories of Shahnameh in terms of "plot, dramatic description, and insight into ...

. Unlike many other Iranian heroes who disappear in snow after Kay Khosrow's ascent, Goudarz survives this accident along with

Rostam use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = Kabulistan , death_cause = With the conspiracy of his half-brother Shaghad, he fell into a wel ...

and

Zāl use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates ...

Historical Goudarz

It has been suggested that Goudarz in Shahnameh is actually

Gotarzes II of Parthia Gotarzes II ( xpr, 𐭂𐭅𐭕𐭓𐭆 ''Gōtarz'') was king of the Parthian Empire from 40 to 51. He was an adopted son of Artabanus II. When his father died in 40, his brother Vardanes I was to succeed to the throne. However, the throne was s ...

. The only difference is that in Shahnameh, Goudarz is the father of Giv, but in history it is the opposite, the historical Gotarzes is son of a certain Giv (this is known from his coins).

Family tree

References

{{Shahnameh Shahnameh characters