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 well full of poisoned spears and was killed in Kabulistan. , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = , burial_place = , burial_coordinates = , monuments = , nationality = , other_names = Rustam
Rustem , siglum = , citizenship = , education = , alma_mater = , occupation = , years_active = , era = , employer = , organization = , agent = , known_for = Seven Labours
Battle with Sohrab
Battle with Esfandiyārkilling

Demons A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, anime ...

, notable_works = , style = , net_worth = , height = , television = , title = , term = , predecessor = , successor = , party = , movement = , opponents = , boards = , criminal_charges = , criminal_penalty = , criminal_status = , spouse = Tahmina , partner = , children = Sohrab

Faramarz Faramarz ( fa, فرامرز) is an Iranian legendary hero (''pahlavan'') in Ferdowsi's ''Shahnameh'' ("Book of Kings"). He was son of Rostam and at last killed by Kay Bahman. The book Faramarz-nama, written about a hundred years after Shahname ...

Siyâvash Siyâvash ( fa, سیاوش, via Middle Persian Siyâwaxš, from Avestan Syâvaršan) or Siyâvoš or Siavash ( fa, سياووش), is a major figure in Ferdowsi's epic, the ''Shahnameh''. He was a legendary Iranian prince from the earliest days o ...

(adopted son)

Banu Goshasp Bānu Goshasp ( fa, بانو گشسپ) or Goshasp Banu is an important heroine in Iranian mythology. , death_place = Kabulistan , death_cause = With the conspiracy of his half-brother Shaghad, he fell into a wel ... due to not recog ...

(In

Banu Goshasp Nama Bānu Goshasp ( fa, بانو گشسپ) or Goshasp Banu is an important heroine in Iranian mythology. , death_place = Kabulistan , death_cause = With the conspiracy of his half-brother Shaghad, he fell into a wel ... due to not recog ...

) , parents = , mother =

Rudaba Rudāba or Rudābeh ( fa, رودابه ) is a Persian mythological female figure in Ferdowsi's epic Shahnameh. She is the princess of Kabul, daughter of Mehrab Kaboli and Sindukht, and later she becomes married to Zal, as they become lovers. They ...

, father = Zal , relatives = , family = Sām (grandfather)
Zavara (brother)
Shaghad (half brother) , callsign = , awards = , website = , module = , module2 = , module3 = , module4 = , module5 = , module6 = , signature = , signature_size = , signature_alt = , footnotes = Sohrab and Rostam fighting (TMoCA)

Rostam or Rustam ( fa, رستم ) is a legendary hero in

Persian mythology Persian mythology or Iranian mythology ( Persian:اساطیرشناسی ایرانی) is the body of the myths originally told by ancient Persians and other Iranian peoples, and a genre of Ancient Persian folklore. These stories concern the ori ...

, the son of Zāl and

, whose life and work was immortalized by the 10th-century Persian poet

Ferdowsi , image = Statue of Ferdowsi in Tus, Iran 3 (cropped).jpg , image_size = , caption = Statue of Ferdowsi in Tus by Abolhassan Sadighi , birth_date = 940 , birth_place = Tus, Samanid Empire , death_date = 1019 or 1025 (87 years old) , d ...

in the ''

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 5 ...

'', or ''Epic of Kings'', which contains pre-Islamic Iranian folklore and history. However, the roots of the narrative date much earlier. In the ''Shahnameh'', Rostam and his predecessors are

Marzban Marzbān, or Marzpān (Middle Persian transliteration: mrzwpn, derived from ''marz'' "border, boundary" and the suffix ''-pān'' "guardian"; Modern Persian: ''Marzbān'') were a class of margraves, warden of the marches, and by extension milita ...

s of

Sistan Sistān ( fa, سیستان), known in ancient times as Sakastān ( fa, سَكاستان, "the land of the Saka"), is a historical and geographical region in present-day Eastern Iran ( Sistan and Baluchestan Province) and Southern Afghanistan ( ...

(present-day

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...

). Rostam is best known for his tragic fight with Esfandiyār, the other legendary Iranian hero; for his expedition to Mazandaran (not to be confused with the modern Mazandaran Province); and for tragically fighting and killing his son, Sohrab, without knowing who his opponent was. He is also known for the story of Seven Labours. Rostam was eventually killed by Shaghad, his half-brother. Rostam was always represented as the mightiest of Iranian paladins (holy warriors), and the atmosphere of the episodes in which he features is strongly reminiscent of the

Parthian Empire The Parthian Empire (), also known as the Arsacid Empire (), was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Iran from 247 BC to 224 AD. Its latter name comes from its founder, Arsaces I, who led the Parni tribe in conqu ...

. He rode the legendary stallion Rakhsh and wore a special suit named Babr-e Bayan in battles.

Origins

While the narrative of the ''Shahname'' is the definitive work on Rostam, Ferdowsi did not invent the character; Rostam stories were popular as far back as the seventh century in

Pars Pars may refer to: * Fars Province of Iran, also known as Pars Province * Pars (Sasanian province), a province roughly corresponding to the present-day Fars, 224–651 * ''Pars'', for ''Persia'' or ''Iran'', in the Persian language * Pars News A ...

and originated much earlier, likely in Eastern Iranian-speaking territories. He famously wears the ''zīn-i palang'' or "panther-skin garment":

Background

In the ''Shahnameh'', Rostam is a native of

Zabulistan Zabulistan ( fa, زابلستان ''Zābulistān''/''Zābolistān''/''Zāwulistān'' or simply ''Zābul'', ps, زابل ''Zābəl''), was a historical region in southern Afghanistan roughly corresponding to the modern provinces of Zabul and ...

, a historical region roughly corresponding to today's

Zabul Province Zabul (Pashto/Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the south of the country. It has a population of 249,000. Zabul became an independent province from neighbouring Kandahar in 1963. Historically, it was part of the Za ...

, southern

. His mother Rudaba was a princess of

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into #Districts, 22 municipal dist ...

. Rostam is the champion of champions and is involved in numerous stories, constituting some of the most popular (and arguably some of most masterfully created) parts of the ''Shahnameh''. In ''Shahnameh'', Rostam—like his grandfather Sam—works as both a faithful military general as well as king-maker for the

Kayanian dynasty The Kayanians (Persian: دودمان کیانیان; also Kays, Kayanids, Kaianids, Kayani, or Kiani) are a legendary dynasty of Persian/Iranian tradition and folklore which supposedly ruled after the Pishdadians. Considered collectively, the Kay ...

of Persia. As a young child, he slays the maddened

white elephant A white elephant is a possession that its owner cannot dispose of, and whose cost, particularly that of maintenance, is out of proportion to its usefulness. In modern usage, it is a metaphor used to describe an object, construction project, sch ...

of the king Manuchehr with just one blow of the mace owned by his grandfather Sam, son of Nariman. He then tames his legendary stallion, Rakhsh. The etymology of Rostam's name is from Common Iranian "*rautas-taxma-, "'river-strong', i.e. 'as strong as a river', Rostam's mother is ''Rūdāba'' "(she) of the River Water", and his father is Zāl, who has white hair.

Birth and early life

Rostam's mother Rudaba, the princess of Kabul, was known for her peerless beauty, and Rostam's father was Zāl. Zāl was one of Persia's most powerful warriors and a great general who conquered many rebellious tribes and ruled over Zabulistan. Zāl was known for his wisdom and was unparalleled in riding and fighting on horseback. He once demonstrated his skills to Emperor Manuchehr to seek his approval to marry his lover Rudaba. In Persian mythology, Rudaba's labour in giving birth to Rostam was prolonged due to the extraordinary size of her baby - so much so that Zāl, her lover and husband, felt sure that his wife would die in labour. Rudaba was indeed near death when Zāl decided to summon the

Simurgh Simurgh (; fa, سیمرغ, also spelled ''simorgh, simorg'', ''simurg'', ''simoorg, simorq'' or ''simourv'') is a benevolent, mythical bird in Persian mythology and literature. It is sometimes equated with other mythological birds such as the ...

, which duly appeared and instructed him upon how to perform a ''Rostamzad'', a

Caesarean section Caesarean section, also known as C-section or caesarean delivery, is the surgical procedure by which one or more babies are delivered through an incision in the mother's abdomen, often performed because vaginal delivery would put the baby or m ...

, thus saving both Rudaba and the child. After Zāl's father, Sam learned of his grandchild's birth, he rushed to see Rostam and was overjoyed. Rostam was brought up and trained by Zāl in warfare. When Rostam single-handedly slew a mad elephant, his father sent him on his first military assignment. Rostam's task was to conquer the fortress on the summit of Mt Sipand where his great grandfather, Nariman, once besieged it and was slain in the battle. Rostam breached the fortress, defeated the enemy, ransacked its treasury and reported his success to his father, Zāl and grandfather, Sam.

Haft Khan

He undertakes a heroic journey to save his sovereign, the over-confident

Kay Kāvus Kay Kāvus ( fa, کی‌کاووس; ae, 𐬐𐬀𐬎𐬎𐬌 𐬎𐬯𐬀𐬥 Kauui Usan); sometimes ''Kai-Káús'' or ''Kai-Kaus'', Firdawsī, ''The Sháh námeh of the Persian poet Firdausí''. Oriental Translation Fund. Volume 21 of Publicat ...

who is captured by the

Div Div or DIV may refer to: Science and technology * Division (mathematics), the mathematical operation that is the inverse of multiplication * Span and div, HTML tags that implement generic elements * div, a C mathematical function * Divergence, a ...

s of Mazandaran. This journey is called "Rostam's Seven Quests". There are some similarities between the legends of Rostam and those pertaining to the great Irish hero

Cú Chulainn Cú Chulainn ( ), called the Hound of Ulster ( Irish: ''Cú Uladh''), is a warrior hero and demigod in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore. He is believed to be an incarnation of the Irish god Lugh ...

. They both defeat a ferocious beast as a young man, slay their sons in combat ("

Rostam and Sohrab The tragedy of Rostam and Sohrab forms part of the 10th-century Persian epic ''Shahnameh'' by the Persian poet Ferdowsi. It tells the tragic story of the heroes Rostam and his son, Sohrab.Ebrahimi, Mokhtar & Taheri, Abdollah. (2017). The Tragedy ...

", a motif also found in the '' Hildebrandslied''), are virtually invincible in combat, and are murdered by treachery while killing their murderer on their last breath. Two Persian heroes, Rostam and Esfandiyār, share stories with the

Labours of Hercules The Labours of Hercules or Labours of Heracles ( grc-gre, wikt:ὁ, οἱ wikt:Ἡρακλῆς, Ἡρακλέους wikt:ἆθλος, ἆθλοι, ) are a series of episodes concerning a penance carried out by Heracles, the greatest of the ...

Alternate views

It is written by the Royal Central Asian Society in the '' Journal of the Royal Central Asian Society'' that the struggle between Rostam and the Div-e Sepid "White Demon" represents a struggle between Persians and invaders from the northern Caspian provinces.''Journal of the Royal Central Asian Society'' By Royal Central Asian Society

Death

In Shahnameh, the life spans of the heroes who are from the generation of Sam Yale (Rostam's grandfather) are described as being very long, and that of Rostam fits this pattern: he has reached the age of six hundred at the time of his death by violence (dying at the hand of his envious half-brother Shaghad, who kills him by throwing him into a well full of poisoned spears). In this incident, Rostam's faithful steed Rakhsh and the hero's brother, Zavareh are also killed.

Descent and other relations

With

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

, princess of Samangan, Rostam had a son called Sohrab, who was killed accidentally by his father 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 r ...

. In

Rostam later had a daughter called

, who had a full brother called

, and both became renowned heroes in Turan and India. Goshasp, through her marriage with Giv had a son, Bijan. Rostam had also a half brother called Shaghad, who was always jealous of him and provoked his death. Just as famous as Rostam was his horse Rakhsh, which had an incredibly long life like Rostam, due to divine protection, and died at the same time as Rostam.

Historical basis

Ernst Herzfeld maintained that the dynasty of

Gondophares Gondophares I ( Greek: Γονδοφαρης ''Gondopharēs'', Υνδοφερρης ''Hyndopherrēs''; Kharosthi: 𐨒𐨂𐨡𐨥𐨪 ', '; 𐨒𐨂𐨡𐨥𐨪𐨿𐨣 ', '; 𐨒𐨂𐨡𐨂𐨵𐨪‎ ', ') was the founder of the Indo-Parthian ...

represented the House of Suren, highest of the five premier families of

, invested with the hereditary right of commanding the royal armies, and placing the crown on the king's head at the coronation. Probably when around 129 BCE, nomad peoples, especially the

Indo-Scythians Indo-Scythians (also called Indo-Sakas) were a group of nomadic Iranian peoples of Scythian origin who migrated from Central Asia southward into modern day Pakistan and Northwestern India from the middle of the 2nd century BCE to the 4th centu ...

(''Sacaraucae'',

Old Persian Old Persian is one of the two directly attested Old Iranian languages (the other being Avestan) and is the ancestor of Middle Persian (the language of Sasanian Empire). Like other Old Iranian languages, it was known to its native speakers as ( ...

''Sakaravaka'' "nomadic

Saka The Saka ( Old Persian: ; Kharoṣṭhī: ; Ancient Egyptian: , ; , old , mod. , ), Shaka (Sanskrit ( Brāhmī): , , ; Sanskrit (Devanāgarī): , ), or Sacae (Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ) were a group of nomadic Iranian peoples who histo ...

” or Saraucae) and the

Tocharians The Tocharians, or Tokharians ( US: or ; UK: ), were speakers of Tocharian languages, Indo-European languages known from around 7600 documents from around 400 to 1200 AD, found on the northern edge of the Tarim Basin (modern Xinjiang, China). ...

attacked the eastern frontier of

Parthia Parthia ( peo, 𐎱𐎼𐎰𐎺 ''Parθava''; xpr, 𐭐𐭓𐭕𐭅 ''Parθaw''; pal, 𐭯𐭫𐭮𐭥𐭡𐭥 ''Pahlaw'') is a historical region located in northeastern Greater Iran. It was conquered and subjugated by the empire of the Med ...

, defense was entrusted by the Parthian emperors to the Surens; and the latter eventually not only repelled the Indo-Scythians, but pursued them into

Arachosia Arachosia () is the Hellenized name of an ancient satrapy situated in the eastern parts of the Achaemenid empire. It was centred around the valley of the Arghandab River in modern-day southern Afghanistan, and extended as far east as the In ...

and the

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...

, this event probably representing ''interitus Saraucarum'' ( the perishing of the Sacaraucae) of Gnaeus Pompeius Trogus (Prologue 42). Echoes of these events are preserved in the legends of the Sistān cycle, partly incorporated in the ''Shahnameh'', but once also surviving as independent epics, such as the ''Garšāspnāma'' mentioned in the ''Tārikh-e Sistān'', and the ''Ketāb al-Sakisarān'' cited by

al-Masudi Al-Mas'udi ( ar, أَبُو ٱلْحَسَن عَلِيّ ٱبْن ٱلْحُسَيْن ٱبْن عَلِيّ ٱلْمَسْعُودِيّ, '; –956) was an Arab historian, geographer and traveler. He is sometimes referred to as the " Herodotu ...

. These related the deeds of the hero Garshasp and his descendants, Narimān, Sām, Zāl or Dastān, and above all of the latter's son Rostam. It is difficult to relate the

Indo-Parthian The Indo-Parthian Kingdom was a Parthian kingdom founded by Gondophares, and active from 19 CE to c. 226 CE. At their zenith, they ruled an area covering parts of eastern Iran, various parts of Afghanistan and the northwest regions of the Indian ...

names known from coins and history to those of the epic, which are possibly honorific titles, since a recently reported silver coin describes Gondophares (spelt in Greek script Hyndopharres) as ''surnamed'' Sām. A single ruler may of course have received more than one such title, and the historical names may be repeated in succeeding generations.

Family tree

Gallery

Mughal era The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the ...

manuscripts depicting Rostam's seven labours and other feats: File:Firdawsi - Rustam Kills a Dragon (the Third Feat) - Walters W60276B (cropped).jpg, The third feat of Rostam's seven labours: Rostam kills a dragon. File:Firdawsi - Rustam Drags the Khaqan of China from his Elephant - Walters W601245B - Full Page.jpg, Rustam drags the Khaqan of China from his elephant. File:Firdawsi - Rustam Shoots Ashkabus - Walters W601234A - Full Page.jpg, Rustam shoots Ashkabus. File:Firdawsi - Rustam Kills the White Div (the Seventh Feat) - Walters W601131B - Full Page.jpg, The final feat of Rostam's seven labours: Rostam kills the White Demon. File:Firdawsi - Rustam Rescues Bizhan from the Pit - Walters W601308B - Full Page.jpg, Rustam rescues Bizhan from the pit. File:Rostam.jpg, Rostam kills dragons by Adel Adili File:Portrait of Rustam Zal by Mirza Gadim Irevani.jpg, Rostam by Mirza Gadim Irevani

References

Sources

* *

External links

* ''Shahnameh'', by Hakim Abol-Qasem Ferdowsi Tusi, the complete work (64 Epics), in Persian
ParsTech
. This work can be freely downloaded (File size, compiled in the form of an HTML help file: 1.4 MB). * Iraj Bashiri, ''Characters of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh''
Iran Chamber Society
2003.

English translation by

Helen Zimmern Helen Zimmern (25 March 1846 – 11 January 1934) was a naturalised British writer and translator born in Germany. She was instrumental in making European culture more accessible in English. Biography Zimmern and her parents emigrated in 1850 t ...

.
''Shahnameh''
Helen Zimmern translation.
''Shahnameh''
Arthur and Edmond Warner translation.
New Translation of 'Persian Book of Kings' - March, 2006
from NPR, an
"The Epic of Iran" - April, 2006
from ''The New York Times''. Also, on 14 May 2006, ''Washington Post'' Pulitzer Prize winning book critic Michael Dirda reviewed Dick Davis's translation "Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings

The illustrated three-volume slipcase edition of this translation is . ; Persian sources
Complete Persian text

Shahnameh website
{{Authority control Kayanians Legendary Iranian people Heroes in mythology and legend Shahnameh characters National personifications