Bānu Goshasp () or Goshasp Banu is an important heroine in Iranian mythology.
Djalal Khaleghi-Motlagh
"Goshasb Banu" in Encyclopedia Iranica] She is the daughter of Rustam and the wife of the hero Giv. She is mentioned in several Persian epics including the Banu Goshasp Nama.
Banu Goshasp Nama
There is an epic called Banu Goshasp-Nama composed of 900 verses by an unknown poet from the 11th or 12th century. It is one of the oldest epics about a Woman warrior in Persian literature. There is a manuscript of the poem at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris (Cat. Bibliothèque Nationale, p. 18, no. 1194). The epic describes the exploits of Banu Goshasp along with her brother Faramarz in Turan
Turan (; ; , , ) 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 region, or a culture. The original Turanians were an Iranian tribe of th ...
and India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. In one of her heroic episodes, she battles with her father, Rustam due to not recognizing each other. Disaster is avoided in time when they realize each other's identity. In another episode, she battles with her suitors, most of whom are taken captives or killed by her. It is only Giv, who passes the tests and ordeals imposed by Rustam on his daughter's suitors. Giv comes out victorious and is set to marry her. However, on the wedding night, she overpowers Giv and binds him down. Rostam comes to the rescue of Giv and mediates between the two. The Iranian hero Bijan is born of their marriage. Her exploits are also explained in other epic works such as Farāmarz-nāma, Borzu-nāma, and Bahman-nāma.
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{{Persian literature
Persian mythology
Poems in Persian
Characters in epic poems
Epic poems in Persian