Goudarz () is one of the main Iranian heroes in

Shahnameh The ''Shahnameh'' (, ), also transliterated ''Shahnama'', is a long epic poem written by the Persian literature, Persian poet Ferdowsi between and 1010 CE and is the national epic of Greater Iran. Consisting of some 50,000 distichs or couple ...

, the

national epic A national epic is an epic poem or a literary work of epic scope which seeks to 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 wi ...

Greater Iran Greater Iran or Greater Persia ( ), also called the Iranosphere or the Persosphere, is an expression that denotes a wide socio-cultural region comprising parts of West Asia, the South Caucasus, Central Asia, South Asia, and East Asia (specifica ...

, and progenitor of one of its most prominent families. He is son of Kashvad, father of Giv and Roham and the grandfather of Bizhan. His first appearance is in the time of

Kay Kavus The name Kay is found both as a 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 right, and also as a ...

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

spahbed ''Spāhbad'' (also spelled ''spahbod'') is a Middle Persian title meaning "army chief" used chiefly in the Sasanian Empire. Originally there was a single ''spāhbad'', called the , who functioned as the generalissimo of the Military 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 a legendary king of Iran of Kayanian dynasty and a character in the Persian epic book ''Shahnameh''. He was the son of the Iranian prince Siavash who married princess Farangis of Turan while in exile. Before Kay Khosrow wa ...

. Kay Khosrow is one of the greatest kings of

and he is the son of Siavash and

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

and the grandson of

. Kay Khosrow was born and grown up 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 ...

. 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 in the story of

Davazdah Rokh Davāzdah Rokh () (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 human nature". It takes pl ...

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

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and

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Historical Goudarz

It has been suggested that Goudarz in Shahnameh is actually

Gotarzes II of Parthia Gotarzes II ( ''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 seized by Gotarzes II. Go ...

. 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). According to Sharaf al-Din Bitlisi in the late 16th century, chiefs of the Kalhori people claimed to be descended from Goudarz.

Family tree

References

{{Shahnameh Shahnameh characters