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 Kabulistan ( Persian: کابلستان) is a historical regional name referring to the territory that is centered on present-day Kabul Province of Afghanistan. By the 10th century, Ibn Khordadbeh and the Hudud al-'Alam report the southern part ...

, death_cause = With the conspiracy of his half-brother

Shaghad Shaghad or Shoghad () was the half-brother of Rostam, the mighty Iranian hero of the Shahnameh The ''Shahnameh'' (, ), also transliterated ''Shahnama'', is a long epic poem written by the Persian literature, Persian poet Ferdowsi between a ...

, he fell into a well full of poisoned spears and was killed in

. , 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 Demon Albino , notable_works = , style = , net_worth = , height = , television = , title = , term = , predecessor = , successor = , party = , movement = , opponents = , boards = , criminal_charges = , criminal_penalty = , criminal_status = , spouse =

Tahmina 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 = , ...

, partner = , children =

Sohrab use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = Turan , death_cause = Killed in combat by his father, Rostam, with neither Rostam nor Sohrab awa ...

Faramarz Faramarz () 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 Shahnameh, is about Farama ...

Siyâvash Siyâvash (), also spelled Siyâvoš or Siavash (), is a major figure in the ''Shahnameh''. He is introduced by Ferdowsi as the son of Kay Kāvus, who reigns as Shah in the earliest days of Greater Iran for over a century. His name means "the o ...

(adopted son)

Banu Goshasp Bānu Goshasp () or Goshasp Banu is an important heroine in Iranian mythology.Djalal Khaleghi-Motlagh
"G ...

(In

Banu Goshasp Nama Bānu Goshasp () 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 we ... due to not recognizing each other. ...

) , parents = , mother =

Rudaba Rudāba or Rudābeh ( ) 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 had two childr ...

, father = Zal , relatives = , family =

Sām Sām (), also transliterated Saam, is a mythical hero of ancient Persia, and an important character in the Shahnameh The ''Shahnameh'' (, ), also transliterated ''Shahnama'', is a long epic poem written by the Persian literature, Persian p ...

(grandfather)

Zavara Zavare or Zavareh ( ) is an Iranian hero in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. He was brother to 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 ...

(brother)

(half brother) , callsign = , awards = , website = , module = , module2 = , module3 = , module4 = , module5 = , module6 = , signature = , signature_size = , signature_alt = , footnotes = Rostam or Rustam ( ) is a legendary hero in

Persian mythology Iranian mythology, or Persian mythology in western term (), 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 origin and nature of the worl ...

, the son of

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 ...

and

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

Ferdowsi Abu'l-Qâsem Ferdowsi Tusi (also Firdawsi, ; 940 – 1019/1025) was a Persians, Persian poet and the author of ''Shahnameh'' ("Book of Kings"), which is one of the world's longest epic poetry, epic poems created by a single poet, and the gre ...

in the ''

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 ...

'', or ''Epic of Kings'', which contains pre-Islamic

Iranian folklore Iranian folklore encompasses the folklore, folk traditions that have evolved in Greater Iran. Oral legends Folktales Storytelling has an important presence in Iranian culture. In classical Iran, minstrels performed for their audiences at royal ...

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: 𐭬𐭫𐭱𐭰𐭠𐭭𐭯 transliteration: mrzwpn, derived from Middle Persian: 𐭬𐭫𐭱 ''marz'' "border, boundary" and the Middle Persian suffix: 𐭡𐭭𐭯 ''-pān'' "guardian"; Modern Persian: ...

s of

Sistan Sistān (), also known as Sakastān (, , current name: Zabol) and Sijistan (), is a historical region in south-eastern Iran and extending across the borders of present-day south-western Afghanistan, and south-western Pakistan. Mostly correspond ...

(present-day

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

). Rostam is best known for his tragic fight with

Esfandiyār Esfandiyār or Espandiyār (; ; ) is a legendary Iranian hero and one of the characters of Ferdowsi's ''Shahnameh (The Book of Kings)''. He was the son and the crown prince of the Kayanian King Goshtasp and Queen Katāyoun. He was the grandc ...

, the other legendary Iranian hero; for his expedition to

Mazandaran Mazandaran Province (; ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari, Iran, Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range and Hyrcanian forests, it is border ...

(not to be confused with the modern

Mazandaran Province Mazandaran Province (; ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range and Hyrcanian forests, it is bordered clockw ...

). He is also known for the story of his Seven Labours. 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 centered in ancient Iran from 247 BC to 224 AD. Its latter name comes from its founder, Arsaces I, who led the Parni tribe ...

. He rides the legendary stallion

Rakhsh Rakhsh (in , meaning "luminous") is a wondrous stallion - the brave and faithful steed of the preeminent hero Rostam in the Iran, Persian national epic, ''Shahnameh'' by the poet Ferdowsi. The color of Rakhsh is described as "rose leaves that h ...

and wears a special suit named

Babr-e Bayan Babr-e Bayān () or Palangina () is the name of a suit that Rostam, the legendary Iranian hero wore in wars. The suit had a number of preternatural features. It was invulnerable against fire, water and weapon. Its color was dark and apparently it w ...

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 Ag ...

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 (, ''Zābolistān'', ''Zāwulistān'' or simply ), is an ancient and medieval name for a historical region that included mainly southeastern region ( Zabol) of Iran and some parts of what is now southern Afghanistan. By the tenth ce ...

, 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 Zab ...

, southern

. His mother Rudaba was a princess of

Kabul Kabul 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. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

. 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 (; also Kays, Kayanids, Kaianids, Kiyani, Kayani, or Kiani) are a legendary dynasty of Persian/Iranian tradition and folklore which supposedly ruled after the Pishdadians, each of whom held the title Kay (such as Kay Khosrow), me ...

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

white elephant A white elephant is a possession that its owner cannot dispose of without extreme difficulty, 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, ...

of the king

Manuchehr Manūchehr mænuː'tʃer">Help:IPA/English">mænuː'tʃer (, older Persian Manōčihr, Avestan 𐬨𐬀𐬥𐬎𐬱𐬗𐬌𐬚𐬭𐬀 Manuščiθra), is the eighth Shah of the Pishdadian dynasty of Persia according to ''Shahnameh''. He is ...

with just one blow of the mace owned by his grandfather Sam, son of Nariman. He then tames his legendary stallion,

. 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

, 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

, 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 The simurgh (; ; also spelled ''senmurv, simorgh, simorg'', ''simurg'', ''simoorg, simorq'' or ''simourv'') is a benevolent bird in Persian mythology and Persian literature, literature. It bears some similarities with mythological birds from di ...

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

Caesarean section Caesarean section, also known as C-section, cesarean, or caesarean delivery, is the Surgery, surgical procedure by which one or more babies are Childbirth, delivered through an incision in the mother's abdomen. It is often performed because va ...

, 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 (; ); sometimes ''Kai-Káús'' or ''Kai-Kaus'', Firdawsī, ''The Sháh námeh of the Persian poet Firdausí''. Oriental Translation Fund. Volume 21 of Publications, Oriental Translation Fund. Translated by James Atkinson. Printed for ...

who is captured by the Divs 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 ( ), is an Irish 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, who is also his father. His mother is the ...

. 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 Trage ...

", a motif also found in the ''

Hildebrandslied The ''Hildebrandslied'' (; ''Lay'' or ''Song of Hildebrand'') is a heroic lay written in Old High German alliterative verse. It is the earliest poetic text in German, and it tells of the tragic encounter in battle between a father (Hildebrand) ...

''), 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 (, , ) are a series of tasks carried out by Heracles, the greatest of the Greek heroes, whose name was later romanised as Hercules. They were accomplished in the service of King Eurystheus. The ep ...

Alternate views

It is written by the Royal Central Asian Society in the ''

Journal of the Royal Central Asian Society A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of personal secretive thoughts and as open book to personal therapy or used to feel connected to onesel ...

'' that the struggle between Rostam and the

Div-e Sepid In the Persian epic of Shahnameh Div-e Sepid (, lit. White Div), is the chieftain of the Divs (demons) of Mazandaran. He is a huge being. He possesses great physical strength and is skilled in sorcery and necromancy. He destroys the army of Kay K ...

"White Demon" represents a struggle between Persians and invaders from the northern Caspian provinces.

Death

In Shahnameh, the life spans of the heroes who are from the generation of

(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 violent demise (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 Zavareh () is a city in, and the capital of, Zavareh District of Ardestan County, Isfahan province, Iran. Demographics Population At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 7,806 in 2,197 households. The followin ...

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

, who was killed accidentally by his father 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 ...

. In

Rostam later had a daughter called

Banu Goshasp Bānu Goshasp () or Goshasp Banu is an important heroine in Iranian mythology.Djalal Khaleghi-Motlagh
"G ...

, 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

, who was always jealous of him and provoked his death. Just as famous as Rostam was his horse

, which had an incredibly long life like Rostam, due to divine protection, and died at the same time as Rostam.

Historical basis

Ernst Herzfeld Ernst Emil Herzfeld (23 July 1879 – 20 January 1948) was a German archaeologist and Iranologist. Life Herzfeld was born in Celle, Province of Hanover. He studied architecture in Munich and Berlin, while also taking classes in Assyriology, a ...

maintained that the dynasty of

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

represented the

House of Suren House of Suren or Surenas.. ( Parthian: 𐭎𐭅𐭓𐭉𐭍 Surēn, Middle Persian: 𐭮𐭥𐭫𐭩𐭭) is one of two Parthian noble families explicitly mentioned by name in sources dateable to the Arsacid period.. History The head of Sure ...

, 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 The Indo-Scythians, also known as Indo-Sakas, were a group of nomadic people of Iranic Scythian origin who migrated from Central Asia southward into the present-day regions of Afghanistan, Eastern Iran and the northwestern Indian subcontinent: p ...

(''Sacaraucae'',

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

''Sakaravaka'' "nomadic

Saka The Saka, Old Chinese, old , Pinyin, mod. , ), Shaka (Sanskrit (Brāhmī): , , ; Sanskrit (Devanāgarī): , ), or Sacae (Ancient Greek: ; Latin: were a group of nomadic Iranian peoples, Eastern Iranian peoples who lived in the Eurasian ...

” or Saraucae) and the

Tocharians The Tocharians or Tokharians ( ; ) were speakers of the Tocharian languages, a group of Indo-European languages known from around 7,600 documents from the 6th and 7th centuries, found on the northern edge of the Tarim Basin (modern-day Xinj ...

attacked the eastern frontier of

Parthia Parthia ( ''Parθava''; ''Parθaw''; ''Pahlaw'') is a historical region located in northeastern Greater Iran. It was conquered and subjugated by the empire of the Medes during the 7th century BC, was incorporated into the subsequent Achaemeni ...

, 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 (; ), or Harauvatis ( ), was a satrapy of the Achaemenid Empire. Mainly centred around the Arghandab River, a tributary of the Helmand River, it extended as far east as the Indus River. The satrapy's Persian-language name is the et ...

and the

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, this event probably representing ''interitus Saraucarum'' ( the perishing of the Sacaraucae) of

Gnaeus Pompeius Trogus Gnaeus Pompeius Trogus also anglicized as was a Gallo-Roman historian from the Celtic Vocontii tribe in Narbonese Gaul who lived during the reign of the emperor Augustus. He was nearly contemporary with Livy. Life Pompeius Trogus's grandfa ...

(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-Masʿūdī (full name , ), –956, was a historian, geographer and traveler. He is sometimes referred to as the "Herodotus of the Arabs". A polymath and prolific author of over twenty works on theology, history (Islamic and universal), geo ...

. These related the deeds of the hero

Garshasp Garshāsp ( ) was, in Persian mythology, the last Shah of the Pishdadian dynasty of Persia according to ''Shahnameh''. He was a descendant of Zaav, ruling over the Persian Empire for about nine years. His name is shared with a monster-slayi ...

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 in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of pre ...

manuscripts depicting

Rostam's seven labours The Seven Labors of Rustam () were a series of acts carried out by the greatest of the Iranian heroes, Rostam, The story was retold by Ferdowsi in his epic poem, Shahnameh. The Seven Labours were seven difficult tasks undertaken by Rostam, a ...

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.

In popular and traditional culture

The word 'Rustam' is synonymous with physical prowess, especially for wrestlers in Persian, Urdu, Hindi and

Persianate culture A Persianate society is a society that is based on or strongly influenced by the Persian language, culture, literature, art and/or identity. The term "Persianate" is a neologism credited to Marshall Hodgson. In his 1974 book, ''The Venture of Is ...

s generally. For example,

The Great Gama Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt (22 May 1878 – 23 May 1960), commonly known by the title Rustam-e-Hind and by the ring name The Great Gama, was a Kashmiri Muslim, pehlwani wrestler and strongman in British India and later, Pakistan. In the ea ...

was popularly referred to as

Rustam-e-Hind Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt (22 May 1878 – 23 May 1960), commonly known by the title Rustam-e-Hind and by the ring name The Great Gama, was a Kashmiri Muslim, pehlwani wrestler and strongman in British India and later, Pakistan. In the ea ...

, or "Rustam of India".

Rustam 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 we ...

remains a popular name in Persianate cultures from Turkey to India. In Afghanistan, there is a

Dari Dari (; endonym: ), Dari Persian (, , or , ), or Eastern Persian is the variety of the Persian language spoken in Afghanistan. Dari is the Afghan government's official term for the Persian language;Lazard, G.Darī – The New Persian ...

proverb A proverb (from ) or an adage is a simple, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and are an example of formulaic speech, formulaic language. A proverbial phrase ...

, "“Rostam’s name is better than Rostam.” Edward Zellem explained, “This proverb is used when a person’s name or reputation is better than his actual abilities”.p. 161. Zellem, Edward. 2015. ''Zarbul Masalha: 151 Afghan Dari Proverbs'', 3rd ed. Cultures Direct Press. 2015

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.
''Shahnameh''
Helen Zimmern translation.
''Shahnameh''
Arthur and Edmond Warner translation.
New Translation of 'Persian Book of Kings' - March, 2006
from

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

, 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