Stories from the Shahnameh

Rustam deceives Sohrab

The following day Sohrab and Rustam met again. Sohrab once again appealed to Rustam to reveal his identity as he was feeling a great affection towards him, but Rustam misunderstood his tender sentiments as a young warrior’s ploy to outsmart him and did not reveal his true identity. He challenged Sohrab to a duel in which he felt powerless.

Within no time Sohrab flung Rustam to the ground and sat on his chest. As he was about to pierce his heart with a dagger, Rustam played a trick on him. He stopped Sohrab saying that it was against Iranian rules of war to strike the opponent the first time he is flung to the ground. Sohrab took this to be true, and partly due to his bravery and partly due to his large heartedness, let Rustam go. It was only when Sohrab returned to his camp and narrated the incident to Homan that he came to know that he was deceived.

On the other hand, Rustam was shaken by the happenings of the day. He prayed to God and asked back the strength, which he had voluntarily surrendered when his feet had started sinking in the ground due to the weight of his body. He got back his strength, and reinvigorated met Sohrab the next day in a hand to hand combat.

The last duel

With renewed strength Rustam started fighting Sohrab, and soon got an upper hand over him. At the first opportunity he toppled Sohrab on the ground and before the winking of an eye thrust a dagger in his heart. This took the young warrior by surprise, as he had expected a reprieve for the first time. He cried foul against Rustam and lamented that now he would have to end his life without being able to see the face of his beloved father, whom he had undertaken this campaign to find. He, however, warned Rustam saying that he had killed him by treacherous means, and when his father Rustam would find this out he would seek him out from anywhere in the world and take revenge.

Rustam was shocked to hear this. He asked Sohrab about any evidence that he was Rustam’s son and Sohrab ripped open his armour and showed him the gemstone, which was tied to his arm. This was the same gemstone which Rustam had given his wife Tehmina and instructed her to give to their child for identification. When Rustam saw the gemstone he took the head of his son in his lap and screamed in agony. He was inconsolable when he realised that he himself had brought about the death of his son.

When Rustam did not return to the Iranian camp by evening, the other paladins became worried and went searching for him. On seeing Rustam’s horse standing alone in a corner, they jumped to the hasty conclusion that he might have been killed in the duel by Sohrab and immediately rushed to King Kae Kaus to give him the news. King Kae Kaus immediately sent a messenger to the Turanian camp to ascertain the fate of Rustam.

However, it was Sohrab who was breathing his last. The young warrior was however happy and contented that he had finally found his father. He made a final request to Rustam to spare the Turkish and Turanian soldiers as now without him they would be rudderless and would not be able to fight the mighty Iranian warriors.

Rustam immediately set off to fulfill his son’s last wish. When the Iranian camp saw Rustam, they heaved a sigh of relief, but were worried to see him in such a disheveled state with clothes torn and eyes red with tears. Rustam narrated the unfortunate incident of his having stabbed his own son with his own hands. The entire Iranian camp was shocked at hearing this news. Rustam sent his brother Zavareh to Homan, the Turanian commander, to relay to him the tragic news. Homan, who had nurtured Sohrab in the arts of warfare, was also stunned by this news. He put the blame for the whole tragedy on Hazir who had knowingly concealed the identity of Rustam from Sohrab.

Zavareh returned to the Iranian camp and informed Rustam that Hazir was the culprit behind this tragedy. Mad with rage, Rustam rushed to even the score with Hazir. He was about to kill him when other warriors intervened and pacified Rustam to spare Hazir as whatever he had done, was with good intentions. Rustam let off Hazir and immediately sped off along with Toos, Gudarz and Gastaham towards his wounded son.

Rustam requests for ‘Noshdaru’

Suddenly Rustam realised that King Kae Kaus had a medicine by the name ‘Noshdaru’ which healed the worst of wounds. He requested Gudarz to get it urgently. When Gudarz went to King Kae Kaus and requested him to give the medicine, the king declined to give it as he feared that if Sohrab survived, then the father and son would form a formidable duo. He suspected that the two might get together, topple his rule and snatch his throne away from him. Gudarz returned to Rustam and asked him to go personally and request the king for the medicine. As an anguished Rustam set out to go, he received the news that Sohrab was no more in the world.

Sohrab breathes his last

The news of Sohrab’s death at his own hands was too much for Rustam to bear. He grieved and sobbed uncontrollably. He requested the other paladins who were sharing his grief to request the king to announce the end of war as per the last wishes of Sohrab.

The lifeless body of Sohrab was taken to Zabulistan where his grandparents Zal and Rodabeh too broke down on seeing the young and handsome Sohrab lying in a state of eternal rest. Rustam had a new dakhma (an open, round structure where dead bodies of Mazdayasnis/Zoroastrians are exposed to the elements) erected in the shape of a horseshoe and laid the body of his son it.

The news of Sohrab’s death spread like wild-fire all around the world. In Turan, Homan delivered the news to Afrasiyab who too was grieved at this sudden death. In no time, the tragic news reached the King of Samangan who conveyed the same to Tehmina, the young mother of Sohrab. Tehmina who was excitedly preparing for the return of her young son along with his father was shattered at this news. She could not come to terms with the fact that her young promising son was now a lifeless lump of flesh.

In a mad frenzy, she destroyed everything that reminded her of Sohrab. Unable to bear the pain, she often lapsed into unconsciousness. She donned a black dress and passed her days in a dazed state. Unable to bear the shock, she too passed away within a year of her son’s death.

Prince Siyavakhsh and his mother

One day, early in the morning, Toos, Giv and some other warriors set off for hunting in the forests of Daghui near Turkistan. Suddenly both of them spotted a tall, slim and beautiful maiden and went towards her. Both of them fell for the pretty girl and asked her her identity. The girl said that she was from a noble family, but had run away from her house. She claimed descent from Karsivaz who belonged to the family of Tur, son of Faridun.

Both Toos and Giv staked their claim for marrying the maiden. As they were about to enter a duel, other noblemen intervened and advised them to go to the king and seek justice. They brought the maiden to the king in order to get justice from him, but the king too was smitten by the charms of this simple and rustic yet angelic looking woman. He pacified Toos and Giv by giving them gifts, married the woman and gave her a high position in the queen’s quarters.

The birth of Siyavakhsh

The king spent most of his time with this beautiful maiden and in due course of time she bore the king a child. After nine months she gave birth to a divine looking child perfect in shape and form, who was given the name Siyavakhsh.

When Siyavakhsh was a young boy, Rustam proposed to the king to send the prince to him for education. The king was too happy at this proposal, and so Rustam took Siyavakhsh to Zabulistan and gave him complete education which included the arts and crafts of horse-riding, archery, hunting, warfare, administration, executing justice and oratory. After he became proficient, Rustam brought Siyavakhsh back to the palace.

The king, paladins and noblemen welcomed the young prince who had now blossomed into a handsome youth under the tutelage of Rustam. They saw radiant glory emanating from his face and were delighted at his brilliance. For seven years, the king tested him in his court and only then did he adorn him with a golden crown and waistband and granted him the province of Kohistan (Transoxnia).

Sodabeh smitten by Siyavakhsh

One day, when King Kae Kaus and Siyavakhsh were having a talk, the young queen Sodabeh saw the handsome prince and was instantly smitten by his looks. She started pining for him and sent a secret message inviting him to the queen’s quarters at night. Siyavakhsh was not at all pleased with this covert invitation and did not respond to it.

Sodabeh then decided to employ some other trick to get Siyavakhsh into the queen’s quarters. The next day she approached King Kae Kaus and requested him to send Siyavakhsh to the queen’s quarters as the ladies over there including his sibling sisters, were longing to see and meet him. The king was not able to see the sinister design behind this request and so he asked Siyavakhsh to go to the queen’s quarters to meet his stepmother Sodabeh and his sibling sisters. Siyavakhsh, after some reluctance accepted his father’s orders and went to the queen’s quarters.

Sodabeh lures Siyavakhsh

Hirbad, the custodian of queen’s quarters was instructed by the king to allow Siyavakhsh into it. The next day, Siyavakhsh went to the queen’s quarters with great reservations. On going there he was surprised to see the ladies eagerly awaiting him. They welcomed him by showering saffron, musk, gold and pearls on him. He was then led to an inside quarter where Sodabeh was seated on a magnificent throne, all decked up and alluring.

When Siyavakhsh came near her, she immediately got down from the throne and caught him in a passionate embrace for a long time and kissed him all over his face and eyes. It was not difficult for Siyavakhsh to understand that this was not motherly love and he uneasily pulled himself away from the embrace. He went back to his father’s palace, but did not narrate to him this incident.

In the evening when King Kae Kaus went to the queen’s quarters he inquired about Siyavakhsh. Sodabeh praised the young prince and requested the king to get him married to one of the royal ladies in the queen’s quarters. The king liked the idea and the next day he called Siyavakhsh and conveyed it to him. Siyavakhsh immediately realised that this was Sodabeh’s ploy to get him near her and so he guardedly told his father that though he had no reservations against marriage, he would not like to go to the queen’s quarters. King Kae Kaus understood his uneasiness and told him not to misunderstand Sodabeh’s affections and finally prevailed upon Siya-vakhsh, much to his dislike, to go to the queen’s quarters.

Reprinted from the book Serialized Stories from the Iranian Epic Shahnameh.