Reprinted from: Honar Nameh, University of Art, Tehran, Volume 8, No. 26, Summer 2005 (A brief of the article in English; complete text and photos are available in Persian.)

author image

Rostam's Place In The Shahnameh And Other Nations

Yasaman Ramezan Mahi

Iran, 2005

Searching for historical period of Rostam' life is made difficult by the usual Iranian poets' genius that defies time and place. In such writers' view, what is important is the existential mystery of myths, rather than their historical and spatial perception.

What is important is the effect that a historical character has in the course of his society's intellectual development. Because a national legend is either a symbol of goodness and power or one of ugliness and wrongness, his life story, ancestry and his age or period do not matter. For this reason, epic poets have tried to create a single space and place all the heroes and their enemies in it. In the Shahnameh, they are all gathered in the Kianian court, making for its grandeur and demonstrating the power of the vast Iranian kingdom.

We witness ancient Avestan heroes such as Tus and Gostahb battling next to Parthian rulers, such as Gudarz against foreign invasions, and protecting the land of Iran, like a shining diamond. Based on historical references, in the long text of the Shahnameh, it is possible to penetrate the author's imagination and have a glimpse of its reality.

Even though many of Shahnameh's tales are so popular that most have heard of them, in order to better understand Ferdowsi's view of Rostam, his story from birth till death is summarized here, so that readers become familiar with his demeanor, power and divine force, as well as his social status and historical period. Rostam is present through out the Shahnameh. An overview of his place among other nations is briefly presented.

Photos: Library of Golestan Palace, Tehran, Iran




فرهنگ و هنر، صنایع دستی‌، تاریخ، ادبیات، مقاله ها