Journal
Sunday,Sep 27 2009, 10:53:37 AMThe Kyanian Dynasty
Kai-Kobad
As
soon as Kai-Kobad became king he united the chieftains of Iran under
him and proceeded to lead his army against the invading forces of
Afrasyab. Once again the Iranians flying the banner of Kaveh, led by
the generals Mihrab, Gushtahem, Karun and Rustom were ready to meet the
army of Afrasyab.
This was Rustom’s first major battle. He
singled out Afrasyab himself and fought against him. In the fight he
threw Afrasyab from his horse and getting a grip on his belt dragged
him as a prisoner towards Kai-Kobad. Unfortunately the belt broke and
Afrasyab found himself free. Afrasyab’s men quickly surrounded him and
pulled him away to safety, but not before Rustom had snatched the crown
from Afrasyab’s head.
The Iranian army led by Rustom’s example
fought valiantly. Rustom himself killed a large number of the enemy. At
the end of the day the Turanians fled back towards the Oxus River and
back into Turan.
Afrasyab had learnt his lesson. In Rustom he
had met more than his match. As long as Rustom was around there was no
way the Turanians could defeat Iran. He advised his father, Poshang to
make peace with Iran. Poshang sent a messenger to Kai-Kobad with a
letter which read: “Minuchihr took revenge against Tur and Silim for
the death of Iraj, Afrasyab took revenge against that by killing Navder
and now Rustom has put Afrasyab to shame. Let us live within the
boundaries set by the wise Faridoon, long ago and not fight with each
other. We are all of one family after all!”
Kai-Kobad received
this letter and replied: “You know that Iran was not the first to wage
war. Tur started it all when he killed the gentle Iraj. In our days it
was your son who invaded Iran and killed Navder not on the battle field
but in cold blood. Yet I do not seek vengeance, let the Oxus River be
the boundary between Iran and Turan and let Afrasyab take a solemn oath
never to cross it and disturb the Iranian people again. If you agree,
then I will grant peace to Turan.”
Poshung whose army was in no
condition to fight again readily agreed. However, Rustom who had just
started his victorious career pointed out to the king that this was the
time to conquer Turan, once and for all. Kai-Kobad wanted no more
bloodshed and peace came to Iran and Turan.
Kai-Kobad ruled Iran
well. He died leaving behind four sins, Kaus, Arish, Poshin and Aramin.
After his death the eldest Kaus became king, Kai-Kaus, the second king
of the Kyanian dynasty.
Kai Kaus
Iran
was once again united and powerful when Kai-Kaus became king. However,
Kai-Kaus was very adventurous and not very interested in the daily
duties of being king. He was more interested in hunting and drinking
and neglected government.
One day a foreigner came to his court
who was a minstrel. He sang sweet songs to Kaus about his home country,
Mazinderan. In his songs he described it as a beautiful country, full
of gardens, orchards and rich people. The songs convinced Kaus that he
must invade Mazinderan and make it part of his Iran. He asked his
warrior chefs to get the army ready to invade Mazinderan. The chiefs
had no intention of fighting in Mazinderan which they knew was an awful
dangerous country from which very few people had returned safely. It
was known to be inhabited by wild people. However they were afraid to
tell that to the king so they asked Zal to convince Kaus not to fight
in Mazinderan. Zal tried and failed and the army set off to Mazinderan.
At
first the Iranians were very successful and they advanced rapidly into
Mazinderan, killing a lot of innocent men women and children. Finally
they came to the big city. It was a beautiful just as the minstrel had
described and Kaus set up his camp outside to get ready to attack it.
On the night before the attack a huge storm like a tornado or hurricane
came up. There was thunder and lightning and flying sand and hail as
big as foot balls. The men and the horses were terribly frightened,
many horses and men ran away and others including Kai-Kaus were blinded
by the flying sand. In the morning the storm was over. The king of
Mazinderan sent his men out to round up the Iranians and took them all
prisoners. Kai-Kaus had just enough time to find a messenger who was
not blinded and told him to take the bad news to Zal.
Zal called
Rustom and told him the bad news and asked him to go and save Kai-Kaus.
Rustom pointed out that it took six months to go to Mazinderan from
Zabulistan, whereupon Zal told him that that was the usual safe way,
but there was another much shorter way that would take only a few
weeks. This shorter way was very dangerous and there were all kinds of
terrible animals and people on the way. Brave Rustom agreed to go by
the short route and to travel alone. Rustom’s journey to Mazinderan is
known as the Haft-Khan or the seven adventures (or trials) of Rustom.
The Haft-Khan or the seven trials of Rustom
1)
Rustom armed himself with his spear, sword, battle-axe, bow and arrows,
put on his mail and tiger-head helmet, got onto Rakush and started on
the dangerous road to Mazinderan. One night he slept in a forest while
Rakush stood guard over him. A big lion attacked the two. Most horses
would have run away, but Rakush was not frightened, he attacked the
lion with his strong legs and with a few good kicks to the lion’s head
killed him. The noise of the fight woke Rustom and to his surprise saw
a lion killed by his amazing horse. He first praised his horse but then
told Rakush not to try a stunt like that again, because if by chance
Rakush had been killed, there would have been no way for Rustom to go
on to Mazinderan or even returned home.
2) A few days later
Rustom and Rakush came to a great desert. As they passed through it,
day after day, their water supply was finished and the hot sun beat
upon them. Rakush could no longer carry Rustom and as they dragged
themselves it seemed that the end of their lives was approaching soon.
Now there was nothing more to do but kneel down and pray to God that a
miracle might save them. As he finished praying and looked up he saw a
sheep in the distance. Thanking God for his help he followed the sheep,
knowing that where there are sheep there must be water. Soon they came
to a small oasis where there was a little spring making a pool of
water. Rustom and Rakush drank their fill and rested the night and next
day went on their journey.
3) After the desert they came to
forest and on e night they rested, Rustom slept while Rakush who like
all horses slept lightly, kept guard. Out of the woods a huge snake
crept towards Rustom. Rakush remembered that Rustom wanted to wake him
up if there was danger and he started neighing and stomping his feet.
Rustom woke up, but it was a dark night and the snake withdrew into the
woods. Rustom was puzzled because he could not see anything. Scolding
Rakush for disturbing him for no reason, he went back to sleep. Out
crept the snake again, Rakush again made a noise and woke up Rustom.
Again Rustom could see nothing and he threatened Rakush that if he
lulled a joke like that again on him, he would beat him up. As soon as
Rustom fell asleep the snake came out of the woods again. Rakush now
was angry at Rustom and quite hurt but he woke up Rustom again. Rustom
was about to hit Rakush when he saw a movement in the woods and
realized the danger he was in, out came his sword and off went the
snake’s ugly head. He embraced his dear Rakush and told him he was
sorry and they both went to sleep for the rest of the night.
At this Rustom replied: “I am Rustom of the family of Sam and Nariman.” When the White Diw heard this he was afraid since he had heard of the adventures of Sam and Nariman in Mazinderan, but he attacked Rustom anyway. The two fought for many hours and their strength was so equal that both thought that they would be killed by the other fellow. After many hours Rustom was finally able to pick up the White Diw and hurl him against the wall of the cave. The White Diw hit his head against the wall and fell senseless. Rustom cut his heart out and took it to King Kaus. When Kaus heard that the White Diw was dead he was so happy that he recovered his sight. Now Rustom freed all the Iranians and they found their weapons and armed themselves. With Rustom at their head they attacked the palace.
The battle for the palace of the king of Mazinderan was very bloody, but eventually the Iranians won. The king was killed; Rustom kept his promise and made Aulad the governor of Mazinderan. They took all the jewels and precious stones they could carry and returned to Iran. Mazinderan now became a part of Iran for the first time.
Rustom received the highest honors from Kai Kaus and finally returned to his father Zal in Zabulistan.
The Further Adventures of Kai-Kaus
Soon after his return from Mazinderan, Kaus got tired of his capital city and went on a tour of his kingdom. In most parts of his kingdom he was well received but in Berberistan the chief rebelled and would not let him in. Kaus and his men subdued the rebellion and then went on to Zabulistan. There he was received with great joy. He spent many days hunting and enjoying the hospitality of Rustom and Zal, when he heard of the rebellion of the king of Hamaveran. Kaus went over there and subdued this king also. Kaus fell in love with the daughter of the king. Her name was Sudaveh. Though the king of Hamaveran did not want his daughter married to Kaus, he could not refuse especially since Sudaveh was eager to marry Kaus and the marriage took place.
The king of Hamaveran was not happy. He invited Kaus and Sudaveh to his city. Sudaveh saw through the plot and warned Kaus not to go, but Kaus loved to travel and accepted the invitation. For seven days and nights the king of Hamaveran treated his son-in-law as the royal guest he was, fed him the best of foods and wines, sat him on a magnificent throne etc. but on the eighth night the king’s men attacked Kaus and took him and his men prisoners. They were locked up in a fortress and guarded by many men. When Sudaveh pleaded with her father to free Kaus, he did not listen. When she told him that she preferred imprisonment to being separate from Kaus, he put her in the fortress also.
The Second Invasion of Iran by Afrasyab
When some of the chieftains who ruled their little vassal states under the king of Iran learned about the capture of Kai-Kaus, they broke away from Iran and became independent. Afrasyab in Turan saw his chance to conquer Iran now without a king. He gathered a large army, invaded Iran and conquered in three months. Only Zabulistan was still free and like before it was the only safe place for the Iranians. When Rustom learned what had happened to Kaus, he rushed with his army to Hamaveran. The king of Hamaveran asked the help of two adjoining kingdoms for help however, their combined armies were no match for Rustom and his men. Rustom captured all three kings. The king of Hamaveran begged for peace and promised to free Kai-Kaus. Since he had still to fight Afrasayab and his dangerous army, he promised freedom to the three kings if they would swear allegiance to the Iranian king and fight against Afrasayab.
The combined Iranian army fought the Turanians and defeated them. Like before Rustom and Afrasayab fought personally and again Afrasayab was no match for Rustom. The defeated Turanians fled to their home across the Oxus River. Iran was again peaceful. In gratitude Kai-Kaus bestowed the title of Champion of the World on Rustom.
Kaus now used his energies to build palaces and cities and for a while he ruled wisely like a good king.
Kai-Kaus and his Flying Machine
One day a some one with mischief in his heart, pointed out to Kaus that though he was a great king he could not fly up to the heavens and learn about the stars, the moon and the sun. Kaus decided to build himself a flying machine!
He first chose four young eagles and fed them and exercised them until they grew up strong. He then built a very light chair on a square wood platform. At each corner he stuck a javelin and at the top of the Javelins he stuck a piece of goat meat. At the bottom of each javelin he tied an eagle to the platform. As soon as the hungry eagles saw the goat meat, they flapped their wings and tried to fly to the meat, raising the platform with the chair and Kaus on it, into the air.
For a while the eagles soared into the sky and took Kaus away into a desert area. After a few hours the eagles got tired and unable to fly anymore they dumped the king and his contraption onto the ground. Kaus wandered around hungry and alone for many days. Again Rustom and the other heroes Tus and Gudarez had to go searching for their crazy king. When they found him, Gudarez the oldest of the heroes told the king that he was only fit for the mad house and not the throne of Iran. At this Kaus was ashamed and promised not to start any new crazy adventures.
One day Rustom decided to go hunting all by himself. He dressed up in his armor filled his quiver with bows and arrows and set out on his horse towards Samangan which was on the border with Turan. There he hunted down a few wild asses and made himself a huge meal of a whole roasted wild ass. He drank some water from the river and fell asleep. Some Turanian knights passing by saw Rakush and decided to capture this magnificent horse. Rakush put up a great fight killing two of the men with his kicks and biting the head of a third man but finally a lasso got him round his neck and he was captured and dragged away towards Samangan.
When Rustom woke he looked for his horse and could not see Rakush. He looked for his foot prints and weighed down by his armor and the saddle and bridle of Rakush, started following Rakush’s foot steps. As he approached Samangan the news of his arrival reached the king. The king and his nobles went out to welcome him. Rustom told them how he had lost his horse and threatened them that if Rakush was not found soon, some heads would roll. The king assured him that no one could hide Rakush for long and he would be found soon and the mean time Rustom should enjoy the king’s hospitality. That evening Rustom enjoyed himself at the party the king threw for him and finally went to bed.
In the middle of the night a beautiful women came into his bed room. Rustom woke up and asked who she was. She replied that she was the king’s daughter Tahminah and that she had fallen in love with him and wanted to marry him and promised him that if he agreed she would make sure that Rakush would be returned to him. Rustom was overjoyed and agreed. Soon they were married and after a few days Rakush was returned to Rustom. A few days later Rustom decided to go back to Zabulistan. Instead of taking Tahminah along he gave her an amulet and told her that if she got a daughter she should put it in the girl’s hair always and if she got a boy to tie it around the boy’s arm always.
Rustom went away never to return to Samangan! Tahminah gave birth to a beautiful strong boy whom she named Sohrab. Rustom inquired by letter to Tahminah if they had a boy or girl child. Tahminah afraid that if Rustom knew that it was a boy he would take him away, replied that it was a girl. Learning this Rustom seems to have lost interest in his family. Sohrab grew up to be as tall and strong as Rustom. One day he asked his mother who his father was. Tahminah told him that his father was the great Iranian hero Rustom. Sohrab was very happy and decided that he should invade Iran and get rid of the king and make Rustom his father the king of Iran. Then the two would conquer Turan and he would become king of Turan and there would be peace for ever. He told his grandfather about his decision. The king of Samangan gave him his army. When Afrasyab learned that Sohrab was preparing to fight against Iran he gave him his best soldiers. He told his generals to make sure that Sohrab never knew which of the Iranian warriors was Rustom. Afrasyab was planning that Sohrab should fight Rustom in the battle. If Sohrab killed Rustom then Afrasyab could conquer Iran and if Rustom killed Sohrab he would be so upset that he would not fight any more.
When the Iranians heard of this new army from Samangan and Turan approaching, they got together their own army under the generals Toos, Gev and Rustom and the two armies lined up on the battlefield. The Iranians were curious as to who this new young leader of the Turanians was and Rustom decided to sneak into the Turanian camp to find out. Rustom managed to take a good look at Sohrab and was surprised to find the Sohrab looked exactly like his own grandfather Sam.
The next morning Sohrab went to a hill from where he could see the Iranian camp and asked one of the Turanian generals Hajeer to point out the heroes in the Iranian army. Hajeer pointed out all of them but when he came to Rustom he lied to Sohrab that he must be the new ally from China. Sohrab when he saw Rustom in the Iranian camp was almost sure that the person he saw was Rustom but because of Hajeer’s lie he could not confirm it.
Sohrab then challenged the Iranians to a one on one fight with him. Only Rustom took up the challenge. As Rustom and Sohrab met in battle away from the rest of the soldiers, Sohrab asked Rustom who he was and if he was of the family of Zal and Nariman. Rustom afraid that if he was killed in the fight, Sohrab would have the pleasure of knowing that he had killed the greatest soldier of Iran, said he was really nobody, just an ordinary Iranian soldier. The two began to fight. They fought all day with spears and swords and mace and lasso but neither could defeat the other. At nightfall they decided to fight the next morning and went back to their camps, exhausted.
The next day they decided to wrestle. For hours they wrestled and none could throw the other until at the end of the day, Sohrab managed to throw Rustom to the ground. Stepping over him he pulled out his dagger to kill Rustom. Desperate Rustom told the young warrior that it not customary to kill the opponent after the first throw and young Sohrab listened to this trick and let Rustom go. After some rest they started the second bout. Rustom was able to throw Sohrab down and pulling out his dagger plunged it into his son’s chest.
As Sohrab lay dying he lamented that all his life he wanted to meet his father Rustom and now he would not be able to do so. When Rustom heard this he almost fainted asked Sohrab if he had any proof of being Rustom’s son. Sohrab showed him the amulet that Rustom had given to Tahminah many years ago which was on his arm. Rustom now convinced, wanted to kill himself but the dying Sohrab convinced him that he had already committed a great sin and he should not make it worse by killing himself. Rustom took his sons head in his lap and Sohrab died in a short while.
When the Turanians and Iranians learned of the terrible events of the day, they gave up the war and returned home. Rustom and the Iranians took Sohrab’s body to Zabulistan for burial. When the news of Sohrab’s death reached his mother she died from grief. So ends this great tragedy caused by lies!