Persian mythology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Persian mythology - Research Paper Example He was the favorite hero of King Kaykaus, a magnificent warrior and prominent character of Persian mythology stories. Perhaps the most famous amongst such stories was the story of Rostam and Sohrab (Firdawsi & Clinton, 1996). Apart from being one of the most well-loved and moving tales which history has passed on, it was also thematically mentioned in the best-seller â€Å"The Kite Runner† written by Khalid Hosenni (Ferdowsi, 2011). Summary This tale revolves around the main themes of family ties, betrayal, pride, and loss. It starts when Rostam, restless for an outing, takes his horse Raksh out for a game of hunting. Once his game ended, he decided to take a rest his eyes near a pasture. However, while he was asleep, seven knights of Turan, a nearby land, came across the horse and kidnapped it. It fought and resisted but was outnumbered and led away. Rostam, upon waking up and discovering his trusty steed gone, was dismayed and embarked upon a search to find his horse. Follow ing Raksh’s tracks on the ground, Rostam reached the land of Turan, where he met the King of Samengan and told him of his search. The king promised to help with the search and offered Rostam a place to stay meanwhile. During his stay at the king’s palace, Rostam met the king’s young daughter Tahmina during his stay, and married her. However, shortly after the marriage, his horse was found and he left for his own land. Before going, he gave his wife a clasp of his, to pass on his own child once he or she was born. Nine months later, Tahmina gave birth to Rostam’s son, whom she named Sohrab (Ferdowsi, 2011). This child proved to be like his father from a very young age, and soon grew up to be the finest warrior in the land. He soon figured that his origins were not purely of the land he lived in, and approached his mother to ask her about his father. She told him about Rostam and showed Sohrab the clasp that Rostam had left for him. After this, it became a large ambition for Sohrab to meet his father. Later on, Sohrab and Rostam met in battle. Neither of them knew who the other was, since they had not met before. However, Sohrab had a suspicion that this man, so equally matched in battle skills as Sohrab, could be his father (Ferdowsi, 2011). Thus, he enquired before starting the fight, whether his opponent for Rostam. Rostam, not wishing to daunt the young warrior, lied and said that he was not Rostam. This greatly disappointed Sohrab, who proceeded with the fight with all his might. Sohrab came close to defeating Rostam, but Rostam deceived him into thinking that it was a battle etiquette for the person almost winning to give his opponent another chance to win. This way, Rostam received another chance to battle, and this time came close to defeating Sohrab. When Sohrab realized that his death was near, he became saddened and revealed to his opponent that he was Sohrab, son of Rostam, and was now dying without having fulfilled his bi ggest wish of seeing his father’s face. Upon hearing this, Rostam was deeply heartbroken, as he realized that he had just taken his own son’s life. The rest of the tale consisted of failed attempts to save Sohrab’s life, and his mother finding out about his demise and eventually dying of grief after a year (Ferdowsi, 2011). Explanations of this Myth This myth may have several different symbolic meanings, expressed through the personalities of the characters, their decisions in life or the lives they chose to live. One possible explanation is that