Rostam (Persian: رستم) is a mythical hero of Iran and son of Zal and Rudabeh. In some ways, the position of Rostam in the historical tradition is curiously parallel to that of Surena, the hero of the Carrhae. His figure was endowed with many features of the historical personality of Rostam. The latter was always represented as the mightiest of Iranian paladins, and the atmosphere of the episodes in which he features is strongly reminiscent of the Arsacid period. He was immortalized by the 10th century poet Ferdowsi of Tus in the Shahnameh or Epic of Kings, which contain pre-Islamic folklore and history.
In SAHNAMEH of hakim Ferdowsi, 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. As a young child, he slays the maddened WHITE ELEPHANT of the king Manuchehr with just one blow of the MACE owned by his grand father Sam, son of Nariman. He then tames his legendary stallion, Rakhsh.
Birth
In Persian mythology, Rudabeh's labor of Rostam was prolonged due to the extraordinary size of her baby. Zal, her lover and husband, was certain that his wife would die in labor. Rudaba was near death when Zal decided to summon the Simurgh (PHOENIX). The Simurgh appeared and instructed him upon how to perform a "Rostamzad" (Persian equivalent for caesarean section), thus saving Rudaba and the child.
The most famous and popular story of Rostam in the Shahnameh is the one in which he kills his own son Sohrab, while the two are unaware of the identity of their opponent until after Rostam wounds his son and during their final conversation the two realize they were father and son.
