Shahnameh - The Book of Kings (Synopsis, Part VIII)

Rustem and Sohrab

Rustem was restless and foreboding one day, so he went hunting and camped out overnight. Seven Turkish knights came by that night and stole Rakush (though he killed several by biting off heads and trampling) and Rustem was very sad. He followed the tracks to the city and demanded his horse back or he’d start killing people. The King of Samengan tried to soothe him and started a search, and meanwhile he stayed with the king. Then Tahmineh, the King’s daughter, came into Rustem’s room at night and told him how she’d heard of his deeds and was impressed. She also promised to return his horse. So there’s an alliance, and all is well, and he takes and onyx that was “known to all the world” from his arm and tells his wife it’ll protect a daughter and make a son like his father.

Rustem gets his horse back and he leaves, leaving Tahmineh behind. Nine months later, Tahmineh has a son called Sohrab, who smiled all the time. Really intelligent and strong. When ten, threatened to kill his mother if she didn’t tell him his father’s name. She did, but cautioned him to be quiet about it since they were in Turan under Afrasiyab’s rule (except he already knows), plus she didn’t want Rustem coming back to claim his son.

Sohrab decides this can’t happen, and he’s going to go cast off Kai Kaous, install his father, then come back and get rid of Afrasiyab for himself. Wants Mommy to be Queen of Iran. But he needs a horse, and of course finds one sired by Rakush. So Sohrab goes to war, with the King of Samengan’s support. Afrasiyab hears of this, and tells everyone to support the war but not let it be known to anyone that Rustem will be fighting his son in order to rid the land of threats while causing grief.

So with Afrasiyab’s support Sohrab goes into Iran wreaking destruction, until he gets to the White Castle, which is not a burger joint, but the fortress “in which Iran put its trust.” Guardian is called Hujir, whose daughter Gurdafrid is a warrior maid. Hujir taunts Sohrab but succumbs easily, so Gurdafrid in her shame and fear decides to go to war as a man, and she does well when she challenges to single combat. Except then she loses, and Sohrab’s impressed by Iranian women. She points out that he’ll get made fun of to have been beaten by a woman, so offers a peace treaty, including the castle. So rather than being a captive, he takes her back and when she steps inside she slams the door in his face. Then she jeers him from the battlements, which further angers him.

Gustahem the aged calls a scribe to write to the shah about all of this, and to ask for help. In the meantime, Sohrab goes to attack, but everyone’s fled through underground tunnels. Gew is sent to summon Rustem at all speed, but Rustem delays and holds back Gew as well. Finally they go, but he’s denying that all this could possibly be done by his son the Turk, since he’s still a child.

Kai Kaous is angry about the delay, wants to hang Rustem and Gew. Rustem breaks away from Tus (gallows-man?) and lectures him about how he’s nothing without Rustem himself and that he is the servant of God alone. Nobles blame shah for Rustem leaving and are dismayed and doomed. Sent Gudarz the aged to rationalize with Shah about ingratitude and so Gudarz is sent to find and apologize to Rustem. Eventually he’s talked into it for the good of all Iran.

And so Rustem returned to the shah, said how glorious he was, and they got drunk together.

And then the armies of Persia marched and Sohrab got warning, and drank to their destruction. Rustem wanted to go see who it could be who was so powerful and disguised himself as a Turk. Unfortunately, Zindeh, Rustem’s uncle (and only one who knew who Rustem was and was there to point him out) saw Rustem and was killed when he questioned who he was. And Sohrab was unhappy but continued the feast.

The next day Sohrab questioned Hujir as to whose tent was whose, but Hujir was afraid to tell him about Rustem’s tent because he was afraid Sohrab would want to destroy him, and claimed he was still in Zaboulistan because of the feast of the roses. Sohrab did not believe that Kai Kaous would go to battle without Rustem, though, and demanded again and again to know. Hujir finally told him that he’d be beaten in battle against him and would know him then. Hujir died, and battle began.

They went off together, and Rustem said he didn’t want to strike him down. Sohrab was filled with wistfulness and asked if he was Rustem, but Rustem replied that he was but a slave. Sohrab’s hopes were shattered, and they all fought. Rustem came off the worse but was filled with anger at the destruction Sohrab’s men had caused, and prayed for his victory the following day (it being nearly night, the single combat a second time was put off). Sohrab talked to Human, whoever that is, other than someone sent by Afrasiyab to lead Sohrab into destruction, comparing Rustem (unknowing if it was) to Rustem his father, and Human said it was not.

So they fight. Rustem again comes off worse but talks Sohrab into not killing him by vow of honor. Rustem prays that Ormuzd that he will grant him power, but it’s too much, so he asked Ormuzd to take it back. When Sohrab realized he’d been tricked, he came running back, so Rustem wants the power back (ed. If I was Ormuzd, I’d be irritated at this point.). But Rustem breaks Sohrab’s back, and goes to “sever his body” and then finds out that Sohrab is his son. Rustem cries out for his name to be stricken from the rolls, and Sohrab yells at him for being so obstinate as to not tell him. Rustem goes to fulfill Sohrab’s dying wish of not destroying the Turks and sends Gudarz to the Shah to try to get healers for his son. But the shah’s heart is hardened, Rustem tried to go himself, but before he can get there, Sohrab dies. So he mourns, and the army with him, and they all go marching home again.

Tahmineh mourns as well, as do the Turks, and she destroys all of his or gives it away. After a year of bitterness, she dies.