Rŭstăm (Persian: رستم, Contemporary Persian: Rostam) is a legendary hero in Persian mythology who famously appears in the Shahnameh, or Epic of Kings. He is known for the Seven Trials of Rostam, also called the Seven Labors of Rostam. He rode the legendary horse Rakhsh and had a preternatural suit of armor called Babr-yi Bayān (Persian: بَبْریِ بَیان) or Palangina (پلنگینه). Rostam is know for defeating the mightiest of ghouls, Div-e Sepid, "White Demon."
Seven Trials of Rostam[]
The Seven Trials of Rostam, also called the Seven Labors of Rostam, were a series of heroic acts carried out by Rostam in the epic poem Shahnameh. The trials include:
- Defeating an attacking lion while riding his horse Rakhsh
- Surviving a waterless desert
- Slaying a serpentine dragon
- Defeating a demonic, shapeshifting temptress
- Defeating a Div (demon) scout and learning about their caves
- Rescuing the captured king Shah Kai Kavus, who still blind from the sorcery of the demons, and slays Arzhang Div.
- Kills the Div's leader, Div-e-Sepid (the White Demon) and uses his blood to cure the king's blindness.