Farāmarz nāmahʼi buzurg: az surāyandahʹī nāshinās dar avākhir-i qarn-i panjum-i hijrī Persiska (Farsi) 2015

About The Great Farāmarz-nāmeh

From early on, through the interweaving of narratives concerning the great families of Īrānshahr with the Kayanian tradition, two lineages played a central role in the formation and expansion of Iran’s national epics: the House of Kāren, led by Gōdarz, and the Saka lineage of Rostam. The heroic section of the Shāhnāmeh is filled with accounts of the bravery, battles, and campaigns of members of these two families in defense of Īrānshahr; yet among them, the heroes of Rostam’s lineage—both in the Shāhnāmeh and in independent epic poems beyond it—occupy a more prominent and enduring place.

For this reason, numerous epics were composed recounting the heroic deeds and life stories of members of this family, including the Garshāsp-nāmeh, narrating the exploits of Garshāsp, the illustrious ancestor of the line; the Sām-nāmeh, devoted to the heroism and love adventures of Sām; the Farāmarz-nāmeh (in its major and minor versions), which focuses on the life and conquests of Farāmarz, especially in India; the Bānū-Goshasp-nāmeh, celebrating Bānū Goshasp, daughter of Rostam; and the Āzarbarzīn-nāmeh, concerning Āzarbarzīn, the son of Farāmarz.

The Great Farāmarz-nāmeh, whose author remains unknown and which was composed in the late fifth century AH, is among the most significant of these works. Centered on the figure of Farāmarz, son of Rostam, this epic forms an important link in the continuation of the heroic tradition of Rostam’s lineage, offering a broad portrayal of chivalric ideals, world conquest, and Iran’s encounters with distant lands—an epic tradition that, alongside the Shāhnāmeh, greatly enriches Persian heroic literature.