THE SCENE: Rostam, one of the greatest heroes of Iranian legend, never did anything the easy way. It only follows that even the story of how he got his horse involves danger and glory.
THE TEXT: Whenever Rostam selected a horse, as soon as he pressed down on it, the horse’s back would buckle beneath his strength, so that its belly touched the ground. But then a herd of horses of varying colors from Kabol was driven past him, and a gray mare galloped by; she had a chest like a lion’s, and was short-legged; her ears were pricked like glittering daggers, her fore and hindquarters were plump, and she was narrow-waisted. Behind her came a foal, of the same height and breadth of chest and rump as his mother, black eyed and holding his tail high, with black testicles, and iron hooves. His body was a wonder to behold, like saffrom petals, mottled red and gold.
Rostam watched the mare go by, and when he saw the mammoth-bodies foal he looped his lariat, and said, “Keep that foal back from the herd.” The old herdsman who had brought the horses said, “My lord, you can’t take other people’s horses.” Rostam asked who owned the horse, since its rump bore no trace of any brand. The herdman said, “Don’t look for a brand, but there are many tales told about this horse. No one knows who owns him; we call him ‘Rostam’s Raksh’, and that’s all I know. He’s been ready to be saddled for three years now, and a number of nobles have chosen him, but whenever his mother sees a horseman’s lariat she attacks like a lioness.”
Rostam flung his royal lariat, and quickly caught the horses head in its noose; the mother came forward like a raging lioness, as if she wanted to bite his head off. But Rostam roared like a lion, and the sound of his voice stopped the mare in her tracks. She stumbled, then scrambled up again and turned, and galloped off to join the rest of the herd. Rostam tightened the noose and pulled the foal towards himself; he pushed down with all his hero’s strength on the foal’s back, but the back did not give at all, and it was as if the foal was unaware of Rostam’s hand. Rostam said to himself, “This will be my mount; now I can set to work. He will be able to bear the weight of my armor, helmet, and ,ace, and my mammoth body.” He asked the herdsman, “Who knows the price of this dragon?” The herdsman replied, “If you are Rostam, then mount him and defend the land of Iran, The price of this horse is Iran itself, and mounted on his back you will be the world’s savior.” Rostam’s coral lips smiled, and he said, “It is God who does such good works.”
– The Shahnameh, Abolqasem Ferdowsi, 10th Century AD
