[2] They also claimed descent from the legendary Kayanian figure Esfandiyār ,[3] who was the son of Vishtaspa, who according to Zoroastrian sources was one of Zoroaster's early followers.
[4] The family traced its descent back to military marshals (spahbeds) and occupied important offices in the realm.
According to a romanticized legend about their origin, a daughter of the Parthian emperor Phraates IV (r. 37–2 BC), named Koshm, married a "general of all Iranians"; their offspring bore the title of "Aspahpet Pahlav", later forming the Ispahbudhan clan.
[5] Through their Arsacid lineage, the Ispahbudhan claimed to be descendants of the Kayanian kings Dara II and Esfandiyār.
[7] The family included many powerful men in the Sasanian Empire closely related to the House of Sasan such as Farrukh Hormizd, Farrukhzad, Rostam Farrokhzad, Vistahm, Isfandyadh etc.