Rostam's Seven Labours

The Seven Labors of Rustam (Persian: هفت خان رستم, romanized: Haftkhān-e-Rostam) were a series of acts carried out by the greatest of the Iranian heroes, Rostam, The story was retold by Ferdowsi in his epic poem, Shahnameh.

Rostam, awakened by the tumult, and seeing the dead lion and the wounded Rakhsh before him, makes haste to heal his beloved steed, before remounting him and continuing on his way toward Mazanderan.

At midnight a monstrous serpentine dragon emerges from the forest; Rakhsh approaches his sleeping master and neighs and beats the ground so furiously, that he succeeds in waking him.

Rostam, back in the saddle once more, continues his journey through enchanted lands, and comes, at evening, to a beautiful glade refreshed by limpid streams, where he finds, much to his surprise, a ready-roasted deer, together with the bread and salt to accompany it.

This labour bears a marked resemblance to an episode involving the temptation of Sir Perceval in the Grail quest section of the thirteenth century Arthurian text known as the Vulgate cycle and also as the Lancelot-Grail.

Rostam enters the city of Mazanderan, releases king Kay Kāvus – still blind from the sorcery of the demons – and slays Arzhang Div.