Rostam
Rostam (رستم Rostæm in Persian) is a mythical warrior of ancient Persia, son of Zal and Rudaba. He was immortalized by the 10th century poet Ferdowsi of Tus in the Shahnama or Epic of Kings, which contain pre-Islamic folklore and history.
In Ferdowsi's Shahnama Rostam is the champion of all champions and is involved in numerous stories, constituting some of the most popular (and arguably some of most masterfully created) parts of the Shahnama.
By far, the most famous and popular story of Rostam in the Shahnama is the one in which he kills his own son Sohrab, while the two are unaware of the identity of their opponent until after Rostam wounds his son and during their final conversation the two realize they were father and son.
Another of Rostæm's most famous exploits was his struggle against the dēw (modern Persian div "demon") named Akwān, who had initially transmogriphied as a beautiful Zebra, ravaging the horse-herds of Persia. When the king was informed of this on-going problem, he realizes that it is not just a zebra and it has to be Ahrimanic disguise to damage Iran-Shahr (Aryan Land). After thinking long about who he wants to assign to this task, the king finally decides that nobody other than Rostam can handle this. So he commissions Rostam to take care of this problem. Various parts of this exploit are the subject of many beautiful illustrations. The story is fully allegorical but at the same time quite entertaining on the face value.
The comic adaptation of the tales of Rostam (in English) was created by Hyperwerks Comics and took 5 years to complete.
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