Born as the son of the Shah of Iran and his concubine, Siyavâsh was sent to be tutored under the great hero Rostam due to his mother’s commoner status.
Rostam instructed the young Siyavâsh in the arts of riding, archery, hunting, conduct and speaking the truth. These were the fundamentals in the Acheamenian system of education and are reflected in the Shahnameh on several occasions. After a few years instruction, Siyavâsh asked Rostam to return to the Court, so that he can prove his worth as a young prince.
At first, Siyavâsh was well received at Court. The ladies swooned over his youthful good looks, while the men were impressed by his mastery of the arts. The Shah even appointed him ruler of Ctesiphon, the ancient capital of the Parthians. The Queen, Sudabeh, however, developed an instantaneous, and all consuming sexual desire for the young prince, and started a series of plans to entice him to enter her chambers.
After many attempts by the queen to bed Siyavâsh, she grew outraged at his rejection of her advances. She ordered one of the witches in her service to find two aborted foetuses and place them in a dish. She then ran to the Shah, ripping her robes, screaming, wailing, and crying. The Shah was deeply disturbed by the sight of his wife, bloodied and in tatters. The Queen accused Siyavâsh of raping her. She provides the aborted foetuses as evidence of his violence towards a "pregnant" Queen.
Though the evidence proved to be in Siyavâsh’s favor, the Shah nevertheless imprisoned Siyavâsh, and ordered that hundreds of beasts of burden be used to bring firewood. A gigantic mountain of fire was set alight in front of the Palace, and Siyavâsh ordered to ride through the blaze: for if he was innocent, he would emerge unscathed, and if guilty, he should surely perish. Siyavâsh, armed as a cataphract, covered in camphor and with a white cape, the symbol of innocence, mounted his faithful black steed and charged straight into fire. The Court held its breath, as he disappeared into the fire. Shortly after, the white knight emerged on his valiant black war horse unscathed, unharmed, and victorious.
The impetuous Shah orders the immediate execution of the Queen for bringing shame on his name and kingdom. Wise and sober as ever, Siyavâsh begged for clemency. He knew that the Shah loved his wife and would soon regret her passing. Not long after, the fickle Shah might even accuse Siyavâsh of orchestrating the whole fiasco. At Siyavâsh’s advice, the Shah relented, forgiving his wife, and peace was temporarily restored to the court.
Siyavâsh then served as commander of the Shah’s forces on many occasions. Once, during a war with the Turanians, Siyavâsh and the enemy general orchestrated a peace treaty in order to save the lives of their troops, with the offenses the Turanians had caused repaid in full. Siyavâsh’s Shah, however, was furious at the news, demanding that the death of the Turanian Emperor and the execution of Turanian hostages meant to secure the peace. Finding himself unable to take such base action, Siyavâsh returned to the court empty handed to plead his case. Declared a traitor, Siyavâsh had no choice but to seek exile, fleeing the capital in the dead of night.
He sought shelter under the Turanian Emperor, Afrasiab. He was received warmly, and Peeran, the Grand Vizier, provided him with solace in his first few days in a foreign land. Eventually, Siyavâsh fell in love with and marries Ferigees, the Emperor's daughter, thereby sealing his new attachment to life at the Turanian Court. Delighted with the marriage, Afrasiab bestowed the Eastern county of Khotan onto the bride and groom. Siyavâsh set about creating a new city, called Siyavâshgird, or "the round city of Siyavâsh", and Gong, the Giant Castle.
However, Siyavâsh’s rise in the Turanian court is met with disbelief and suspicion, which quickly turns to scheming. Orchestrating evidence of Siyavâsh betraying his new liege, the Turanian court drive Afrasiab, renowned for his impetuous and egotistical nature, to besiege Siyavâshgird.
Though he is captured, Siyavâsh manages to help his wife Ferigees escape. Siyavâsh was dragged before Afrasiab, who ordered his immediate execution by beheading. The Grand Vizier Peeran implored the Emperor not to commit the horrendous mistake of killing the innocent. "Do not make thyself a flag upon this Earth." Afrasiab ignored this warning and the execution was carried out swifty. As Siyavâsh's blood reached the ground, a plant grew upon the same spot, being later named "Khune Asyavushan," or the "blood of Siyavâsh."
Originally Posted by Bugs
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