The supreme champion of Firdausi's Shahnama, an invincible warrior of immense strength who unknowingly slew his own son Sohrab.
Rustam is the byword for heroic might and martial valour; to call someone a Rustam is to call him a peerless champion. His tragic slaying of Sohrab also makes him a figure of fate's cruelty.
Sohrab
The young warrior son of Rustam in the Shahnama, slain in single combat by his own father before either recognised the other.
Zaal
The white-haired hero of the Shahnama, father of Rustam, abandoned at birth for his white hair and raised by the mythical bird Simurgh.
Rakhsh
A horse of dappled chestnut-and-white coat; famously the steed of Rustam.
Isfandiyar
The brazen-bodied, near-invulnerable prince of the Shahnama, slain by Rustam with a double-pointed arrow to the eyes, his only vulnerable spot.