Garshāsp (Persian:گرشاسپpronounced[gæɹ'ʃɒːsp]) was, inPersian mythology, the lastShah of thePishdadian dynasty ofPersia according toShahnameh. He was a descendant ofZaav, ruling over thePersian Empire for about nine years. His name is shared with a monster-slaying hero inIranian mythology. TheAvestan form of his name isKərəsāspa and inMiddle Persian his name isKirsāsp.
Garshasp is depicted as adragonslayer in theAvesta. In Zoroastrianeschatology, Garshasp'sresurrection was depicted. His role was to slay the monsterZahhak.
In theZoroastrian religious text of theAvesta, Kərəsāspa appears as the slayer of ferocious monsters, including theGandarəβa and theAži Sruvara. In later Zoroastrian texts Kirsāsp isresurrected at theend of the world to defeat the monsterDahāg.
Kərəsāspa is the son of Θrita and belongs to the Sāma family. Θrita is originally the name of a deity; cf. the VedicTrita.
According to theZoroastrian holy book,Avesta, Kərəsāspa once stopped on a hill to cook his midday meal. Unbeknownst to Kərəsāspa, the hill was actually the curved back of a sleepingdragon—the Aži Sruvara. As Kərəsāspa's fire began to crackle merrily, the heat from it caused the dragon to stir from its sleep and overturn the hero's kettle. The startled Kərəsāspa fled, but, on regaining his composure, returned toslay the dragon that had spoilt his lunch.
Later texts, thePersianRivayat andPahlavi Rivayat, add more details. According to them, the Az ī Srūwar was a dragon with horns, with huge eyes and ears, and teeth upon which the men it had eaten could be seen impaled. It was so long that Kərəsāspa ran along its back for half a day before he reached its head, struck it with his mace, and killed it.
Another monster that Kirsāsp fought was theGandarəβa, Middle PersianGandarw. (This name is cognate to the Indicgandharva, but the exact way in which the word acquired its respective meanings in Indic and Iranian cultures is uncertain.) The Gandarw lived in the sea. It was also enormous, big enough to swallow twelve provinces in a single gulp, and so tall that when it stood up the deep sea reached only to its knee and its head was as high as the sun. The Gandarw pulled Kirsāsp into the ocean, and they fought for nine days. At last, Kirsāsp flayed the Gandarw and bound it with its own skin. Kirsāsp, weary from the combat, had his companion Axrūrag guard the Gandarw while he slept, but it proved too much for him – the Gandarw dragged Axrūrag and Kirsāsp's family into the sea. When Kirsāsp awakened, he rushed to the sea, freed the captives, and killed the Gandarw.
The Zoroastrian text called theSūdgar tells that when the monsterDahāg, who is now bound in chains on Mount Damāvand, bursts free of his fetters at the end of the world, Kirsāsp will be resurrected (his corpse having been guarded from corruption) to destroy Dahāg and save the two thirds of the world that Dahāg has not devoured.
Garshasp or Garshasb was a king who ruled over parts ofGreater Persia. Certain of his deeds are recounted in the epic poemShāhnāma, which preserves, in late form, many of the legends and stories of Greater Persia. Garshasb had been ruling for more than 50 years when the royal family fell victim toblack magic and were killed one after the other. Legend has it that there were a few members of the Garshasp clan who survived, but also that they remain enchanted to this day.Garshāsp is only tangentially mentioned in theShāhnāma. There he appears as a distant ancestor of the heroRostam, who lived at about the same time as KingFereydun. Garshāsp is the father ofNarēmān, who is the father ofSām, father ofZāl, who is in turn Rostam's father.
Garshāsp received his own poetic treatment at the hands ofAsadi Tusi, who wrote aGarshāspnāma about this hero.
In theGarshāspnāma, Garshāsp is the son of Esret (اثرط), the equivalent of the Avestan Θrita, and grandson of Sham (Avestan Sāma). His genealogy goes back through other characters not mentioned in the Avesta: Sham is the son of Tovorg (طورگ), son of Šēdasp, son of Tur, who was an illegitimate son ofJamshid by the daughter of Kurang, king of Zābolestān, begotten at the time that Jamshid had been deposed was fleeing from the forces ofZahhāk.
Zahhāk reigned for 1000 years, and so was still king at the time that Garshāsp was born. On one occasion when Zahhāk was traveling in Zābolestān, he saw Garshāsp and encourages him to slay a dragon that had emerged from the sea and settled on Mt. Šekāvand. Equipped with a special antidote against dragon-poison, and armed with special weapons, Garshāsp succeeds in killing the monster. Impressed by the child's prowess, Zahhāk now orders Garshāsp to India, where the king – a vassal of Zahhāk's – has been replaced by a rebel prince, Bahu, who does not acknowledge Zahhāk's rule. Garshāsp defeats the rebel and then stays in India for a while to observe its marvels and engage in philosophical discourse.
After returning from India, Garshāsp woos a princess ofRum, restores his father Esret to his throne in Zābol after the king of Kābol defeats him, and builds the city ofSistān. He has further anachronistic adventures in the Mediterranean, fighting inKairouan andCórdoba.
When he returns to Iran, his father dies, and Garshāsp becomes king of Zābolestān. Although he has no son of his own, he adoptsNarēmān as his heir, who would becomeRostam's great-grandfather. The poem ends with another battle and dragon-slaying, followed by Garshāsp's death.
| Preceded by | Legendary Kings of theShāhnāma 2432–2441 (afterKeyumars) | Succeeded by |
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