Sohrab · Chapter 5 of 7
He Spares Him
Two questions, two denials · A first fall · A custom invented on the spot
The mercy was the son's. The lie was the father's.
Twice Sohrab asks outright whether this is Rostam, and twice the Shahnameh has the answer come back no: once flatly, and once as an accusation that the boy is trying to talk his way out of a fight. Then Sohrab throws him. He has him on the ground with a knee on his chest and a dagger out, and Rostam tells him that among Iranians a man may not take a head on the first fall — only on the second. It is not true. Ferdowsi gives three reasons Sohrab believes it: courage, fate, and the young man's chivalry. He lets him up, rides off after game, and forgets him.
- A false custom
- A life given back
- A name withheld
Unlocks in-game at Ascension tier 1.
