Zal · Chapter 3 of 7
The Questions
Manuchehr · The mobads · Birth, then proof
They asked him everything. He had been listening on that mountain.
Before the king Manuchehr will confirm Zal in his father's place, the Shahnameh puts him through an examination: the mobads, the learned men of the court, set him riddles in front of the throne, and the poem takes its time over them. The boy off the mountain answers every one, and then rides in the field trials as well. Ferdowsi is making a point about what the position asks of a man, and he makes it at length. Being Sam's son is not, in this scene, enough on its own. Zal is made to show in front of the court that he also has the wisdom and the competence the place is supposed to come with.
- Riddles at court
- A place confirmed
- Inherited, then proved
Unlocks in-game at Mastery 4.
