At a Glance: The Story of Shabrang in Iranian Heroic Texts

The Shabrangnameh is a heroic poems which was not famous and less noticed by researchers until recently. The subject of this epic poem is the battle of Shabrang, the son of the Deev-e Sepid (the White Demon), and Iranians to take a revenge of the murder of his father. Despite its best efforts, he fails to do so and finally escapes to Turan, and there is no more mention of his fate. Although the narrative is extracted from the Name-ye Khosrowan (The Book of Khosrows/Kings) witten by “Azad Sarv”, it is surprising that in earlier sources there is no reference to Shabrang or Shabrangnemeh poem. First time, texts from Safavid period provide some reports about this demon and the end of his life, which some are unprecedented and artificial narratives. Other point is that the death of Shabrang has not been referred in the Shabrangnameh and it begs the question whether the end of this epic poem has been removed? While reviewing and criticizing narratives of the end of Shabrang's life, this study finds that stories of the Small Faramarznameh are more likely the sequel of the Shabrangnameh. These two narratives have been separated from each other over time; however, their connection is still evident in some narratives.