Dynasty of Fereydoun

A Shahnameh story about fairness, jealousy and a brother who chose peace

Fereydoun rules for 500 years, and the book opens on a world repaired after the dark days of Zahhak. Then comes the hard question every parent of siblings will recognize: how do you divide things fairly? Fereydoun sends his sons to find wives, then splits his kingdom three ways, and Salm and Tour cannot accept that Iran went to Iraj.

The story is told in short passages set on large illustrated pages, each passage given in English and in Persian. Children hear Fereydoun swear by the crown, the throne, the sky and the earth that he was fair, and hear Iraj say he would gladly let his brothers be king rather than become their enemy. A chapter titled “Brother Against Brother” leads to the second half, when Manuchehr leads the army.

At a glance

What the book covers

Reading it together

1. Before you start, draw Fereydoun’s family: three sons, two mothers, and later a grandson.
2. Read a passage in English, then the same passage in Persian, and let your child point at names such as Iraj and Salm in the Persian text.
3. Stop when Fereydoun divides the world and ask: was it fair? What would you have done?
4. Look up the meaning of Shahnameh names like Fereydoun and Iraj on our free Persian names page.

Who this book is for

Read the Shahnameh in order

• The Reign of Zahhak Mardosh: the tyrant Fereydoun defeated, and how Fereydoun was hidden as a baby.
• Nozar’s Kingdom: what happens to Iran after Manuchehr’s reign ends.
• Farsi Children Books Bundle: this book together with the other kids titles.

Common questions