In the Persian epic of Shahnameh Div-e Sepid, is the chieftain of the Divs (demons) of Mazandaran. He is a huge being. He possesses great physical strength and is skilled in sorcery and necromancy. He destroys the army of Kay Kavus by conjuring a dark storm of hail, boulders, and tree trunks using his magical skills. He then captures Kay Kavus, his commanders, and paladins; blinds them, and imprisons them in a dungeon. The greatest Persian mythical hero Rostam undertakes his "Seven Labors" to free his sovereign. At the end, Rostam slays Div-e Sepid and uses his heart and blood to cure the blindness of the king and the captured Persian heroes. Rostam also takes the Div's head as a helmet and is often pictured wearing it.
Div-e Sepid, the white demon, is slain by Rostam. 16th-century Persian book illustration.
Rostam or Rustam is a legendary hero in Persian mythology, the son of Zāl and Rudaba, whose life and work was immortalized by the 10th-century Persian poet Ferdowsi in the Shahnameh, or Epic of Kings, which contains pre-Islamic Iranian folklore and history. However, the roots of the narrative date much earlier.
Rostam mourning Sohrab. Persian miniature.
Rostam in the murals of Panjikent, 7-8th century CE. He is represented with an elongated skull, in the fashion of the Alchon Huns.
Rostam kills Esfandiyār. Medieval Persian miniature
Rostam and Kay Kavus in castle
