GarshÃÂsp ( ) was, in Iranian mythical history, the last emperor of Pishdadian Iran according to the Shahnameh. He was a descendant of Zaav, ruling over the Persian Empire for about nine years. His name is shared with a monster-slaying hero in Persian mythology. The Avestan form of his name is KÃÂrÃÂsÃÂspa.
Garshasp is depicted as a dragonslayer in the Avesta. In Zoroastrian eschatology, Garshasp's resurrection was depicted. His role was to slay the monster Zahhak.
In the Zoroastrian religious text of the Avesta, KÃÂrÃÂsÃÂspa appears as the slayer of ferocious monsters, including the GandarÃÂòa and the Aà ¾i Sruvara. In later Zoroastrian texts KirsÃÂsp is resurrected at the end of the world to defeat the monster DahÃÂg.
KÃÂrÃÂsÃÂspa is the son of ÃÂrita and belongs to the SÃÂma family. ÃÂrita is originally the name of a deity; cf. the Vedic Trita.
According to the Zoroastrian holy book, Avesta, KÃÂrÃÂsÃÂspa once stopped on a hill to cook his midday meal. Unbeknownst to KÃÂrÃÂsÃÂspa, the hill was actually the curved back of a sleeping dragonâÂÂthe Aà ¾i Sruvara. As KÃÂrÃÂsÃÂspa's fire began to crackle merrily, the heat from it caused the dragon to stir from its sleep and overturn the hero's kettle. The startled KÃÂrÃÂsÃÂspa fled, but, on regaining his composure, returned to slay the dragon that had spoilt his lunch.
Later texts, the Persian Rivayat and Pahlavi Rivayat, add more details. According to them, the Az ë Srà «war was a dragon with horns, with huge eyes and ears, and teeth upon which the men it had eaten could be seen impaled. It was so long that KÃÂrÃÂsÃÂspa ran along its back for half a day before he reached its head, struck it with his mace, and killed it.
Another monster that garshasp fought was the GandarÃÂòa, Middle Persian Gandarw. (This name is cognate to the Indic gandharva, but the exact way in which the word acquired its respective meanings in Indic and Iranian cultures is uncertain.) The Gandarw lived in the sea. It was also enormous, big enough to swallow twelve provinces in a single gulp, and so tall that when it stood up the deep sea reached only to its knee and its head was as high as the sun. The Gandarw pulled Garshasp into the ocean, and they fought for nine days. At last, Garshasp flayed the Gandarw and bound it with its own skin. Garshasp, weary from the combat, had his companion Axrà «rag guard the Gandarw while he slept, but it proved too much for him â the Gandarw dragged Axrà «rag and Garshasp's family into the sea. When Garshasp awakened, he rushed to the sea, freed the captives, and killed the Gandarw.
The Zoroastrian text called the Sà «dgar tells that when the monster DahÃÂg, who is now bound in chains on Mount DamÃÂvand, bursts free of his fetters at the end of the world, KirsÃÂsp will be resurrected (his corpse having been guarded from corruption) to destroy DahÃÂg and save the two thirds of the world that DahÃÂg has not devoured.
Garshasp or Garshasb was a king who ruled over parts of Greater Persia. Certain of his deeds are recounted in the epic poem ShÃÂhnÃÂma, which preserves, in late form, many of the legends and stories of Greater Persia. Garshasb had been ruling for more than 50 years when the royal family fell victim to black magic and were killed one after the other. Legend has it that there were a few members of the Garshasp clan who survived, but also that they remain enchanted to this day. GarshÃÂsp is only tangentially mentioned in the ShÃÂhnÃÂma. There he appears as a distant ancestor of the hero Rostam, who lived at about the same time as King Fereydun. GarshÃÂsp is the father of NarÃÂmÃÂn, who is the father of SÃÂm, father of ZÃÂl, who is in turn Rostam's father.
GarshÃÂsp received his own poetic treatment at the hands of Asadi Tusi, who wrote a GarshÃÂspnÃÂma about this hero.
In the Garshasp-nama, GarshÃÂsp is the son of Esret (), the equivalent of the Avestan ÃÂrita, and grandson of Sham (Avestan SÃÂma). His genealogy goes back through other characters not mentioned in the Avesta: Sham is the son of Tovorg (), son of à  ÃÂdasp, son of Tur, who was an illegitimate son of Jamshid by the daughter of Kurang, king of Zabulistan, begotten at the time that Jamshid had been deposed was fleeing from the forces of ZahhÃÂk.
ZahhÃÂk reigned for 1000 years, and so was still king at the time that GarshÃÂsp was born. On one occasion, when ZahhÃÂk was travelling in Zabulistan, he saw GarshÃÂsp and encouraged him to slay a dragon that had emerged from the sea and settled on Mt. à  ekÃÂvand. Equipped with a special antidote against dragon poison and armed with special weapons, GarshÃÂsp succeeds in killing the monster. Impressed by the child's prowess, ZahhÃÂk now orders GarshÃÂsp to India, where the king â a vassal of ZahhÃÂk's â has been replaced by a rebel prince, Bahu, who does not acknowledge ZahhÃÂk's rule. GarshÃÂsp defeats the rebel and then stays in India for a while to observe its marvels and engage in philosophical discourse.
After returning from India, GarshÃÂsp woos a princess of Rum, restores his father Esret to his throne in Zabulistan after the king of KÃÂbol defeats him, and builds the city of SistÃÂn. He has further anachronistic adventures in the Mediterranean, fighting in Kairouan and Córdoba.
When he returns to Iran, his father dies, and GarshÃÂsp becomes king of ZÃÂbolestÃÂn. Although he has no son of his own, he adopts NarÃÂmÃÂn as his heir, who would become Rostam's great-grandfather. The poem concludes with another battle and dragon-slaying, culminating in GarshÃÂsp's demise.