KatÃÂyoun () is a female figure in ShÃÂhnÃÂmeh and Iranian mythology. She is married to GoshtÃÂsb and the mother of EsfandiÃÂr. In the ShÃÂhnÃÂme, she is the daughter of the Kaiser of Rûm, while in both the Avestàand in Pahlavi texts, she is called Hutaosàand identified as an Iranian girl and a descendant of Nowzar.
GoshtÃÂsb is the son of LohrÃÂsp, the shahanshah of Iran. GoshtÃÂsb asks his father to become king, but his father rejects this request and because of this, GoshtÃÂsb goes to Rûm. The Kaiser of Rûm has a daughter, named KatÃÂyoun, and he wants to find a husband for her. One night KatÃÂyoun sees a dream in which a stranger (GoshtÃÂsb) offers her a bouquet and she accepts. When the Kaiser invites the nobles and grandees of the country to a feast, KatÃÂyoun meets GoshtÃÂsb and they fall in love. The Kaiser is opposed to this marriage, however, in Rûm, women are free in choosing their husbands and the Bishop of Rûm warns Kaiser that his opposition is in contradict to this custom. The Kaiser has no way other than to accept this marriage, however, after the marriage of KatÃÂyoun and GoshtÃÂsb, he invalidates this custom and impose difficult conditions for anyone that wants to marry his two other girls, one of them has to kill a wolf, and the other has to kill a dragon that lives in the mount SaqilÃÂ. The daughters have suitors already, but they are unable to do these jobs. Fortune-tellers say to them that no one could do these jobs, except a man from Iran that has previously married the daughter of Kaiser. Then they find GoshtÃÂsb and ask him to kill the wolf and the dragon for them, and GoshtÃÂsb is able to do so. Kaiser, who does not know that GoshtÃÂsb has killed the wolf and the dragon, invites all nobles of the country to a feast. KatÃÂyoun asks GoshtÃÂsb to go to this feast and in there, Kaiser sees GoshtÃÂsb's skills in horse-riding and shooting with bow, and finally he discovers that it was GoshtÃÂsb that killed the wolf and the dragon. Kaiser then apologizes GoshtÃÂsb for not accepting him as his son-in-law at the first place. GoshtÃÂsb then become a grandee in the court of Kaiser and Kaiser sends him to suppress a rebellion from ElyÃÂs, the king of Khazars. the reputation of GoshtÃÂsb reaches to an extent that Kaiser sends an ambassador to LohrÃÂsp, the Shah of Iran, and asks him to pay tribute. When LohrÃÂsp finds out that GoshtÃÂsb is in the court of Kaiser and has married his daughter, he sends his other son, Zarir, to Rûm in order to bring GoshtÃÂsb and KatÃÂyoun back to Iran. LohrÃÂsp then makes GoshtÃÂsb the Shahanshah of Iran.