Gudarz (گودرز)

Elder statesman and commander of the Iranian army, patriarch of a great heroic clan and father of the hero Giv. Gudarz serves under multiple Iranian kings, most notably the flawed and arrogant Key Kavus and his wise successor Key Khosrow. Gudarz's story is fundamentally defined by heartbreaking sacrifice. He is said to have had a massive family—often numbered at 78 sons and grandsons. During the brutal, endless wars of vengeance against Turan, Gudarz loses almost his entire bloodline. In one catastrophic engagement known as the Battle of Mount Ladan, the Iranian army is ambushed and slaughtered by the Turanians. In this single battle, Gudarz loses over seventy of his sons and grandsons. To avoid further mass slaughter between their armies, the Iranians and Turanians agree to settle the war through a series of one-on-one duels between their greatest commanders. Gudarz, though an old man by this point, steps up to fight the supreme commander of the Turanian army, Piran Viseh. (Piran is actually a highly noble and complex character, but he represents the forces that killed Gudarz's family). Despite Piran's fierce resistance, Gudarz uses his lifetime of tactical experience to outmaneuver him. He strikes Piran down with a spear, winning the duel. Gudarz's victory in this duel breaks the back of the Turanian military hierarchy, effectively paving the way for Iran's ultimate victory in the war. Like his son Giv, Gudarz's end is tied to the mystical departure of King Key Khosrow. When the aging king decides to renounce the world and walk into the Alborz mountains to ascend to heaven, Gudarz is one of the few elite champions who follows him into the snow. Unlike Giv, however, Gudarz obeys the king's final command. When Key Khosrow warns his followers that a supernatural blizzard is coming and they must turn back to survive, Gudarz, along with Rostam and his father, Zal, reluctantly turns around. He survives the mystical storm, returning to the Iranian court.