arts of the book……heroes and villains

ARTS OF THE BOOK……HEROES AND VILLAINS
Ancient stories of the Islamic world had heroes and villains, just as we have today. They
tell of the struggle between good and evil, with heroes showing bravery and courage to
overcome the enemy.
The most famous storybook is the Shahnamah, the Persian Book of Kings. The hero,
Rustam and his very courageous horse Rakesh, are seen on an earlier page of your book
fighting with a dragon.
Here is the hero Rustam, fighting the White
Div, a very evil enemy of the King of Iran
You will recognise a modern day hero of
our times, Batman.
Rustam stands out as the most
celebrated character in the
Shahnamah. Known for his
extraordinary strength, bravery and
loyalty Rustam protects the kings of
Iran against their enemies.
Rustam needs to find a horse to
match his own strength. After days
of searching he spots a young colt
‘as strong as an elephant…with
hoofs of steel. He calls the horse
Rakesh. His horse becomes as big a
hero as Rustam himself in the
Shahnameh.
STORYBOARD 1. Rustam catches Rakesh with a lasso. Can you write a story
yourself of how it would be possible to catch such a brave horse? How would you
get close enough to lasso him, and how would Rakesh behave when he finds he
has been caught?
Storyboard 2. Rustam had to succeed in many trials of courage and strength to rescue the King
Kavus from his enemies. On one of the stages of their journey a monstrous dragon comes out of the
forest in the night while Rustam is sleeping. Rakesh manages to awaken Rustam but he doesn’t see
the dragon at first. Rakesh awakes him several times to warn him and eventually there is enough light
for Rustam to see the dragon and he slays it. Can you add Rustam or Rakesh to the picture below?
C
Storyboard 3. The White D
Storyboard 3. On the last of his heroic acts Rustam rescues King Kavus whose army had
been captured by the Divs. Rustam overthrows and kills the Div-e-Sepid, the White
Demon. Can you write more of the story of the fight with the White Demon and illustrate
it?