| "Arslan" by Hiromu Arakawa | |
| Parsian Arslan | |
| Biographical Information | |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | P, [ˈɑrslɑːn] |
| Other names | The Liberator |
| Titles | Savior King King of Pars Shirghir (P) |
| Affiliation | Camp of Arslan |
| Language | Parsian |
| Birth | September 29, P.E. 306 |
| Rule | P.E. 321 - 325 |
| Death | P.E. 325 (aged 19) |
| Family | |
| House | Adopted into the Royal Family of Pars |
| Parentage | Andragoras III, ad. father Tahamenay, ad. mother |
| Siblings | Unknown stepbrother |
| Physical Description | |
| Gender | Male |
| Eye color | "deeply colored like a clear night sky" |
| Weaponry | Rukhnabad |
- "The throne itself does not have a will of its own. This is how I think of it. Depending upon who sits on it, it can be a seat of justice or it can be the seat of inhuman cruelty. As long as it is a man, and not a god, doing the governing, he can never be perfect. But should he neglect to make efforts to reach for perfection, a king will surely tumble down the slippery slope towards evil with no one around to stop him."
- ― Farangis to Estelle about kingship in The Heroic Legend of Arslan (anime), "The Highway of Blood and Sweat"
Arslan (アルスラーン Arusurān? ) was the adopted son of King Andragoras and Queen Tahamenay. He was the crown prince of Pars and the leader of the resistance against the Lusitanian invasion of Pars. Arslan would become the greatest man of his time, leading his camp against Zahhāk's forces, driving back the Lusitanians, and reforming the Kingdom. He was the nineteenth and last King of Pars and became known as the Savior King.
History[]
Early Life[]
Arslan was born in Pars Era 306 to a knight's family. At the age of 5, he was adopted into the Royal Family of Pars and became the heir to the throne.
He mostly lived outside the palace and studied at a private school. Until 11-12, he was raised by a wet nurse and her husband, who was a knight. Arslan was told that they died from food poisoning after drinking wine.
Life as an Exiled Prince[]
Three years after his move to the Royal Palace, Arslan had his maiden battle on the Fields of Atropatene against the Lusitanians. His adoptive father, King Andragoras III, led the Parsian army, but they were ultimately defeated due to the treachery of Marzban Kharlan and strategy of guest general Silvermask.[1]
Arslan managed to flee the battle with Daryun, who became his personal guard and most trusted subordinate.
Reign as the Savior King[]
After his coronation, Arslan chose Kishward as Erān of Pars, as none of the other Marzbān wanted to bear this responsibility.
On his 18th birthday, his army defeated that of Misr. After that, he became a Sherghir in a hunting ceremony, which was held with Sindhura.
To counter attack Turk's invasion into Sindhura, Arslan made an long expedition toward Sindhura through the land of Tūrān and Turk. His army defeated them including Turk's troop consisting of Turanians led by Hilmes.
He became the first person after hundreds of years to see one of the evil creatures that depended on Zahhāk's power; Arslan was attacked by an "Afra-virada"(black winged monkey-like creature), which flew into his room breaking the window.
After Ester's death, he invited Parahuda, who had been working together with Ester, as one of his important generals. Then, Arslan appointed 16 subordinates as Generals, including Daryun, Narsus, Elam, Farangis, etc. They were his most reliable companions. However, he lost one of them only after 20 days of the ceremony; Zarāvant was killed.
To prevent Kishward from making a suicidal attack in a battle to punish himself, as Gurazeh and Jimsa were killed during a mission under Kishward's command (though the mission itself is not the cause of their death), Arslan relieved him from Eran's duty following Narsus's opinion. Instead, he appointed Daryun as new Eran.
As there was a possibility of Misr's advance toward Pars, he led his army to the border with some of his generals. His army won. However, outside of the battle, he lost Narsus and Alfarīd. After this, Arslan had to fight against Zahhāk and other enemies with 10 remaining Generals.
In the final battle against Zahhāk, Arslan was mortally wounded, but still managed to kill the demon. Arslan ruled the Kingdom of Pars until year 325 of the Pars Era.
Etymology[]
Arslan is an alternative form of the Turkish name Aslan, meaning "lion".
Other names[]
In some translations, his name is rendered as Arslān.
As King of Pars, he became known as the Liberator and Savior King Arslan.[2]
Genealogy[]
| Osroes V's wife unknown | Gotarzes II 240 - 301 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Irina d. 324 † | Hilmes 293 - 325 † | Osroes V 274 - 304 † | Tahamenay 284 - 325 † | Andragoras III 276 - 321 † | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| unborn child d. 324 † | ARSLAN 306 - 325 † | unnamed son unknown † | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Portrayal in adaptations[]
2014: The Heroic Legend of Arslan (2013 manga):
- Arslan's appearance is that of a fragile and skinny, weak boy with long, silver hair, which he keeps in a low ponytail. He wears golden earrings in both ears. His skin complexion is noticeably fair and much lighter than other Parsians. The timeline of Arslan's life is different compared to the original novels: instead of being raised by a wet nurse till P.E. 318, according to the manga he is raised by the nurse till P.E. 315.
2015-2016: The Heroic Legend of Arslan (anime):
- Arslan is depicted as a gentle prince, being very kind and soft-spoken.
Notes
References
- ↑ Yoshiki Tanaka, The Heroic Legend of Arslan, The Capital Ablaze, "The Battle of Atropatene"
- ↑ Yoshiki Tanaka, The Heroic Legend of Arslan: Official Reader's Guide, "A Tour of the East"
| Kings of Pars | |
|---|---|
| Hero King Kaykhusraw (unknown - P.E. 28) · Osroes I (28 - unknown) · Osroes II · Tigranes · Cinnamus · Gotarzes I · Artabas · Osroes III · Andragoras I · Catholicos · Osroes IV · Andragoras II · Yazdegard I · Ohrmazd · Yazdegard II · Gotarzes II (unknown - 301) · Osroes V† (301 - 304) · Andragoras III† (304 - 321) · Arslan† (321 - 325) | |
| † Did not die of old age | |