Zahhāk (ザッハーク Zahhāku ? ) was a demon and the last Jahangir, having usurped the throne upon killing Sage King Jamshid. After his imprisonment by Kaykhusraw, the World was divided into many nations and the title of Jahangir ceased to exist.
Zahhāk was also known as Serpent King Zahhāk (in the 2013 manga as Snake King Zahhāk), for he had a serpent's protruding from each of his shoulders.
History[]
Hundreds of years before the Parsian Era, Zahhāk slew Sage King Jamshid with a saw and scattered his body across the world after cutting it into pieces. He then took over the king’s wealth and rights.
Zahhāk's rule over Pars covered the land with terror. Each day, he would kill two men to gain their brain and feed the serpents that protruded from his shoulders. His rule lasted for 1000 years.
No one had dared to rebel against Serpent King until Kaykhusraw stood against him. First, he drew a cook who served Zahhāk to his side. Then he saved one of the to be sacrificed men and substituted his brain with that of sheep each day. This way, he gained his allies. A year later, the number of soldiers on his side grew to 365. With them, he attacked Zahhāk and caught him in Māzandarān.
Zahhāk was sealed deep under Mount Damāvand; Kaykhusraw bound him with chains and piled 20 bedrocks over him. Also, he put his sword Rukhnābād there and sealed its power. Thus, the Serpent King was defeated, leaving the word that he would break the seal in 300 years.
Zahhāk had already been locked inside the mountain for about 300 years, when the Lusitanians invaded the land of Pars.
After Zahhāk's breakout, he made war against Arslan and killed many Parsians, including Daryun and Narsus. In the final battle, Arslan managed to kill Zahhāk, although he was also mortally wounded. This marked the end of the Serpent.
Inspiration[]
Zahhāk was a demon from the Shahnameh. In that epic, however, it was Fereydun who slew the demon and his son, Iraj, who became the first King of Iran (Pars). Kaykhusraw is, then, most likely based on both Fereydun and Iraj.
Notes