Farídún, when firmly established on the throne, marries his three sons to the three daughters of Sarv, king of Yaman, and subsequently dividing the earth into three parts gives one to each of his sons. The two elder, becoming envious of the youngest, murder him, and are themselves slain by the grandson of their murdered brother, Minúchihr, who succeeds to the throne after the death of Farídún.

In the Vedas we find the expression Tritá Áptyá. Tritá is the name of a semi-divine personage, who is endowed with the gift of healing by the gods. Áptyá may be a proper name, a patrony­mic, or mere epithet. The fact that it is found in connection with other names besides Tritá's rather points to the last. We also find in the Vedas a hero named Traitaná, who is recorded to have slain a giant. Tritá and Traitaná, who were probably quite distinct personages originally, appear to have become confused together even in the Vedas themselves, the exploits of each were attributed to the other also, and the confusion was handed down to later times. Thus we find Tritá struggling with the storm-fiend for the possession of the waters,* and Traitaná endowed with the gift of healing. In the Zandavasta, Tritá Aptyá and Traitaná become three personages—Thrita, Áthwya, and Thraétaona respectively. Thrita is there represented as the first healer, and also as the third who offered the drink-offering of the Haoma. The word Sáma is also associated with him, a word which is said to mean “appeaser,” with reference apparently to his medical powers. The priest and medicine-man were one originally. In reward for offering the Haoma two sons were born to Thrita, of whom one was the hero Keresáspa. Áthwya is represented as being the second to offer the Haoma, and as a reward for so doing a son is born to him too—Thraétaona, whose double character as hero and physician is clearly indicated. He is described as the smiter of the dragon Daháka, and is also worshipped in his capacity as healer to avert or cure sickness. The word Sáma, originally an epithet applied to Thrita, became applied to his son Keresáspa as a patronymic. He is thus described as Sáma Keresáspa, and a special epithet is bestowed on him sometimes to the exclusion of other titles—that of Narimanau, “the manly minded.”

He is described in the Zandavasta as “the holy Keresáspa, the Sáma, the club-bearer with plaited hair,* … the manly-hearted Keresáspa … he who was the sturdiest of the men of strength, next to Zarathustra, for his manly courage. For Manly Courage clave unto him. … Manly Courage, firm of foot, unsleeping, quick to rise, and fully awake, that clave unto Keresáspa.”* Short accounts of his exploits occur in the Zandavasta,* but the fullest are found in a Pahlaví version of the fourteenth Fargard of the lost Súdkar Nask. It appears that Keresáspa, great as he was as a hero, fell a victim to the wiles of one of Áhriman's evil creations—the Pairika Knathaiti, who we are told “clave unto Keresáspa.”* The Pairika is the Parí, our Peri or Fairy, and symbolises idolatry in Zoroastrian mythology.* Keresáspa there­fore neglected the worship of fire and became an idolater. For this he was cast into hell, where he remained till Urmuzd, having heard him commended by Zoroaster, summoned him, and he pleaded to be released in consideration of the good works achieved by him while on earth. He urged that he slew the serpent Sróvbar, “which was swallowing horses and swallowing men, and its teeth were as long as my arm, its ear was as large as fourteen blankets, its eye was as large as a wheel, and its horn was as much as Dahák* in height. And I was running as much as half a day on its back, till its head was smitten by me at the neck with a club made for my hand, and it was slain outright by mo … by me Gandarep* was slain outright, by whom twelve districts were devoured at once. When I looked among the teeth of Gandarep, dead men were sticking among his teeth; and my beard was seized by him, and I dragged him out of the sea; nine days and nights the conflict was maintained by us in the sea, and then I became more powerful than Gandarep. The sole of Gandarep's foot was also seized by me, and the skin was flayed off up to his head, and with it the hands and feet of Gandarep were bound … and Gandarep was taken and slain by me … Grant me, O Auhar-ma zd! heaven or the supreme heaven! for I have slain the high­waymen who were so big in body that, when they were walking, people considered in this way, that ‘below them are the stars and moon, and below them moves the sun at dawn, and the water of the sea reaches up to their knees.’ And I reached up to their legs, and they were smitten on the legs by me; they fell, and the hills on the earth were shattered by them.” Keresáspa went on to tell how the demons urged on the wind to attack him, how it came on in its strength, uprooting every shrub, and tree, and reducing earth to powder in its path, and how he withstood it and prevailed. He finally pleaded that when, in the fulness of time, Zahhák shall escape from the fetters wherewith Farídún bound him to Mount Damáwand, and threaten the world with destruction, he (Keresáspa) alone can conquer and finally destroy that evil spirit. Urmuzd, in consideration for the outraged spirit of fire, long remained obdurate to the pleadings of Keresáspa, though supported by those of Zoroaster himself and others, but finally yielded, and Keresáspa was admitted into heaven.*

With regard to the final destruction of Zahhák by Keresáspa we find information in the Bundahish and in the Bahman Yast. Combining the accounts given, we learn that Keresáspa obtained immortality while on earth, but that owing to his slighting fire-worship he was wounded by a Turk named Niháv, and fell asleep in the valley of Pishín in Kábulistán. He is there watched over by the divine glory, and by the guardian spirits of the righteous till the epoch when the powers of evil shall rally for the last great struggle against good, and Áhriman summon Zahhák from Mount Damáwand. Zahhák will rush forth freed from the fetters of Farídún, first apparently swallow Áhriman himself, and then a third of mankind, cattle, sheep, and other creatures of Urmuzd, smite the water, fire, and vegetation, and commit grievous sin. Then the water, the fire, and vegetation will lament before Urmuzd and pray that Farídún may be revived to slay Zahhák, else fire declares that it will not heat, and water that it will not flow. Then Urmuzd will bid Surúsh and another angel to rouse Keresáspa the Sáman. They will go to him and call him thrice. At the fourth summons he will wake and go forth to encounter Zahhák, smite him on the head with the famous club, and slay him. All evil, sin, and misery will cease, and the era of eternal happiness begin.*

In the Sháhnáma, Thrita, Áthwya, Thraétaona, and Sáma Keresáspa Narimanau reappear under changed aspects. Thrita and Thraétaona coalesce into Farídún, while Áthwya becomes Abtín, the father of Farídún. Sáma Keresáspa Narimanau splits up into several personalities—Sám, the grandfather, and Narímán, the great grandfather, of Rustam, Garshásp, a more remote ancestor of his, perhaps Garshásp, the hero mentioned in the present reign, and possibly Garshásp, the tenth Sháh. In the case of Sám and Narímán the epithets and patronymics of earlier times become the names of heroes of later ages.*

The three sons of Farídún—Salm, Túr, and Íraj—appear in the Zandavasta as Sairima, Túra, and Airyu respectively. Firdausí seems to derive the first, of course wrongly, from the Arabic “salámat,” “safety.”* Túr may be connected with an Aryan root “tu” meaning “to swell, to grow great or strong.” Íraj is the same word as Aryan and means “noble.”

For the ethnical significance of the names, see Introd. p. 54.