Long ago Naramsin ruled as king over an unnamed kingdom, and one day a holy man gifted him a magical fruit that would bestow immortality on whoever should consume it. He passed the fruit on to the love of his life, but she gave it to a soldier she was having an affair with, and he in turn gave it to a prostitute. The prostitute, unsure of the gift she was given, brought it to the attention of the thing and explained how she came to posses it. Naramsin rewarded the prostitute for her honesty, then had his wife and her lover executed. He then ate the fruit and abandoned his throne to walk the world in guise as a beggar.
Many many years later, Naramsin stowed away on The Sea Witch, a ship owned by fellow immortal Robert Gadling, who was traveling on it at the time. Naramsin relayed his life story to Gadling and a young sailor named Jim. (The Sandman #53 – “World’s End, Part 3: Hob’s Leviathan)
Years later Naramsin, now living under the assumed name of Ravi, met with his friend and fellow immortal Erishad to try to help her deal with her problems. (Lucifer #9 – Children and Monsters Prelude)
It should be noted that Naramsin’s name is never given during his first appearance in The Sandman. The character did not recieve a name until his appearance in Lucifer, several years later.