Tahmineh

Origin

A figure of romantic interest in the 1oth c. Persian text The Shanhameh, Tahmineh encounters the legendary Persian warrior Rostam when he visits her father’s court looking for his stolen horse. Knowing full well who the handsome soldier is, Tahmineh visits his bedchambers at night and propositions him. She wants to bear his children in exchange for information on where his horse is being kept, and Rostam accepts the offer, being drunk and never one to turn down an amorous opportunity. In the morning he gives her a necklace, a token for their child to wear so that someday Rostam might recognize his offspring. And then he leaves.

Years pass. A son is born to Tahmineh, and she names the boy Sohrab. He inherits the strength and fighting skill of his father, and when war breaks out between Iran and Turan Sohrab becomes the finest warrior in the Turanian forces. He is killed in single combat against his father, not knowing who it was he was fighting. Tahmineh is heartbroken; upon receiving word of her son’s death she cries:

In Comics

She appears in the first issue of an adaptation from the original Persian text by Persian-American writer Bruce Bahmani and illustrator Karl Altstaetter. The Hyperwerks title Rostam: Tales From the Shahnameh ran for four issues, the first published in January 2005.