From Vazheh to Govazheh

One of the most important strategies in the battle of champions and warriors in Shahnameh is Rajazkhani or harangue considered as a kind of soft war. Champions in most of their one to one battles speak highly of their heroic deeds and in this way try to belittle their rivals. This verbal battle accompanied with humiliation and ridicule is sometimes directed towards the rival himself and sometimes extends to his family and his race. What is important is that Ferdowsi with utmost skill and mastery and with numerous tactics organized words in the form of couplets and with a sardonic and sarcastic tone lets his champions utter the words. There are not many champions who do not use this tactic. Rostam holds the principal role in declamatory defiance of his rivals. His nobility and dignity would not allow the slightest insult from his enemies. Accordingly, this research is concerned with the study and analysis of different aspects of the structure and the content of harangues in the heroic section of Shahnameh.