Kei Khosrow and Bahrām Gor: An Intertextual Reading of Shānāmeh and Haft Paykar

Shānāmeh>, as an exemplary pattern for Persian epics, has been the source of numerous epic works. Based on an intertextual reading, in the present article the attempt is made to study the influence of the Shānāmeh> on Haft Paykar> in the creation of the mythological personality of Bahrām Gor (Bahrām the Onager). The present study seeks to explore the mythological personality of Kei Khosrow in Shānāmeh> that has inspired Nizami Ganjavi in the processing of Bahrām Gor 's character. Nizami Ganjavi's reference at the beginning of Haft Paykar> to Shānāmeh> and the textual evidence reinforces this claim.  So, one can find a pattern for the creation of the character of Bahrām Gor according to Nizami Ganjavi's narrative. Based on the thoughts of Gérard Genette and by using a descriptive-analytical method and intertextual approach, the article tries to examine the characters of Bahrām Gor and Kei Khosrow in Shānāmeh >and Haft Paykar>. The results show that explicit and implicit intertextual relationships are presented in cases such as the actions and behaviors and mystical personality of the two characters and the dreams and predictions of the elders about them.