Rostam, a warrior from “the hunting era” (a new hypothesis regarding the origin of Rostam’s myth)

The hunting era current until ten thousand years ago belonged to the Paleolithic era is regarded as one of the most prominent periods of mankind in which people were busy gathering food and hunting animals and yet not familiarized with agriculture.  In this period lived courageous men who were in constant battle with animals.  Relying entirely on their physical strength they tried to earn a living under difficult circumstances.  The hunting era had the heroic characters of its own.  With the advent of newer historical periods and upon the passage of time these characters changed forms and melted within the eras, although not completely disappeared but their traces in accordance with the lifestyle, clothing, religion and behavioral traits could be observed in the mythologies and heroic epics of the recent past.  The writer of this article believes that it is probable that Rostam Dastan, the preeminent hero of the Persian epics due to his hunting temperament and his Palangina outfit, and heavy mace, his relationship and his speech with certain animals, worshipping sun, and  also with Zal’s carrying out shamanic practices which were all behaviors related to the hunting era, is a hero form that period who found his way to the mythological Persian epics after passing through numerous rise and fall in historical periods could well maintain his image in Persian mythological epics.