A Comparative Study of the Story Rostam in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh and Ram in Ramayana Epic

The epic and mythological narratives of the Indo-Iranian peoples have been influenced by each other due to their common origins and long-standing cultural relations. The narrations of Rustam in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh and Ram in Ramayana have many similarities. It can be said that these two characters are born of the long-term cultural relationship between Iran and India. Which of these two books was influenced by the other is hidden from us. We only know that the two characters of Rostam for Iranians and Ram for Indians have a special sanctity and show the magnificence of the epic hero in the mind. This research seeks to investigate the similar and different features of Rostam and Ram's stories with a comparative-analytical method. The similarities and differences between Rostam and Ram in summary are: 1- Birth prediction 2- Appearance beauty 3- Loyalty to the king. The similar friends and enemies of Rostam and Ram are: 1- Afrasiab and Ravana are similar in that they seek power and have inherent evil. Except that Ravana is a demon. 2- White Devil and Raven are similar because they take hostages and the heroes have to fight with them to free the hostages. 3- Keikavus and Sita deceive the demon. 4- Zavareh and Lakashman are brothers and supporters of the hero. The difference between them is that Lakashman is with Ram in most of the events. 5- Tahmineh and Sita are the hero's wives who separated from the hero and gave birth away from him. The difference is that Sita did not hide the father's name from the her children.