Fereydun and Zahhak: a Shahnameh story for children, retold in English
Fereydun and Zahhak (فریدون و ضحاک) is a famous episode of the Shahnameh: Zahhak, a tyrant king with two black snakes growing from his shoulders, frightens the whole land until the young hero Fereydun, raised in secret by a kind cow, leads the people against him. The original epic is violent; Azizan's Persian retelling softens it for ages 5–8 (no gore, the king is bound rather than killed) and is ready for a parent or grandparent to record. Parents should know it has a frightening villain; for under-fives we suggest the other Shahnameh stories first.
Azizan (azizan.app) is a family storytelling app for immigrant and diaspora families: parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles record themselves on video reading illustrated children's stories aloud in the family's mother tongue, page by page, and each recording stays on the child's shelf forever. Real family voices — never AI narration. Persian (Farsi) first.
The story in short (Azizan's version)
Long ago a wicked king called Zahhak has two black snakes on his shoulders. Everyone fears him, nobody laughs any more and the city is full of sadness.
One night Zahhak dreams that a brave young man defeats him. About then a boy named Fereydun is born, and Zahhak wants to find him.
Fereydun's mother hides him in a green meadow where a kind cow named Barmayeh gives him milk, then later with a wise old man on a high mountain.
Fereydun grows strong and wise. When he hears the story of Zahhak, he decides to free the people.
In the city, a blacksmith named Kaveh raises his leather apron on a spear as a banner. People gather around Fereydun, and he makes a heavy mace with a cow's head in memory of Barmayeh.
At the palace, Fereydun is not afraid. He brings the mace down and Zahhak falls.
As he lifts it again, the angel Sorush calls from the sky: "Do not kill him. Only bind him." Fereydun listens, ties Zahhak's hands and feet, and takes him to Mount Damavand, where he is chained inside the mountain.
The people are free and laugh again.
How this differs from the original Shahnameh
In Ferdowsi's epic the snakes are fed on young people's brains and Zahhak's rule lasts a thousand years. Azizan's retelling omits that and describes the fear and sadness in a child-sized way.
Kaveh's apron banner (the Derafsh-e Kaviani) is part of the original; Azizan has a separate Kaveh story.
The ending, with Sorush telling Fereydun to bind rather than kill Zahhak, follows the epic.
Why it works for older children
Standing up to a bully: a villain who frightens everyone and a community that stands together.
Mercy at the end: the hero listens and stops.
Roots: Mount Damavand, Kaveh's banner and Fereydun are part of how Iranians tell their own story, so children recognise them later in life.
Reading it aloud
Keep Zahhak's voice low rather than loud, and slow down when the angel speaks. Ask a child who has just heard the story what they think of Fereydun listening to Sorush, but do not tell them the answer. A grandparent's voice makes these older stories feel like family history.
A cruel king with two black snakes on his shoulders frightens everyone, until young Fereydun binds him inside Mount Damavand and the people laugh again. · ages 5-8
Questions
Who are Fereydun and Zahhak?
In the Shahnameh, Zahhak is a tyrant king with two snakes on his shoulders and Fereydun is the hero who ends his rule.
Is the story too scary for children?
The original is violent. Azizan's retelling is for ages 5–8, has no gore and ends with Zahhak being bound, but it has a frightening villain; younger children may prefer Zal and the Simorgh or Rostam and Rakhsh.
Who is Barmayeh?
In the epic, Barmayeh is the cow that nurses the infant Fereydun; the mace with a cow's head is named in her memory.
Where can I read it in Persian?
The full Persian text is free on azizan.app, and family members can record themselves reading it page by page.