Zal and the Simorgh: a Shahnameh story for young children, retold in English
Zal and the Simorgh (زال و سیمرغ) is one of the most-loved stories from the Shahnameh, the Persian Book of Kings: a baby born with snow-white hair is left on a mountain, raised by a gentle giant bird called the Simorgh, and finally welcomed home by his father. The original epic is long and dark; Azizan's Persian retelling keeps the heart of it (being left, being found, being forgiven) in short pages that suit ages 2–4 and that a parent or grandparent can record on video.
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)
A warrior called Sam has a baby son whose hair is white as snow. In those days people feared white hair on a newborn, and Sam is afraid people will laugh at him.
Sam leaves the baby on a flat rock high in the Alborz mountains and walks away.
The Simorgh, an enormous bird with sun-coloured feathers, sees the small bundle from her nest, flies down and opens her wing over him: "Come to me, little one."
She carries him up to her warm nest and names him Zal. He grows up playing with her chicks, tall as a young tree, with hair still white as snow.
One day Zal hears a shepherd's flute from far below and asks who it belongs to. The Simorgh tells him the truth: people, and he is one of them, and his father left him because he was afraid. She opens her wing again: "That's all right. Come to me."
Far below, Sam dreams every night of a white-haired child. One morning he saddles his horse and climbs the mountain, asks his son to forgive him, and Zal runs to hug him.
Before they go, the Simorgh gives Zal one of her feathers: burn it if you ever need me, and I will come. Zal puts it in his pocket, rides home, and sleeps that night with the feather under his pillow.
How this differs from the original Shahnameh
In Ferdowsi's epic Zal is a long story that continues into his love for Rudaba and the birth of the hero Rostam. Azizan's version stops at the homecoming.
Azizan's retelling softens Sam: he is afraid and later sorry, which gives the story its warm ending for small children.
Tellers have always told the Shahnameh in different ways, so you may meet other versions of this tale.
Why it works for young children
It is about belonging: a child hears that someone kind found him, and that his father came back to make it right.
A magical keepsake: the feather in the pocket is something a child can hold in imagination at bedtime.
It is a gentle way into the Shahnameh: children meet the Simorgh long before they are ready for the battles.
Reading it aloud
Give Sam a slow, low voice and the Simorgh a warm, wide one. Slow down at the line "Come to me, little one" and spread your arms when she opens her wing. If a grandparent records the story in Azizan, the child hears that opening line in a voice they know. For a child worried about being left, notice how the story answers them: someone always came.
A white-haired baby left on a mountain is raised by the wise Simorgh bird, then welcomed home. · ages 2-4
Questions
Who is Zal in the Shahnameh?
Zal is a hero of the Shahnameh, born with white hair, abandoned by his father Sam on Mount Alborz, raised by the Simorgh and later the father of Rostam.
What is the Simorgh?
The Simorgh is a giant, wise, magical bird in Persian mythology, often shown with golden or sun-coloured feathers.
Is the story of Zal and the Simorgh suitable for young children?
The original epic has dark parts. Azizan's retelling is written for ages 2–4: short pages, a gentle tone and a warm ending, without the battles.
Where can I read Zal and the Simorgh in Persian?
The full Persian text is free on azizan.app, one page per paragraph, and a family member can record themselves reading it.