Siavash, son of King Kay Kavus, was raised by Rostam and became a noble, handsome young man. His stepmother Sudabeh fell in love with him and tried to seduce him. When he rejected her, she accused him of having assaulted her.
To find the truth, Kay Kavus had two huge mountains of wood set alight. Dressed in white, Siavash rode his black horse Shabrang straight through the flames and came out unharmed. The people cheered; his innocence was proven.
Later Siavash made peace with the Turanian king Afrasiab, but Kay Kavus demanded the war continue. So as not to break his word, Siavash went to Turan, married Afrasiab’s daughter Farangis and founded a city. Envy and lies from Afrasiab’s brother Garsivaz led Afrasiab to have him killed. Legend says a plant, “Siavash’s blood”, grew from his blood. His son Kay Khosrow later avenged him. His innocent death became a symbol of injustice, and Iranians mourned him for a long time (Sug-e Siavash).