Key Khosrow (کیخسرو)

Key Khosrow was a “Bridge” between nations. Key Khosrow was the son of the Iranian prince Siavash and the Turanian princess Farangis. His father, Siavash, was murdered by his maternal grandfather, Afrasiab, before Key Khosrow was born. He was raised in secret in the wilderness. He later avenged his father’s death by defeating Afrasiab. He was chosen by his paternal grandfather, Key Kavus, to succeed him. He was known for "Khosravani Wisdom," a state of near-enlightenment. Key Khosrow possessed a legendary cup, often described as a "crystal globe" filled with an elixir. It reflected the entire world, and he used it to see all seven heavens and to find the missing hero Bijan in the Turanian forest. After ascending the throne of Iran, Key Khosrow launched a massive campaign against Turan specifically to avenge his father's innocent death. Key Khosrow beheaded Afrasiab (and his brother Garsivaz) to fulfill the vengeance for his father, mirroring the method by which Siavash was killed. Key Khosrow ruled over Iran for 60 years. He voluntarily stepped down, gave away his possessions, and went to the mountains to pray. After a divine vision, Khosrow chooses Key Lohrasp, a remote relative and a man of wisdom and piety, as his successor. When the aging king decides to renounce the world and walk into the Alborz mountains to ascend to heaven, Gudarz, Giv (Gudarz's son), Rostam, Zal (Rostam's father), and Bijan (Rostam's grandson) along with some other heros follow him. When Key Khosrow warns his followers that a supernatural blizzard is coming and they must turn back to survive, Gudarz, along with Rostam and Zal, reluctantly turns around. That evening, Key Khosrow bathes in a mountain spring, puts on pure white robes, and prays. He tells the remaining knights one last time, "When the sun rises, you will not see me again." When the knights wake up at dawn, Key Khosrow is simply gone. He leaves no footprints, no body, and no trace. The remaining knights panic. They spend the entire day frantically searching the mountain peaks for their king, refusing to accept that he has ascended. Exhausted, grieving, and refusing to head back down the mountain, they sit by the spring and fall asleep. Just as Key Khosrow had prophesied, a massive, unearthly blizzard rolls in. The snow falls so heavily and fiercely that it completely buries Giv, Bijan, and the rest of the knights as they sleep. They are swallowed by the mountain, freezing to death in the storm. According to Zoroastrian tradition, Key Khosrow will return at the end of time to assist the savior, Soshyans, in the final renovation of the world.