Zahak (ضحاک)

Zahak. An Arab king who somehow manages to rule Iran for a full thousand years, which sounds impressive until you look at how he got there and think, maybe longevity isn’t the same as competence.

It starts with Ahriman, because of course it does. Evil incarnate shows up, whispers a few ideas, and suddenly Zahak is murdering his own father, Mardas. A strong opening move if your long-term goal is “haunted legacy.”

Then Ahriman switches careers and comes back disguised as a cook. Not a warrior, not a kingmaker. A cook. He feeds Zahak meat, earns his trust, and as a reward asks to kiss the king’s shoulders. Zahak agrees, because apparently no one in this story has ever heard of boundaries.

The result? Two black snakes sprout from his shoulders. Just… there now. Permanent. Uninvited. And when they’re cut off, they grow back.

Zahak, understandably concerned that these things might eat his own head, asks for advice. The solution he gets is somehow worse than the problem: feed them the brains of two young men every single day. Problem solved, if your definition of “solved” includes institutionalized horror.

Following the loss of legitimacy of the Iranian king Jamshid, Iranian nobles, tired of their unjust ruler, seek a new king. Zahak, now cursed with the snakes, marches into Iran from the Arab lands and usurps the throne, beginning a tyrannical reign that lasts for a thousand years.

So begins a reign defined less by governance and more by daily human sacrifice. A thousand years of it. Generations live and die under a system where the king’s skincare routine involves literal brains. Civilizations have collapsed for less.

He captures Shahrnaz and Arnavaz, the two beautiful daughters of King Jamshid, and forces them to marry him.

Eventually, people decide this has gone on long enough. Enter Kaveh the Blacksmith, who trades in hammers and righteous anger, and Fereydun, who brings the royal legitimacy to back it up. Together, they overthrow Zahak, because even in a world full of demons and tragic heroes, there’s still a limit to what people will tolerate.

Turns out, feeding snakes human brains every day eventually kills your approval ratings.