Zaal

one of the illustrations I did for Heroes of the Legends, Zal is a legendary Iranian King who hailed from Balochistan and is recognized as one of the greatest warriors of the Shahnameh epic. He is the father of the equally legendary Iranian hero, Rostam.
Zal came from a family, whose members were legendary warriors, who for generations, served in the Persian army as great generals. His father, Sam and, his mother is Roudabeh. Zal was born with white hair. Because of this, his parents called him Zal.
Zal was the son of Sam and the grandson of Nariman, both heroes of ancient Persia and protectors of "Motherland Iran" or "Iran-zamin. Zal was rejected by his father. He was left when only an infant; upon the mountain Damavand, which has the highest geographic peak in Iran. The mythical Simurgh (a very large and wise bird which darkens the sky when flying, said to be related to the Phoenix) found the baby and took him to her nest.