Bahram Gur (Bahram V, the Hunter King)
The Sassanid king Bahram V (Bahram Gur), renowned for his love of hunting (especially onager, giving him the epithet 'Gur' meaning onager), is the subject of numerous Persian legends. His exploits include hunting with a lion and an onager as companions, his romance with the Indian princess Sapinud (whom he marries after killing a lion and a dragon), and his building of the seven pavilions for his seven princesses (the subject of Nizami's Haft Paykar). Bahram embodies the ideal Sassanid king: martial prowess, justice, and cultural patronage. The story of 'Bahram and the Dragon' recounts his kil