Kaveh the Blacksmith and the Derafsh Kaviani
Kaveh, a humble blacksmith, loses all but one of his sons to the daily sacrifice demanded by King Zahhak's serpent-shoulders. He storms the royal court, refusing the king's bribe of signing his remaining son's death warrant. Kaveh raises his blacksmith's leather apron on a spear as a battle standard and leads the populace in revolt. He seeks out Feraydun, the rightful heir, and guides him to overthrow Zahhak. The leather apron, embellished with jewels over centuries, became the Derafsh Kaviani, the legendary imperial standard of Iran used until the Arab conquest. Kaveh symbolizes righteous pop