The Three Princes of Persia

Myths, they say, are the dreams of mankind, at once utterly strange and hauntingly familiar. They tell of beginnings and ends, creation and destruction, life and death… The twenty myths in this book come from many different cultures all over the world-from the great classic tales of Greece and Rome, and from Norse, Celtic, Egyptian, Native American, African, Indian and Asian traditions. At the heart of each is the story of a child hero. Some of the stories are well-known: the story of Horus, the boy who won the throne of Egypt; of Heracles, the Greek hero who as an infant killed mighty serpents; and of Romulus and Remus, who were suckled by a wolf and went on to found Rome. There are also many that are less well-known – the story of Cuchulainn, the Celtic hero, and his valour as a child soldier, and of Wen P’eng, the Chinese boy who turns into a dragon. The title story describes the childhood adventures of three of Persia’s great princes – Zal the white-haired, Rustam the Valiant and Sohrab the Smiling. Rohini Chowdhury’s magical narrative captures the adventure, mystery and wonder of these stories.