Ormazd

Ormazd or Ohrmazd was a historical figure in the Great Red Sand, Sumeru. He was the king of Gurabad, husband of Liloupar and the father of Shirin of Gurabad.

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The shepherd Ormazd gained the Jinni Liloupar's favor, fell in love with her and with her assistance, united many desert city-states under Gurabad's control. She warned him that her blessings will be repaid with "sharp retribution," but he ignored those warnings. He became an ordinary tyrant instead of the enlightened ruler which she hoped he would become, and so Liloupar plotted to impose him with three generations of ruination.^[1][2]

Liloupar gave birth to a daughter, Shirin. Before she delivered her into Ormazd's hands, she prophesied three times: First, she would fall in love with a hero and their child would surpass their father; second, that Shirin's relatives would meet a "sweet end;" and third, only Shirin would be given possession of Gurabad. Liloupar's admonitions for Ormazd were that: First, Shirin's joy would "bring tears to her father's eyes;" second, they "should no longer feast at the same table as their daughter after she was wed;" and third, Shirin's child would be "an ill omen upon the king's land."^[3]

At some point Ormazd adopted an orphan named Kisra. To reward Kisra for his valor, Ormazd bestowed him with the name "Parvez." He also gave Kisra his daughter Shirin's hand in marriage.^[4] Kisra, who came to learn of Liloupar's prophecies, held no genuine love for Shirin and simply used her as a means of gaining the throne. Embittered with her life, Shirin plotted revenge. In accordance with the admonitions he received, Ormazd forbade Shirin from attending banquets; she took advantage of this fact to have slaves serve him and all her siblings poisoned honey, killing them all at a grand banquet. With this, Kisra became king of Gurabad and took the name Parvezravan.^[3]

Trivia[]

• Ormazd is a variant of the name of Ahura Mazda, Zoroastrian Lord of Wisdom.
• Ormazd is likely inspired by the real-world Hormizd IV of the same name, who is commonly remembered as a tyrant and was slaughtered by his son Khosrow Parviz, who Parvezravan is inspired by.

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