This Woven Kingdom, #2
These Infinite Threads
by Tahereh Mafi
Contents
In the Beginning
Overview
A poetic origin tells how a white-haired prince was rejected by his father and left to die, only to be rescued and raised by Simorgh. Warned of destiny, the boy returned as Zaal, whose arrival burned the king and restored the throne. The piece anchors Simorgh’s mythic role and Zaal’s true lineage.
Summary
A stormy birth yields a royal child with white hair and lashes. The queen rejoices, but the king recoils, calls the infant cursed, and seizes him. In cruelty and fear, the king straps the crying baby to his back, climbs a mountain, and abandons him on a cliff to die.
From above, the great bird Simorgh hears the child’s screams. She rescues the infant, takes him to her nest, and raises him with four chicks. In time, Simorgh warns the boy that destiny will one day call him back to a life and role he does not know. He resists, but the warning stands.
News comes that a woman still weeps, the empire falters, and the boy’s father may die. Simorgh presents the youth with finery for his return. He bids farewell to the family he chose and climbs upon Simorgh’s back as she explodes through the sky in color and light toward the palace.
Simorgh lands in a radiant display that all remember. The boy, now Zaal, returns in glory; his father burns, and the throne passes to Zaal as fate intended. Though he claims his crown, Zaal never forgets the name of his true mother: Simorgh.
Who Appears
- ZaalWhite-haired prince abandoned at birth; raised by Simorgh; returns and claims the throne.
- SimorghMagnificent bird who rescues, raises, warns, and delivers Zaal back to his destiny.
- The KingZaal’s biological father; deems the baby cursed, abandons him, later burns upon Zaal’s return.
- The QueenZaal’s mother; rejoices at his birth and weeps after the king takes the child.