Kawa (Kaveh) is the greatest folk hero of Iranian and especially Kurdish mythology. A blacksmith by trade, Kawa had his sons taken by the tyrant Zahhak to feed his shoulder-serpents. When his last son was about to be taken, he raised the banner of revolt.
He placed his leather blacksmith’s apron (Derafsh-e Kaviani) on a spear tip and rallied the people against Zahhak. The fire he lit on the mountain became the signal of his victory — this fire is the origin of the flame that Kurdish and Iranian peoples light during the Nowruz festival today. Kawa is the immortal symbol of popular resistance against tyranny, rebellion against injustice, and the struggle for freedom.
