Behnam Paran Jun 28, 2010:

Physical Formidableness The interesting point Simon mentioned is not only unique to Ferdowsi, but is something that has always been there. Heroes and protagonists of stories all over the world have pretty much always been superior and unique in appearance. For instance, in today's movies kind-hearted women or heroines are usually depicted as beautiful and pleasant-faced, while male heroes who tend to help others are usually masculine and handsome. That's simply because depicting a unique physical appearance makes it much easier for the average audience to accept other desired traits of the hero, including the inner and spiritual ones. Apart from that, the word "tahamtan" is but a title and as a great warrior who is supposed to send shivers up and down his enemies' spines, it's not such a good idea for someone like Rostam to have a title that refers to anything but physical formidableness.

Habib Alimardani Jun 28, 2010:

PLEASE REFER TO MY NEW ANSWER since my previous answer was not clear enough, I provided another one bellow and provided some more explanation regarding the term you asked.

SeiTT (asker) Jun 27, 2010:

It's best to be big! This is very interesting. Many thanks to you all. I think a modern writer would be more likely to emphasize Rostam’s valour, but perhaps Ferdowsi had more practical experience of war than many of us today. I should imagine that the most important thing for a warrior was to be big as this would tend to frighten the enemy, and the psychological side of combat can hardly be underestimated.