Editing Bahram V (section)

=== Bahram and Azadeh ===
[[Image:Bowl Bahram Gur Azadeh Met 57.36.14 n02.jpg|thumb|12th–13th century bowl of Bahram and [[Azadeh (Shahnameh)|Azadeh]]]]
[[Azadeh (Shahnameh)|Azadeh]] (meaning free) was a Roman-slave girl in al-Hira, known for her singing and harpist skills (she played the [[Chang (instrument)|chang]]). The young Bahram, during his time at the city, became her owner, and would take her with him whenever he went hunting.{{sfn|Khaleghi-Motlagh|1987|p=174}}{{sfn|Lukonin|Ivanov|2012|p=57}} During one incident, Bahram bragged to Azadeh about his hunting skills and asked her to choose which [[gazelle]] he should shoot. Azadeh replied to him that true skill would be to transform a female gazelle into a male and a male into a female. 

Bahram accomplished this by shooting two arrows into the head of a female gazelle, thus giving her "antlers". He then shoot at a male, cutting off his antlers. Azadeh, horrified by this, cried out: "This art of yours is from the ''[[daeva]]s'' [evil deities]". Bahram, enraged, threw her to the ground, and trampled her with his camel.{{sfn|Lukonin|Ivanov|2012|p=57}} The medieval historian [[al-Tha'labi]] (d. 1035/6) reports that al-Mundhir had the incident painted in the Khawarnaq palace at al-Hira.{{sfn|Khaleghi-Motlagh|1987|p=174}} Nizami Ganjavi included the story in his ''Haft Peykar'' and had it slightly altered; Bahram orders one of his men to kill Fitna (her new name), but she persuades the officer to spare her and lie to Bahram of her death.{{sfn|Melville|van den Berg|2012|p=188}}

The story is likewise mentioned in an altered version in the ''[[Hasht-Bihisht (poem)|Hasht-Behest]]'', where Azadeh's name has been changed to Dilaram (heart's ease). In this version Bahram abandons her after she makes him enraged. After days of walking, she finds a skilled musician, who teaches her his craft. One day, word of a skilled female musician reaches Bahram, which leads him to search for her. Bahram eventually finds Dilaram, and asks for her forgiveness. She accepts, and they return to the Khawarnaq palace.{{sfn|Melville|van den Berg|2012|p=196}}{{sfn|Brend|2013|pp=23–24}}