Iraj (son of Fereydun)

In Zoroastrian and later Iranian literatures Iraj appears as the youngest son of the culture-hero king Fereydun (Freydun). During Fereydun's apportioning of the world among his sons, Iraj receives one portion; subsequently he is slain by his jealous elder brothers. The narrative identifies him as the archetypal ancestor of the Iranian peoples: his name (Avestan Airiia, Middle Persian Ērič, Modern Persian Iraj) is taken to mean "the Iranian". Sources record that his line is vindicated when Manuchehr (called a son of Iraj in the Avesta and represented as a descendant in later tradition) avenges his murder, thereby restoring rightful dynastic continuity.

Surviving Avestan, Middle Persian and Shahnameh accounts emphasize Iraj's genealogical and narrative role rather than physical description. The provided sources (Avesta references, Middle Persian summaries, and the Shahnameh narrative) do not offer any sustained or specific bodily or costume details for Iraj, focusing instead on his place in lineage, rulership and the fraternal conflict that leads to his death.

The sources portray Iraj as a human royal ancestor and territorial heir within a mytho-historical framework; they do not ascribe supernatural powers or magical capacities to him. His primary functions in the corpus are dynastic: he is a rightful recipient in the division of the world by Fereydun, a victim of fratricide, and the progenitor whose line (via Manuchehr) restores justice — roles that ground claims to legitimate rulership in later Iranian tradition.