W27:D2 - Ancient Persia - Cyrus The Great and the Start of the Royal-Silk Road - The Adventure Box

The Prophecy of Cyrus the Great

Long ago, in the heart of the Median Empire, a powerful king named Astyages ruled with an iron fist. He was a man of ambition and paranoia, often plagued by dreams that seemed to whisper of his empire's downfall. One night, he had a vivid and unsettling dream. In it, his daughter, Mandane, gave birth to a child from whom a mighty tree grew, its branches stretching across the lands, overshadowing his throne.

 

Astyages awoke in a cold sweat, his heart pounding. Fearful that the dream foretold the rise of a usurper, he summoned the magi, his trusted interpreters of the divine. The magi listened carefully to the king's description of the dream and, after a tense deliberation, declared that it was an omen. The child born to Mandane would grow to overthrow Astyages and seize his kingdom.

 

Consumed by fear, Astyages resolved to prevent the prophecy from coming true. He called for Mandane and commanded her to marry a man of lowly status, hoping that a humble union would extinguish the threat. Mandane was wed to Cambyses, a nobleman of the Persian Achaemenid clan, but far removed from the Median court. For a time, Astyages believed he had thwarted fate.

 

Months later, word reached Astyages that Mandane was with child. The king's dread returned, and when the child, a boy, was born, he could no longer ignore the prophecy. He ordered Harpagus, his loyal general, to dispose of the infant. Harpagus, bound by duty but deeply conflicted, took the baby to the wilderness with a heavy heart.

 

As Harpagus gazed at the innocent child, he found himself unable to carry out the heinous act. Instead, he entrusted the infant to a shepherd named Mithradates and his wife, who had recently lost their own newborn. Harpagus instructed them to raise the boy as their own and ensure no word of his true identity ever reached the king.

 

The shepherds named the child Cyrus and raised him with love and care. From an early age, Cyrus exhibited extraordinary qualities. He was strong, intelligent, and charismatic, earning the admiration of other children in the village. His natural leadership began to show when he organized games, always taking the role of king and guiding others with wisdom beyond his years.

 

One day, while playing in the fields, Cyrus was seen by a group of Median nobles passing through the region. Struck by the boy's regal bearing, they brought news of him back to Astyages. Intrigued and suspicious, the king summoned the boy and his supposed father to the court. As Cyrus stood before him, Astyages felt a strange mixture of awe and unease.

 

To test the boy's origins, Astyages interrogated Mithradates. Pressured by the king's gaze, the shepherd confessed the truth: the boy was none other than Mandane's son. Furious, Astyages turned on Harpagus, demanding an explanation for his betrayal. Harpagus admitted his deception but argued that the prophecy would not be so easily thwarted. Fate, he said, had a way of bending even the strongest will.

 

Astyages, though enraged, decided against killing Cyrus. Perhaps it was fear of divine retribution, or perhaps he believed he could mold the boy into a loyal servant. He sent Cyrus back to his biological parents in Persia, thinking he had defused the threat. Yet, the wheels of destiny had already been set in motion.

 

As Cyrus grew into manhood, the prophecy lingered in the shadows of his life. He learned of his true heritage and the injustice his grandfather had inflicted upon him. With each passing year, his resolve to reclaim his birthright strengthened. He united the Persian tribes, building an army and a cause that would shake the foundations of the Median Empire.

 

When the time came, Cyrus marched against Astyages, fulfilling the prophecy that had haunted the king. In a decisive battle, the Median forces crumbled, and Astyages was captured. But Cyrus, in a final act of magnanimity, spared his grandfather's life, choosing to rule with justice and honor rather than vengeance.