Namaki

Story

Namaki lived in a big house with her big family. Each of the seven daughters had a daily chore and Namaki’s was to close all seven doors of the house every night. One night she neglects to close the 7th door and Golak the Giant comes inside.

Why we chose it

A traditional story from Iran that has been described as a ‘girl power’ story.

Where it came from

The story is one of the famous legends of Farashband, and the capital of Fars Province. Namaki’s name comes from ‘salt’, a substance that represents sacredness and has symbolic status across many cultures including Iran. The tale has been told and retold in many different ways. Generally Namaki is taken by the giant and uses her wit and intelligence to get rid of him, free other captive children and save a prince. In another version the giant falls in love with her, takes her to live with him and eventually she comes to love him too. A darker telling ends with the death of Namaki.

Where it went next

A picture book version in English, Namaki and the Giant by Ellie I Beykzadeh, was published in 2018.

Associated stories

Other stories from Iran include Auntie Cockroach, Little Hasan and The Merchant and the Parrot.