The Flying Throne of Kay Kāvus

An Illustration of the Flying Throne of Kay Kavus, from the epic poem Shāhnāmeh, written circa 975-1010AD by the Persian poet Abul-Qâsem Ferdowsi. The throne took flight through the use of four eagles attached to it.

Humanity has been captivated by flight since the beginning of history. The oldest examples of flying machines were the stuff of legends and fairy tales, and the most intriguing ones have endured over time. Pictured above is an illustration of one such tale, showing Kay Kāvus, a mythological Iranian King, and his flying throne. Kāvus was a character from the epic poem Shāhnāmeh, or Book of Kings, which was written circa 975-1010AD by the Persian poet Abul-Qâsem Ferdowsi.

As the story goes, Kay Kāvus built a throne to fly himself to China and back. It was a simple design, with four long posts, each placed vertically at one of the throne’s corners. Specially trained eagles were then attached to the bottom of each post, and pieces of meat were attached to the top. The hungry eagles would fly upward trying to reach the meat, which lifted the throne in the process. It’s a strikingly similar design to Alexander the Great’s flying machine, which also uses the beast-and-meat strategy. The king used his flying machine to travel all the way to China, but as he reached his destination the eagles grew tired, causing the throne to fall and crash.

An Illustration of the Flying Throne of Kay Kavus, from the epic poem Shāhnāmeh, written circa 975-1010AD by the Persian poet Abul-Qâsem Ferdowsi. The throne took flight through the use of four eagles attached to it.

The design seems silly by today’s standards, but it fits right in with the earliest ideas for human flight. Back before our ancestors understood aeronautics, birds served as a common starting point, and we often used them directly and indirectly for inspiration. I’m unaware of any real-life flying machines that used actual birds, but other fictional examples do exist. One that comes to mind is the flying machine from the epic poem The Man in the Moone. Interesting to ponder, even with the lack of real-life utility.

Read more about other ideas for flying machines here.

Check out other myths and legends that deal with flight here.