Sāsān (Middle Iranian > Persian ساسان), considered the eponymous ancestor of the Sasanians, was "a great warrior and hunter" and a Zoroastrian high priest in south western Iran and living sometime near the fall of the Arsacid Empire.
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There are slightly different stories concerning Sasan and his relation to the founder of Sasanid Empire. The northern Iranian historian Tabari mentions further that Sasan married a princess of the Bāzarangid family, the vassal dynasty of Fārs and that Sasan was a grandfather of Aradashir I while Papag is named as Aradashir I's father.[1] According to Tabari, Sasan is a descendent of Darius the Achaemenian.
According to the Pahlavi book of Karnamak-i Artaxshir-i Papakan, Sasan's wife was a daughter of a noble man called Papag and the marriage was arranged by Papg after hearing that Sasan has "Achamenian blood in him", the son of this union is named Ardashir I. Sasan vanishes shortly after Ardashir appears in the story and Papag is "considered the father of Ardashir".[1]
These stories on different relations between "Ardashir, Papg, and Sasan" have according to Frye a Zoroastrian explanation.[1] Accordingly Sasan was indeed the father of Ardashir and "disappears" from the story after the birth of Ardashir. Similar to the current Zoroastrian practices, Papag had then taken the responsibility of his daughter and her son Ardashir after Sasan "disappears" and is named afterwards as the father of Ardashir.[1]
In the Kabe Zartosht inscription of Shapur I the Great, the four named persons "Sasan, Papag, Ardashir, Shapur" have different by importance titles: Sasan is named as "the lord", Papag as "the king", Ardashir as "the King of kings of Iran" and Shapur is "king of kings of Iran and non-Iran".[1]
The political ambition of Sasan was evoked by the troubles and weakness caused in last years of Parthian empire. According to Tabari Sasan's son, named Papak, managed to consolidated his power with the help of his own sons Šāpur and Ardašir.[2] This is considered the beginning of rule of Sasanid family.
Sasanid dynasty managed to become the second Persian Empire in antiquity to rule over a greater portion of Western Asia, the first of such empire was the dynasty founded by Cyrus the Great. The three "founders" of this new empire, that is Papak and his two sons, are depicted and mentioned on the wall of the Harem of Xerxes at Persepolis, a remaining of Achaemenids- a representation suggested to be an evidence of a claim to Achaemenid heritage.[2][3]
As his attested name as Sāsān xʷadāy (Middle Iranian for "Lord Sāsān") indicates, Sasan was the custodian of the "Fire Temple of Anāhid" at Eṣṭaḵr.[2] Shahryar the king in 1001 Nights is described as being one of the kings of Sassan and Ladan.[4] Sassan is known for his efforts in trying to bring Zoroastrianism back into the Empire. He even encouraged, Papak, the Zoroastrian commander to take over the Parthian satrapy of Pars.[4]