The narrative of the confrontation between Rostam and Imam ʿAlī (A.S.) with the dragon is one of the stories created and developed by traditional Persian storytellers (naqqāls), repeatedly attested in naqqālī scrolls and popular recensions of the Shāhnāmeh. The account of Imam ʿAlī’s slaying of a dragon during infancy is among the narratives rooted in the traditions of manāqib-reciters (eulogists of the virtues of the Imams). Its earliest known reference appears in Manāqib Āle Abī Ṭālib by Ibn Shahrāshūb. This narrative was subsequently incorporated by naqqāls into the epic storytelling tradition, where it came to function in deliberate juxtaposition to Rostam’s dragon-slaying exploits.The present study employs a descriptive-analytical approach, drawing upon naqqālī scrolls, popular Shāhnāmeh narratives, Shiʿi manāqib and narrative sources, as well as selected devotional poetry. The principal findings of this study are as follows: (a) the juxtaposition of Imam ʿAlī and Rostam initially arose from the perceived similarities between the two heroic figures, but was later reinterpreted within Shiʿi tradition as a relationship characterized by both tension and reconciliation; (b) from the perspectives of mythology and epic studies, Imam ʿAlī’s dragon-slaying constitutes his most significant miraculous feat and may be understood as a counter-epic counterpart to Rostam’s dragon-slaying episodes; (c) the account of Imam ʿAlī slaying a dragon in infancy is founded upon a universal archetypal motif, comparable to examples found in Greek mythology; and (d) Imam ʿAlī’s breaking of the enchanted spell (ṭilism) in this narrative represents the only known instance in Persian heroic literature in which the spell-breaking champion simultaneously embodies both the roles of hero and saint. By contrast, the national Iranian champions who break enchantments function solely as heroic warriors, deriving their spiritual legitimacy from a supernatural force or a sacred spiritual guide.