Esfandiar or Esfandyar (in Persian: اسفنديار) is an Iranian legendary hero. He was the son and the crown prince of the Kayanian King Goshtasp (or Wishtasp). Esfandyar is a name of Avestan (Spantoata) and Old Persian (Spentodata) origin which means “Sacred Creature”. He is best known through the tragic story of the battle between Rostam and Esfandyar, told in Ferdowsi’s epic Shahnameh, or Book of Kings. Persian (known variously as: فارسی Fārsi or پارسی Pārsi, local name in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, Tajik, a Central Asian dialect, or Dari, another local name in Tajikistan and Afghanistan) is a language spoken in Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Southern Russia, neighboring countries, and elsewhere. ... An ancient dynasty of hero-kings of Persia (Iran) recorded in the Avesta and the Shahnama. ... Yasna 28. ... See Aryan Language or Old Persian For more information visit: *[Ancient Iranian Languages & Literature The Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies (CAIS) ... Rostam Slaying the Dragon- A miniature Painting by Master Mahmoud Farshchian. ... Ferdowsi Tousi (فردوسی طوسی in Persian) (more commonly transliterated Firdausi, Ferdosi or Ferdusi) (935–1020) is considered to be one of the greatest Persian poets to have ever lived. ... Shahnameh Shahnameh Scenes from the Shahnameh carved into reliefs at Tus, where Ferdowsi is buried. ...

Esfandiyar in Shahnameh

Esfandyar who was invulnerable and a supporter of the Zoroastrian faith had to fight against Rostam. Both Rostam and Esfandyar share a hero's journey called "Seven Labours" (notice the similarity to 12 Labours of Hercules ). Rostam could defeat Esfandyar only with a trick that he learned from the Simurgh. Esfandyar can be compared to Achilles in Greek or Siegfried in Germanic and Norse mythologies. In Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, Esfandyar swam in the spring of invincibility as a child, but closed his eyes while swimming. In the story of Rostam and Esfandyar, Rostam learns of this weakness and kills Esfandyar. Zoroastrianism was adapted from an earlier, polytheistic faith by Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) in Persia very roughly around 1000 BC (although, in the absence of written records, some scholars estimates are as late as 600 BC). ... Hercules and Cacus, by Baccio Bandinelli, 1525 - 1534. ... Sassanid silk twill textile of a Simurgh in a beaded surround, 6-7th c. ... The Wrath of Achilles, by François-Léon Benouville (1821-1859) (Musée Fabre) In Greek mythology, Achilles, also Akhilleus or Achilleus (Ancient Greek ) was a hero of the Trojan War, the central character and greatest warrior of Homers Iliad. ... Sigurd (Old Norse: Sigurðr, German: Siegfried) was a legendary hero of Norse mythology, as well as the central character in the Völsunga saga, Nibelungenlied and Richard Wagners opera Siegfried. ... Norse is related to Scandinavia, and may mean: Ancient Norse mythology Medieval Norsemen, i. ... Ferdowsi Tousi (فردوسی طوسی in Persian) (more commonly transliterated Firdausi, Ferdosi or Ferdusi) (935–1020) is considered to be one of the greatest Persian poets to have ever lived. ... Shahnameh Shahnameh Scenes from the Shahnameh carved into reliefs at Tus, where Ferdowsi is buried. ...

The story of Esfandyar's impenetrable skin finds many echoes in legendary stories around the world. We can find parallels in the story of Achilles in Greek Mythology (heel), that of Siegfried in Norse mythology (shoulder), and even India's Mahabharata epic (Duryodhana's thighs). The Wrath of Achilles, by François-Léon Benouville (1821-1859) (Musée Fabre) In Greek mythology, Achilles, also Akhilleus or Achilleus (Ancient Greek ) was a hero of the Trojan War, the central character and greatest warrior of Homers Iliad. ... Siegfried could refer to: The opera by Richard Wagner; see Siegfried (opera). ... Norse is related to Scandinavia, and may mean: Ancient Norse mythology Medieval Norsemen, i. ... The Mahabharata (Devanagari: महाभारत, phonetically Mahābhārata - see note), sometimes just called Bharata, is one of the two major ancient Sanskrit epics of India, the other being the Ramayana. ... In the Mahabharata, Duryodhana (or Dhuryodhana) is the eldest son of the blind king Dhritarashtra by Queen Gandhari, and the eldest of the one hundred Kaurava brothers, and the chief antagonist of the Pandavas. ...

Esfandyar's vulnerability lay in his eyes, as he closed them while being immersed in the spring that made his skin impeneterable. Similarly, Thetis held her son by his ankle and immersed him in water for the same purpose, thus the Achilles heel. Siegfried's(Sigurd) vulnerable point is a small patch of skin covered with a leaf when he washed himself in dragon Fafnir's blood, and in the case of Duryodhana, his vulnerability occurs when he covers his groins and thighs when receiving the great mystic power of his mothers' eyes .Interestingly enough, both Esfandyar and Achilles died when when an arrow struck them in their respective vulnerable body parts. Siegfried was killed by a spear strike to his vulnerable part, while Duryodhana dies of a mace attack on his vulnerable part. This article is about the Greek sea nymph. ... In Greek mythology, Achilles is made invulnerable by being dipped in the river Styx by his mother, Thetis. ... In Norse mythology, Fafnir was a son of the dwarf king Hreidmar and brother of Regin and Otr. ... Assorted maces For its symbolical derivative, see ceremonial mace. ...

Shahnameh Shahnameh Scenes from the Shahnameh carved into reliefs at Tus, where Ferdowsi is buried. ... Ferdowsi Tousi (فردوسی طوسی in Persian) (more commonly transliterated Firdausi, Ferdosi or Ferdusi) (935–1020) is considered to be one of the greatest Persian poets to have ever lived. ... Arash, the Archer (Persian: آرش کمانگیر) is a heroic archer in Iranian (Persian) legend. ... Afrasiab, near Samarkand, Uzbekistan is both a historical city and its legendary founder. ... Fereydun is an Iranian mythical king and hero who is an emblem of victory, justice and generosity in the Persian literature. ... Gordafarid is one of the heroines in Ferdowsis Shahnama. ... Statue of Kaveh in Isfahan Kaveh the Blacksmith (کاوه آهنگر in Persian) is a mythical figure of ancient Persia who leads a popular uprising of Persians (Iranians) against a ruthless Arab ruler, Zahak (Dhaka). ... Lakshaman (far left) with Rama (centre), Sita (far right) and Hanuman (kneeling) - Bhaktivedanta Manor, Watford, England Lakshmana (Sanskrit: लक्ष्मण; IAST Lakṣmaṇa) was the brother and close companion of Rama, and himself a hero of the epic Ramayana. ... Roham ( رهام in Persian )is a hero in Ferdosis Shahnama, He is sun of Goodarz( گودرز in Persian ) who defeated Baarmaan( بارمان in Persian ) in battle of Davazdahrokh( دوازده رخ in Persian ) . See also Ferdosi Shahnama Categories: | | | | ... Rostam Slaying the Dragon- A miniature Painting by Master Mahmoud Farshchian. ... Rostam Farrōkhzād (رستم فرّخزاد in Persian) was the commander of the Sāsānian Empires armed forced under the reign of Yazdgird III, r. ... Rudaba or Roodabeh (رودابه in Persia) was Daughter of Mehrab Kaboli. ... Sassanid silk twill textile of a Simurgh in a beaded surround, 6-7th c. ... Siavash, also Siavush (in Persian: ) is an ancient Persian name. ... Sohrab is one of Shahnamas characters. ... Tahmineh is one of female characters of the epic of Shahnameh. ... Zål (زال in Persian) was a mythical warrior of ancient Iran. ... Zahak, Zahhak, Zahak-e Tāzi or (Arab Zahak) also knwon as Bivar-Asp, which means [he who has] 10,000 horses in the Pahlavi (middle Persian) language, and Avestan Āži-Dahāk) is a mythical figure of ancient Persia (Iran). ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ...

See also

• Iranian literature
• Persian mythology

Persian literature (in Persian: ) spans two and a half millennia, though much of the pre-Islamic material has been lost. ... The beliefs and practices of the culturally and linguistically related group of ancient peoples who inhabited the Iranian Plateau and its borderlands, as well as areas of Central Asia from the Black Sea to Khotan (modern Ho-tien, China), form Persian mythology. ...

External link

• Esfandiar