The Three Myths of Invulnerability: Achilles, Esfandiyar, and Siegfried A Comparative Study Based on Jungian Archetype Theory

The concept of invulnerability has a long history; it expresses the long-term desire of mankind to achieve immortality, and has been presented in various ways among the myths of various nations. The three myths of invulnerability, namely, Achilles, Esfandiyar, and Siegfried, have a widespread frequency comparing other myths, and the concept of invulnerability as an archetype can be studied in all three myths. Since many scholars have considered the similarities between these three myths as a result of Jungian archetype theory, the present article attempts to check the issue. The method used is descriptive and library research. With the aim of identifying the roots of these myths and based on the theory of archetype, the research reviews the common and uncommon points of the three myths; it studies three myths, Achilles, Esfandiyar, and Siegfried with comparative method and answers these questions: what common and distinctive roots can be found in the study of these three myths, and to what extent the similarities between these three myths can be justified by the theory of archetype. One of the most important results of the research is reinforce of the theory of influence of Ferdosi from Homer in the creation of Esfandiar's mythology.