Analysis of Some Mythical Deep-structures of Esfandiar

Esfandiar is one of the strongest Zaraostrian heroes, who shines well in Shahnameh rules for a short time. Besides mentioning Esfandiar's functions in Shahnameh, this research shows that the main function of Esfandiar is for a repetition of mythical patterns; consequently, what is mentioned about him in Shahnameh might be the surface of the story, while Esfandiar was indeed a mythical creation connected to fertilization. One of the outstanding mythical Patterns in Esfandiar's myth is his fight with the devil Arjasp and releasing his sisters, which is a repetition of the hero’s fight with the dragon and releasing the woman or the cow (the symbol of raining clouds) from the dragon; this pattern can be seen in fertilizing myths of Balder, Indra, Ramayana, Vishva Roopa, Zahak and Gashtasp. In addition, the murder of Esfandiar by tamarisk is a repetition of Balder's fertilizing myth in Scandinavia who was also killed by a tree stick, which is an indicative of direct relationship between gods and trees, nature and fertilization.