The Ancient Gods
Ancient Iranian people believed in many gods with different characters. Some of the gods were the natural elements themselves. Some of them were personified in the human shapes. Some others were in the form of abstract concepts. Here we try to present examples of each kind.
Vayu, Wind
The wind as a strong natural power was worshiped by ancient Iranians. This god has dual features. On one hand he brings the clouds, causes the rain, and spreads water on entire surface of the earth. In this function he is a beneficent god. On the other hand, when speedily blowing, he destroys everything. In this feature he is sinister and has awesome power. This dual features causes that both Ahura Mazda and Devil make offering to him to smite other side. The creator asks him to destroy the evil creation and support the good one. The Devil in turn asks him to support the evil creation and destroy the good one. Also it is for the reason of his dual features that his place of ruling is located between the Creator’s realm and the Devil’s one, in the intermediate area, an empty space between light and darkness. This position gives him a state of neutrality, neither divine nor devilish. This god pretends to administer both good and evil beings. However, he takes the side of good creations and is against the bad ones.
Tishtrya and the Demon of Drought
Tishtrya is the god of rain. Considering the dry climate of the region, this god must be a very important divine creature. He, unlike Vayu who has a dual character, is always beneficent. He is the bright star and the source of water and fertility. He can appear in the form of a fifteen year old man, a bull, and horse. He fights against droughts. He produced water at the beginning of the creation. Once water covered the earth’s surface in the form of the great oceans, the noxious creatures crept underneath the earth.
The battle between Tishtrya and Apaosha, the demon of drought, is a well-known story. Tishtrya appears in the form of a white horse with golden ears in the cosmic ocean, where he meets Apaosha in the form of an ugly black horse with black ears and a tail. At the beginning of the battle, Tishtrya was defeated. It happened so because men didn’t offer sacrifice to Ahura Mazda, thus the Creator and his good creation became weak. Tishtrya complained plaintively to Ahura Mazda asking his help. Ahura Mazda sacrifices for Tishtrya and gives him strength of ten camels, ten bulls, ten horses, ten mountains, and ten rivers. In the second battle, Tishtrya is victorious. He defeats Apaosha and rain clouds rise from the cosmic ocean and rain pours down over the pastures and lands.
Anahita, the Goddess of Water
Ardvi Sura Anahita is goddess of the clean water. She appears in the form of a beautiful young woman with white arms and breasts, tall and strong wearing a golden crown with eight rays and a hundred stars, a golden mantle and a golden necklace. Considering that the water is the source of life and fertility, it is justifiable that a goddess be its divine protector. Worship and veneration of this goddess was very common in ancient Iran and the neighboring areas. Many temples dedicated to this goddess with her statues and images are discovered by archaeologists in entire region.
Verethraghna, Victory
This god is an abstract concept of victory that can appear in ten different forms as follows: a strong wind, a bull, a white horse, a camel, a male boar, a fifteen year old youth, a raven, a wild ram, a buck, and a man holding a sword. From this point of view, Verethraghna looks, to some extent, like Tishtrya that can appear in different incarnate shapes. This god is very strong and glorious. He smites the demons’ administration if he is offered sacrifices. Verethraghna is often accompanied with Mithra that is the symbol of light. This way, he is related to light and fire. We have the Fire of Bahram that brightens the way of life and smites the evil creations. The character of strength and warlike mentality of this god made him favorite of soldiers and in this way his worship was carried to the farthest areas.
Rapithwin, Lord of the Noon-day Heat
Rapithwin is the god of the summer months. It was believed that at the beginning of creation, before the evil invasion, when the sun was established fixed over the universe, the state of Rapithwin was reigning everywhere. This was a very peaceful, delightful and ideal state. After the evil invasion, when the winter and cold weather arrive, Rapithwin retreats underneath the earth to keep water warm so that the plants and trees can survive. When the winter and cold weather go away, Rapithwin appears on the earth.
This is the spring season, the season of florescence and cheerfulness of nature that symbolizes the victory of the good creation over the evil one. In the Zarathushtrian tradition, Rapithwin is a part of daytime in which the universe was created and in this part of daytime the resurrection of the dead will occur.
The Gods of the Cult: Fire and Haoma
Fire and Haoma are intended gods of the cult. These divinities are common between Iran and India, thus they are undoubtedly of Indo-Iranian mythology. In case of fire, one can trace it even in Indo-European culture.
Fire is called Agni in India. It is a mediator between man and the gods. By Iranians, the fire was believed as a god and practiced as a cult. This divinity became thoroughly Zarathushtrized so that it is difficult to distinguish the original form of pre-Zarathushtra from its latter one. There is a well-known myth about the struggle between Fire and Azhi Dahak over Divine Glory. “Azhi, three-mouthed and of evil law, the embodiment of the destructive desire, rushed to grasp the Divine Glory so that he might extinguish it. Atar (Fire) also rushed to grasp and save that unattainable Glory but Azhi, charging behind, ‘blasphemies outpouring’, roared that if Atar seized the glory he would rush on him and stop him from ever blazing forth on earth again. As Atar hesitated, Azhi rushed on to seize the glory. This time it was Atar’s turn to utter threats. He warned Dahaka, ‘get back you three-mouthed monster, if you seize the unattainable glory I shall flame up your bottom and blaze through your mouth so that you will never again advance upon the Ahura earth’. Terrified, Azhi in his turn drew back. And the Divine Glory remained unattainable.” (Hinnels, p.37) The myth states how the Fire saves the divine glory to be accessible, in its time, to the good men.
Haoma is both plant and god. “The ritual pressing of the plant is likened to a number of celestial phenomena, the shining of the sun and the coming of the rain, yet he is also thought of as the divine priest who is himself the victim of a bloodless sacrifice, but the faithful life through sharing in a communion meal.” (Hinnels, p. 38) Haoma, in its terrestrial feature, is a plant found on the mountains. It is now identified as Ephedra. In its natural state, it gives strength and healing. It is more effective when is consecrated. “The first four men said to have pressed Haoma each received the boon of a great son, Vivanghvant who had Yima, Athwya who had Thraetaona, Thrita who had Keresaspa and Pourushaspa who had Zoroaster” (Ibid. p.38)In his celestial feature, Haoma is considered as a divine priest who sacrifices himself. This way, Haoma is god, priest, and victim at the same time. From this sacrifice comes life and strength for faithful men. Haoma symbolically is considered as White Hom that, at the renovation of the world, makes all men immortal. In Yasht 20 that is peculiar to Haoma, in the first stanza, Haoma is venerated as a strong divinity that can make death far away and help man to defeat sorcerers, magicians, Kavis, and karapans.
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