Ancien Culture and Languages

Ancien Culture and Languages

Search for Mēhr in Gāhān

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
"Mēhr" is one of the most significant deities in Zoroastrianism, receiving as much praise as Ahuramazda in the Mēhr Yašt. Indeed, Mēhr was a great god venerated before the emergence of Zarathustra. However, his absence in the Gāhān has been a topic of discussion among scholars. It has been suggested that Zarathushtra relegated other deities to inferior positions below Ahuramazda. In this research, we aim to explore Mēhr’s characteristics in other parts of the Avesta to determine whether Zarathushtra disregarded Mēhr or acknowledged him. To achieve this goal, we have meticulously examined certain stanzas from the Gāhān and Mēhr Yašt to identify Mēhr’s attributes and find personages with similar characteristics in the Gāhān. Ultimately, we find some passages in the Gāhān that likely refer to Mēhr. These references are related to the bull, a sacred creature in the Avesta, which symbolizes light and brightness, as well as wisdom and knowledge Mēhr, too, embodies light and brightness, and is connected to the bull. Consequently, we can conclude that Zarathushtra indirectly refers to Mēhr in his poetry. Additionally, the scrutiny of relevant Vedic passages suggests noteworthy similarities between Mēhr and Ušas. This desk research, which is a new approach to the subject, is descriptive and analytical in nature.
Keywords

Volume 4, Issue 1 - Serial Number 6
September 2023
Pages 99-111

  • Receive Date 28 November 2023
  • Revise Date 17 February 2024
  • Accept Date 22 February 2024