Ancien Culture and Languages

Ancien Culture and Languages

Zoroastrian's attitude towards sacrifice and drinking hum

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Postdoctoral student of Persian language and literature at Shahid Beheshti University
2 faculity
Abstract
Animal sacrifice is a ritual that has been practiced in various periods of human life, and people tried to please the animals by slaughtering them and offering them to the higher powers. Sacrifice is a ritual that has existed in most religions and in various periods of history; The religion of Zoroastrianism is one of the religions in which sacrifice is of particular importance. One of the topics that can be a strong reason for Zoroaster's opposition to aspects of the sacrifice ritual is the numerous animal sacrifices, which later become a model for sacrifices. The present study, which is a descriptive-analytical method and based on a library study, tries to analyze the permission or prohibition of animal sacrifice and drinking hummus by Zoroaster. The results show:according to the many documents available in Avesta, Pahlavi and Persian traditions, meat-eating is not prohibited in Zoroastrian religion and bloody sacrifices are one of the basic rituals of this religion. The importance of sacrifice in this ritual is to the extent that in the end of time, the sacrificial cow is sacrificed for the immortality of the people. Also in the collection of Zoroastrian deities, a deity is dedicated to the sacrifice (Home) and this same deity demands the tongue and jaw of the left of the sacrifice; The existence of such fundamental beliefs rejects the Prophet's opposition to sacrifice. The teachings of Zoroaster seem to have been opposed to the primitive form of sacrifice (one hundred horses, a thousand cows, and ten thousand sheep), which in turn led to the impoverishment of the people and the destruction of the fields; He opposed the inhumane tradition of sacrificing oxen, burning sacred home, dancing and dancing with the savagery and drunkenness of drinking hummus and mixing it with cow's blood
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Volume 5, Issue 1 - Serial Number 8
January 2026
Pages 135-163

  • Receive Date 11 February 2024
  • Revise Date 07 July 2024
  • Accept Date 16 July 2024