Abstract
Iran
and Armenia have had extensive historical, political and cultural relations
over many millennia. Armenia was influenced by the Persian Empire from the
Median era. This influence took place in both political as well as cultural and
religious views. Iranians' religious influence on Armenians, happened by Gregory
the Illuminator until Armenia became Christian in mid three century. Because
Iranians and Armenians are of the same race and the two countries are close to
each other, it seems that these two nations have had mutual effects on each
other in various areas including religion and beliefs. Therefore, in this
research, we try to investigate the position of lady Anahita among Iranians and
Armenians in ancient times as well as the roots of the Iranian goddess'
influence on the Armenian deity.
Keywords:
Anahita, Iran, Armenia, Achaemenian Artaxerxes II
Hypothesis
In
ancient times, Iranians' religious beliefs affected Armenians' beliefs very
much. For example, the Iranian goddess "Anahita" who influenced the
Armenian "Nane" and the Iranian Anahita turned into
"Anahit" who took the characteristics of the Iranian deity.
Introduction
Anahita
is a goddess described with special adjectives. In Yashts, she is described as
being powerful, white, beautiful and physically fit (Yasht 5, paragraph 2),
with golden shoes and a belt, wearing an expensive golden wrinkled mantle (Yasht
5, paragraphs 7, 64 & 126). She holds a Barsam[1]in her
hand, wears golden earrings and a crown with a hundred diamonds (Yasht 5,
paragraphs 127 and 128). She lives among the stars (Yasht 5, paragraph 88), and
4 male horses move her carrousel (Yash 5, paragraphs 11 and 13) which are wind,
rain, cloud and hail (Yasht 5, paragraph 120). She must be asked for help to
defeat demons and enemies (Yasht 5, paragraphs 23, 26, 46, 50). She has a
beautiful face, white arms as big as a horse's shoulders and protruding breasts
and as she has a tight belt on her waist, rides on her carrousel and 4 equally
sized and colored horses move it (Yasht 5, paragraphs 11-13). Anahita wears
expensive diamonds, and wears a crown that is decorated with 100 shiny
diamonds. She wears shiny shoes and skin (Bahar, 2002: 81). Aredvi sura Anahita
meaning powerful clean waters, is the source of all waters on earth. She is the
source of fertility and cleans all males' sperms, all females' womb and cleans
the milk in mothers' breasts (Yasht 5, paragraph 2). She increases seeds and
lands (Bahar, 2002: 81). In middle Persian, Anahit is known with the tile Banug
which is seen in Sassanid inscriptions. Banug in Persian has been used among Zoroastrians
and Muslims; sacrifices were offered to Anahit as a holy goddess, as is
described in Yasht 5, paragraphs 15 and 21. For example, in the temple of
Persian Banug in Sharifabad of Yazd, cows were sacrificed and this sacrifice
was probably offered to Aredvi sura Anahita who was the goddess of water in the
Zoroastrian community of Sharifabad (Russell,1987:215).
Every year in the day of Eid al-Adha, Muslims in Niyasar of Kashan (whose
pre-Islamic beliefs, were transformed in their Islamic practice), beside a
fountain located next to a plantain in front of a penthouse that is very sacred
to people, sacrifice a cow[2] (Javadi,
2007:16). There is a big probability that many holy places located in mountains
and near fountains and are called "Dokhtar" or "Bibi", were
once dedicated to Anahid. Nowadays, the Zoroastrians of Yazd, call the term daughter
as "water of Nahid" (Boyce, 1985: 1006). The goddess Anahita was
linked to all society classes. Kings and powerful people constructed beautiful temples
for Anahita, such as the temple of Anahita in Bishapour that was a royal temple
and was constructed by the order of Sassanid king; common people also had holy
buildings for themselves where they praised Anahita and prayed to her; other
temples for Anahita known with the name Saghatalaar in the province of
Mazandaran included small rooms with wooden ceiling and columns which were also
sometimes made with other materials which were located near farmlands where
people prayed to Anahita for rain and abundance in their harvests[3]
(adapted form: Javadi, 2007:13).
Anahita
in ancient Iran
Anahita
is the Zoroastrian deity of ancient Iran's mythology. An-ahi-ta means clean and
uncontaminated (Gholizadeh, 2013: 93). Her nickname in Avesta is aredvu sura;
aredvu is the name of a legendary river and sura means powerful which is an
adjective of aredvu and in most cases comes with another adjective which is Anahita
meaning clean and in Pahlavi it is Anahid (Afifi, 2004: 634) and in Persian it
is Nahid. Aredvu means fertile and blessed (Bahar, 2002:80). The full name of
Anahita, Aredvu sura Anahita meaning moist powerful innocent, clearly mentions
three functions (Duchesne Giman, 2002: 236). Anahita was a fertile deity and is
apparently the same as the Babylonian or Elamite goddess Nane and later Artemis
of Greece (Duchesne Giman, 2002: 236). Ardwisur Anahid is the goddess and
symbol of water which was always sacred to Iranians. Yasht 5 and Yasne 65th
are about her and waters. Her existence with reliance on this very Yasne and
Yasht, affects men's birth. Hormoz praises her, Hushang, Gem, Azhdi Hak,
Freidun, Garshasb, Afrasiab, Kavoos and others sacrifice for her and ask her
for them needs (Yasht 5, paragraphs 17- 47). In the inscriptions of Darius and
Xerxes, no mentions of her exists; these two kings considered Ahouramazda as
the best master, and the greatest god but did not deny the existence of other
gods. During the time of Darius, the existence of other gods was recognized as
extra gods beside the all-knowing master. Darius calls those gods as
"other gods that exist". Xerxes, considered Ahouramazda as the
creator of the earth, sky, human and happiness,… "Ahouramazda is the great
god, the greatest of gods; who created this earth, happiness, made Xerxes the
king, one among many kings, one ruler among many rulers. I, Xerxes, the great
king, the king of kings, the king of countries, owning many countries; the king
of this vast remote land, son of Darius, the Achaemenid king" (Sharp, 2005:85).
But it was from the time of King Artaxerxes the second (359-404 BC) when the
name of Anahita goddess was included beside Ahouramazda and Mitra in
inscriptions…"The great Xerxes, the king of kings, the king of people, the
king on this earth, the son of Darius the king, Darius the son of King
Artaxerxes, King Artaxerxes son of Xerxes, King Xerxes son of King Darius,
Darius son of the Achaemenid Vishtaspa. He states that, by the will of
Ahouramazda and Nahid and Mitra, I built this Apadana Palace. Ahouramazda and
Nahid and Mitra protect me from all evil; do not destroy what I have built and
no damage be done to it" (Sharp, 2005: 139). It is said that when Artaxerxes
the second, related Mitra and Anahita to Ahouramazda, he actually followed the
orientation of public masses; in this regard, Ghirshman write: scientists think
that the inclusion of Anahita's cult was done by Artaxerxes the second and
worship of her statues in Susa, Persepolis, Ecbatana, Babylon, Damascus, Soros
and Balkh temples must have been supported by all the nations under one religion
whose effects survived for a long time in Minor Asian Nations (Ghirshman, 1970:
232). Merry Buss, considers the start of Anahita worship during Artaxerxes the
second's rule as an innovation of Persians. Artaxerxes in an inscription he has
in Susa states that the construction of his palace was with the help of
Ahouramazda, Anaitis and Mitra and asks them to protect him from enemies. Artaxerxes
the second, officially calls Anahita in his inscriptions. Berossos, Kaldeh historian
writes in this regard: Artaxerxes the second was the first person that built statues
of Aphrodite - Anaitis in Babylon, Susa, Ecbatana, Persepolis, Balkh, Damascus
and Sardis and started her praise in that nation; after him, Artaxerxes the
third also mentions Anahita beside Ahouramazda and Mitra (Widengren, 1998:
176). In north of Persepolis, there is a large building complex called
"Parasteshgah Fertdareh" belonging to the time of Xerxes the second
and it is assumed that this complex was one of the king's buildings for Anahita
(Boyce, 2007:90).
Parthians
like Achaemenian, worshiped Urmozd, Mehr and Anahita as their main deities. The
name of Ab-Nahid, is seen for the first time during Parthians. During
Parthians, Anahid was very popular. Since the time of Artaxerxes the second,
belief in Anahid had become more important than in other deities and the
goddess Nahid was also the most important one during Parthians (Ghirshman,
1970: 321). Among Parthians, elements such as water and fire were highly
praised. They praised water and rivers and avoided sea voyages because they
feared they might contaminate the water and sadden Anahita goddess
(Khodadadian, 2000, 256). Worship of Anahita during the Sasanian period was as
popular as it was during the Achaemenian period, but during the former, no
statues were made for the goddess and instead, in holy buildings, they ignited
the holy fire, thus, the cult of idol worshipping which was included by the
Artaxerxes the first into the Zoroastrian religion came to its end (Boyce,
2007: 136-137).
Ardashir
Babakan, founder of the Sassanian dyNossty, was the guardian of the temple of
Anahita in the city of Estakhr, which was considered as a god-blessed honorable
position at that time (Avarzamani, 2014: 37) or in Naqsh-e Rustam, Narseh has a
stone carving where he introduces himself as a devotee of Anahita. He is
depicted in this stone carving as he receives the ring of kingdom from this
goddess who is wearing a crown and a complete robe (adapted from, Javadi,
Avarzamani, 2008:44). In Taq-e Bostan in Kermanshah, Khosrow Parviz, made the
last Sassanian stone carving from the scene of this authority granting where he
is receiving the ring of kingdom from Ahouramazda while the goddess of
streaming waters and fertility and prosperity who supports this dyNossty, spills
water down from a jug in a symbolic manner. During the Sassanid period, holy
fires were set in the name of goddess Anahid. For example, they set a fire in
Estakhr and offered it to Anahid.
At
the time of Bahram II, the great priest "Kartir", introduces himself
as the owner of Anahid Artaxerxes and Anahid Banug's fireplace (Yazdani, 2014:
115). During the time of Bahram II, there are two big fireplaces in Estakhr of
Pars called Anahid Artaxerxes fireplace and Anahid Banug fireplace whose
supervision is under the control of the great priest of that time
"Kartir" (Back, 1987:411). Shapur I, constructed a fireplace in
Bishapour which is recognized as a fireplace of Anahid because of its unique
characteristic. Narseh in his inscription in Paykooli writes: "… Anahid
who is called Banug." (Yazdani, 2014: 67).
Anahita
in ancient Armenia:
According
to Jacques De Morgan, there is evidence making us think that Armenians like
many Indo-Europeans, started religion with the worship of the nature, therefore
these primitive religions, created a form of national monotheism in them, in
which many gods and goddesses adapted from Greek and Roman and Iranian myths
were included. The old beliefs of Armenians that is religion and worship of deities,
is a very diverse and unclear collection. Iranian, Assyrian and Greek gods and
goddesses that were very important in terms of cultural-historical relations of
those ages and had a great effect on the psychosocial life of Armenians,
greatly influenced Armenians' beliefs and also Armenian gods evolved by
transforming the gods of those nations (Ivazian, 2012: 77-79). Before the start
of the cultural interaction of Iran and Armenia before the time of
Achaemenians, the holy goddess of Armenia was called "Nane" who was
the third goddess among the Armenian deities. She was the daughter of "Aramazd"
who had the greatest position among the Armenian myths. Nane was the sister of
"Astghik", the Armenian goddess of love, water and sorrow
(Baghdarmian, 2001: 53). "Nane" was also called "Nani" and
"Nan" which meant mother and grandmother. She was also the goddess of
wisdom and virtue, spirit birth and was also called the bride of immortality[4]. According
to researchers' belief, "Nane" was of the Sami goddess of Sumer and
Akkad (Nurizadeh, 1997: 259) where she was recognized with the name
"Nanai". In prehistoric ages, she went to Transoxiana and was praised
there; in the temple of "Nanai", the ancient practice of holy
prostitution existed (Bahar, 1997:103). Until Armenia was not influenced by
Iranian culture, the goddess "Nane" had to be like her Sami origin
that means that "Nane" and also other Sami deities such as
"Istar", had to be a seductive woman and not a symbol of purity and
chastity. But with the increased influence of Anahita in Achaemenid Iran, her
name and influence reached beyond the borders of Iran. Nahidism which was
rapidly growing during Achaemenian Artaxerxes II and was supported by Iran's
high king, made it spread to other parts of the Iranian kingdom; one of these
regions was Armenia in which the worship of Anahita became particularly
important, therefore, we see the presence of a goddess named "Anahit"
in Armenian myths who was known as the increaser of fruits and births and the
symbol of mother and best values and the most sacred goddess among the Armenian
deities (Baghdarsian, 2001: 53).
With
Iran's increased influence in ancient Armenia, we see a rise in the position of
this goddess such that the Armenian "Anahit" changes into one of the
daughters of "Aramazd" and becomes the sister of two older goddesses
"Nane" and "Astghik" and gradually we see that the role of
the other two deities fades and gets absorbed into the personality of
"Anahit" and their Sami adjectives replace the Iranian adjectives for
"Anahit".
"Anahit"
was also very important to Armenians; according to Estrabon, Pliny and Plutarch,
before Agathange and Khorenatsi, the most popular deity was Anahit. According
to a report by "Aganthange" (Armenian historian who was the secretary
of King Tiridates III of Armenia and had written the biography of St. Gregory
the Illuminator evangelist in Armenia), Anahit loves all mankind, is the great
queen, mother of all wisdom and charisma of Armenia (Agathangelos,1976:51). The golden statues
of Anahit existed in Artaxata and Artasat and in the border of Taron. According
to these evidences it can be said that Anahit is an ancient goddess in Armenia.
She is described as the protector and watcher of life (Agathangelos,1976:106). She was also called
the golden mother. Golden statues are offered to her. She is the giver of life,
lived among her children, she is as the grandmother and deity of harvest and
resurrecting waters of rivers and fountains (Russell 1987:257).
Armenians
had temples in Akilisene. In Tiladamprada, around Euphrates, there was an
Anahita temple as well. According to Aganthange, Anahit had temples in Yastisat
(in northwest of Van) (Agathangelos,1976:50).
It is said that there existed a statue of Anahita in the border of Anzavatzs
near the Black Smith stone (Alishan: 1895:50). Some believe that worship of
Anahita in Armenia originated from Zoroastrianism. Although Iranians did not
have idols and were not idol worshipper, but according to Herodotus, Artaxerxes
(316-404 BC) ordered that Iranians build a statue for Anahita and worship it; because
a historian of ancient Greece (Perseus) states that said king, had built
statues of Anahita in distant cities of Babylon, Damascus, Hamedan, Sardis and
Susa (John Hinls, 1996: 137). Anahita is the opposite of Artemis a Greek myth
who was a goddess of virtue and chastity. This claim is properly proven from
the words of King Tiridates of Armenia;
the great Banug Anahit who is the honor of our nation, is the mother of all
wisdom and daughter of the great and brave Aramazd (Abrahamyan,1970:100-109).
Goddesses
of fertility
Arnold Joseph Toynbee says: mother, is the
most ancient art subject of mankind, (Toynbee, 1983: 350). Some anthropologists
believe that in ancient times, the primitive society was dominated by women and
(matrilineal) is a remainder of that time that is matriarchy (Azadegan, 1993:
25). Change in the structure of prehistoric (matriarchic) societies was usually
due to the invasion of (patriarchic) desert dwellers. This system is also
evident among societies that later joined the written history period. For
example among the native people of south-east Australia, until 1869AD, every
person took the ancestry from his/her mother (Noss, 2003:29). Or in Japan,
until late 8th century, women governed the states and controlled the
politics (Rosenberg, 1998:712). The main concept of matriarchy is not only
feminine power, but also the power of woman as a mother. Feminine power is
given due to the maternal position of woman in primitive society (Bamberger,
1974:263).
Many beliefs, ceremonies and religious rituals have been formed in
relation with the economic needs of humanity such as more product and herds for
food, and more children for help with harvesting and strengthening one's family
and tribe in times of war. Some of these traditions are common among all ancient
civilizations such as grain dancing when planting seeds along with spilling the
blood of a sacrificed human or animal and burying the dead body in the ground
or offering the first fresh product from the fruits or grain to gods or
offering the first child to gods, the symbolic ceremony of the marriages of
gods with the goddess of fertility performed by actors (Noss, 2003: 17).
In Greek myths, the first goddess of fertility is Gaia who gives
her place to her son and spouse Uranus the male god of the sky. In the next
generation of gods, Rhea who is Cronus's wife is tasked with protection of
fertility (Rosenberg, 1999:70). After the titans leave godhood to Zeus and his
family, Hera becomes the queen of the sky. Ancient Greek mountain dwellers,
worshipped Hera and there are many stories about ancient mother-worshippers
about him. Whereas, Zeus was the god of the northern invading tribes (who were
father worshippers) and in order to establish his place in the defeated
country, he married Hera (Noss, 2003: 81). Among the children of Zeus, Aphrodite,
Artemis, Athena and Eileithyia are somehow related to fertility; Aphrodite was
worshipped in Phoenicia and Assyria in the form of a pyramid with blazing
torches and in Egypt she was identical to Hathor. The cult of Aphrodite was
brought into Greece by Phoenicians which with the title Urania, was the symbol of
ideal love (Fazaeli, 2004:71). More than any other deity, Aphrodite has been
praised by artists and as a model for feminine beautify, inspired esthetes and caused
the creation of many art works. Artemis was the lady of the wild and the
hunting mistress of gods and caretaker of infants (Hamilton, 2004: 36). Several
east-origin goddesses were mixed together to create the myth of Artemis; the
Persian Anahita, Turkish Banis, Cretan Dokerton and … she was asked for the
fertility of herds and women, but Artemis herself, was proud of her eternal
virginity and preferred hunting and war over marriage (Fazaeli, 2004:40).
In Roman mythology, Ceres, was the goddess of farming, vegetation
and the cultivation of crops and plants and was considered as the goddess of
fertility and maternal relations. There were different forms of cults for
worshipping her.
She was originally the central deity in Rome's so-called plebeian
or Aventine Triad, then was paired with her daughter Proserpina in what Romans
described as "Greek rites of agriculture and vegetation". She played
an important role in the marriages and funerals of Romans. Seven days of the
month Avril belonged to her in in which the popular festival of Cerealia was held. In
May, and also at the Ambarvalia festival at harvest-time, she was honored. Her
tasks and duties and also her rites of worship, are similar to her Greek
counterpart Demeter and this Greek goddess has commonalities in many mythological
aspects with Ceres (Perowne, 2002: 47).
Hetaira[5] which
was initially a form of a rite of worship of mythological gods, was common in
Greece, Armenia, Assyria and Babylon. Such that Istar the goddess of love, war,
dawn and dusk was considered as being the same as the planet Venus. In this
position, in her shrine, holy prostitution was part of Istar's cult and when
she visited the earth, prostitutes and whores accompanied her. Istar was also
considered the prostitute of gods. The special ceremony for this mythological
belief, was held in Armenia in the temple of Anahita; but there is no evidence
to support this subject and Christian authors have not mentioned anything in
this regard. Ceremonies related to Hetaira in the temples of the fertility
goddess in Iran, belong to the period before the coming of Aryans which remain
from the time of matriarchy in Iran before Aryans (Nurizade, 1997: 267-268).
The
idea of prostitution for Anahita may be due to the mixture of Iranian, Babylonian
and Greek beliefs and cultures whose gods were very similar to the point that a
group of people consider Anahita as being the same as the Sami and Greek
goddesses (Amini Lari, Mahmudi, 2016:62). Therefore, regarding the Iranian
goddess, the protector of pure and clean waters and fertility, there was no
rite mixed with obscenity and the rites related to Anahita were mixed with
purity, cleanness and blessing; the goddess of waters had always been a pure
mistress away from seduction and obscenity and never like the Greek or Sami
goddesses; the mistresses who served in these temples had a purity pledge.
Conclusion
In
ancient times, religions had always been influenced by the religions of other
nations and also influenced them. Armenians' beliefs in ancient times, were
very much influenced by the Iranians which is evident after the change of
Armenians' religion to Christianity, such that the ancient beliefs transformed
and survived into the new religion. By comparing Anahita in Iran and Armenia,
it can be concluded that "Nane" in Armenia which originated from Sami
goddesses and was influenced by Iranians' beliefs particularly during the
Achaemenian period when orientation towards "Nahid" had increased
amongst Iranian kings, changed her identity from a Sami deity and turned into
the Iranian Anahita and her goddess functions became very similar to the
Iranian goddess;
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[1] Barsam or Barsman, is the cut branches
of a tree called Tak and Tai in Pahlavi and Persian, respectively. It seems
from Avesta that Barsam must be of vegetation such as pomegranate and tamarisk
(tree) and haoma. The branches are usually cut with a tool called Barsamchin. In
Farsi cultures, it is written that "Barsam is thin untangled branches and
about span of it is cut from the haoma tree and that tree is like tamarisk
(tree) and if not haoma, it is tamarisk tree otherwise pomegranate which they
cut using Barsamchin while praying and whispering". Sometimes in rituals,
metal Barsams made from brass and silver are used instead of plants. Each metal
Tai is as long as nine phalanxes and has a diameter of one eight phalanx. In
Avesta, the number of Barsams has been mentioned as being from 3 to 35. Barsams
are wrapped in a strap made of palm fiber, such as Koshti and Zoroastrians'
belt, this strap is also called Koshti (Ušēdarmāh, 1992, about Barsam).
[2] For more information look at: Javadi,
Sh. (2007), holy places in relation to nature-water, tree and mountain-.
Baghenazar Magazine, No. 8, autumn and winter of 2007. From 12 to 22.
[3] For more information look at: Javadi,
Sh. (2007), holy places in relation to nature-water, tree and mountain-.
Baghenazar Magazine, No. 8, autumn and winter of 2007. From 12 to 22.
[5] Hetaira: Traditionally, historians of ancient Greece have distinguished
between hetairai and pornai, another class of Greek prostitute. In contrast to
pornai, who provided sex for a large number of clients in brothels or on the
street, hetairai were thought to have had only a few men as clients at any one
time, to have had long-term relationships with them, and to have provided
companionship and intellectual stimulation as well as sex. ( Kurke, Leslie
(1997). "Inventing the "Hetaira": Sex, Politics, and Discursive
Conflict in Archaic Greece". Classical Antiquity 16 (1): 107–108.)
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