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Zoroaster
Zaraϑuštra Spitāma
Zoroaster holds the celestial sphere in Raphael's School of Athens
Title	Ashu or Asho
Personal life
Born	Eastern Iran
Nationality	Ancient Eastern Iranian
Notable work(s)	Gathas and Yasna Haptanghaiti
Religious life
Religion	Zoroastrianism
Profession	Priest
Senior posting
Based in	Iran

Lead

Etmyology

The earliest mention of Zoroaster's name is found in the Gathas, as Zarathustra. This name is written in Old Avestan, and is later also found in the Avestan scriptures. The complete form of his name is Spitama Zarathustra, Spitama being his family name. Reconstructions from later Iranian languages, in particular from the Middle Persian Zardusht, which is the form the name has in the 9th to 12th-century Zoroastrian texts, suggest that *Zaratuštra- might be a zero-grade form of *Zarantuštra-. There is no clear consensus on the etymology of Zarathustra, other than the second portion uštra signifying camel. For the first portion of his name, whether Zaraϑuštra derives from *Zaratuštra- or from *Zarantuštra-, several interpretations have been proposed.

Following *Zaratuštra-, the interpretations are [owner of the] golden camel" - this is derived from old Eastern Iranian word *zar- for gold and ushtra for camel, further corresponding to an Eastern Iranian origin (the Old Persian word dar as a Western-Iranian dialect would be the equal term of Eastern Iranian zar; Modern Persian uses the Eastern Iranian word for gold), driving camel - related to Avestan zarš-, "to drag", yellow camel - parallel to younger Avestan zairi-. As well, Mayrhofer ) proposed an etymology of "desiring camels" or "longing for camels" and related to Vedic har-, "to like", and perhaps (though ambiguous) also to Avestan zara-.

Following *Zarantuštra-, the interpretations are angry camel - from Avestan *zarant-, "angry, furious", or old/aging camels - related to Avestic zarant-. (cf. Pashto zorr and Ossetic zœrond, "old"; Persian zāl, "old")

A folk etymology of the name is from zaraϑa, "golden", and the *uštra, "light" (from the root uš, "to shine"). In yet another etymological variation, Zaraϑuštra is split into two words: zara, "gold", and ϑuštra, "friend". Several more etymologies have been proposed, some quite fanciful, but none is factually based. The English name "Zoroaster" and the Persian name Zartosht derives from a later (5th-century BCE) Greek transcription, Zōroastrēs (Ζωροάστρης).

Primary sources

Zoroaster left the Gathas, hymns composed by Zoroaster himself, which contain sections which talk about Zoroaster's mission to promote his view on truth, from which his life has been inferred. Zoroaster's life was also discussed in detail in the Spend Nask of the Avesta, but it was lost, although it's contents are summarized in the Denkard.

Life

Family history and lineage

Zoraster hailed from the clan of Spitama. His father was Pourushpa, his mother was Dughdova.

Lineage of Zoroaster

Bundahishn and Vijirkart-i-Dinig
Manushcicar
Durasrobo
Rajishn
Nayazem
Vaedisht
Spitamano
Haridar
Hardrshn
Paetirasp
Cikshnush
Haecatasp
Urvandasp
Paitirasp
Porushaspo
Zarathust

Early life

There is no solid consensus, and there has been much debate about the birthplace of Zoroaster. While there is no agreement on the location of his birthplace, it was well known that Zoroaster lived and preached in Eastern Iran. While some scholars state that Zoroaster did not travel far from his birthplace, and was thus born in Eastern Iran, some scholars have stated that Zoroaster was born in Western Iran, and travelled to Eastern Iran. The Gathas do not give any indication about the birthplace or location of Zoroaster, while the geography of the Avesta, specifically the Vendidad and the Yashts place the location of the texts in Eastern Iran. In Greek tradition, Zoroaster's place of birth was Balkh, although today scholars reject that opinion.

Just like his place of birth, there has been much debate, and no general consensus on the date of Zoroaster.

Revelation

According to tradition, Zoroaster received his first revelation at a religious festival or during the season of one. He had left his home to attend a holy gathering in the company of others. He was 30 years old at the time, (according to the Bundahishn, this was 630 BCE). The revelation occurs at the river Daitya, which Pahlavi traditions locate in Azerbaijan. There Vohu Manah, the Good Mind appears to him, and leads him to the throne of Ahura Mazda, guaranteeing him a conference with Ahura Mazda. This conference would be the first of 7 over the next 10 years. After this initial conference, Zoroaster preaches reform to the priests, which has no effect as the priests disregarded his preachings. Zoroaster then heads to the kings of many kingdoms, including Turan and Sistan, but once again his reform is disregarded. This journey encompassed 10 years, and Zoroaster received all 7 of the conferences with Ahura Mazda, completing the revelation.

Conversions

At the end of the revelation, Zoroaster manages only one convert, Maidhyoi-maonha. In the Gathas, Zoroaster displays discouragement and is disheartened at the minimal success that he managed. At the bidding of Ahura Mazda, Zoroaster travels to the court of Vishtaspa. Tradition states that Zoroaster spent two years trying to win over Vishtaspa, where Zoroaster met many obstacles and unbounded opposition. False priests make an incorrect account to the king about Zoroaster, which land him in jail. However, the favourite black horse of the king is wounded, and Zoroaster performs a miracle which wins the king to the faith. Since the king converted to the new religion, the queen and the court followed the king into conversion. Zoroaster is forty-two years old when he manages these conversions. After the conversion of the royal family, conversions throughout the kingdom occurred rapidly. After the kingdom of Vishtaspa, conversions spread through the rest of Iran, Turan, India, Greece and Asia Minor.

References

Bibliography

• Jackson, A.V. Williams (1965), Zoroaster, the Prophet of Ancient Iran, Forgotten Books
• Jackson, A.V.Willaims (2003), Zoroastrian Studies: The Iranian Religion and Various Monographs (Reprint ed.), Kessinger Publishing, ISBN 9780766166554
• Hutter, Manfred (2009), ZOROASTER IN THE AVESTA (Online ed.), Encyclopedia Iranica