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Fravashi ( ae, 𐬟𐬭𐬀𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬴𐬌, translit=fravaṣ̌i, ) is the
Avestan language Avestan (), or historically Zend, is an umbrella term for two Old Iranian languages: Old Avestan (spoken in the 2nd millennium BCE) and Younger Avestan (spoken in the 1st millennium BCE). They are known only from their conjoined use as the scri ...
term for the Zoroastrian concept of a personal spirit of an individual, whether dead, living, or yet-unborn. The ''fravashi'' of an individual sends out the ''urvan'' (often translated as ' soul') into the material world to fight the battle of good versus evil. On the morning of the fourth day after death, the ''urvan'' is imagined to return to its ''fravashi'', where its experiences in the material world are collected to assist the next generation in their fight between good and evil. In the 9/10th-century works of Zoroastrian tradition (
Pahlavi books Middle Persian literature is the corpus of written works composed in Middle Persian, that is, the Middle Iranian dialect of Persia proper, the region in the south-western corner of the Iranian plateau. Middle Persian was the prestige dialect duri ...
), Avestan ''fravashi'' continues as Middle Persian (and -w- forms, etc), , or . The last days of a year, called (compare Modern Persian: ''farvardin'', first month within the Persian calendar), are dedicated to the . The first month of the year as well as the 19th day of each month are considered under the protection of, and named after, the ''fravashi''s. The winged-disc symbol of Zoroastrianism is traditionally interpreted as a depiction of a .


Etymology

The word is commonly perceived to have ''var-'' "to choose," as its root. From reconstructed (/rt/ clusters in
Avestan Avestan (), or historically Zend, is an umbrella term for two Old Iranian languages: Old Avestan (spoken in the 2nd millennium BCE) and Younger Avestan (spoken in the 1st millennium BCE). They are known only from their conjoined use as the scri ...
usually appear as /š/), could then mean "one who has been selected (for exaltation)." The same root, in the sense of "to choose/profess a faith," is found in the word , the name of the Zoroastrian
credo In Christian liturgy, the credo (; Latin for "I believe") is the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed – or its shorter version, the Apostles' Creed – in the Mass, either as a prayer, a spoken text, or sung as Gregorian chant or other musical setti ...
. Other interpretations take other meanings of ''var-'' into consideration: Either as ''var-'' "to cover" that in a
bahuvrihi A ''bahuvrihi'' compound (from sa, बहुव्रीहि, tr=bahuvrīhi, lit=much rice/having much rice, originally referring to fertile land but later denoting the quality of being wealthy or rich) is a type of compound word that denotes ...
with ''fra-'' "to ward" provides "protective valor," or a derivation from ''var-'' "to make/be pregnant" which gives "promoter of birth, birth-spirit." One interpretation considers a derivation from ''vart-'' "turn" hence "turning away, departing, death." The ''Epistles of Zadspram'', a 10th century exegetical work, derives ''fravashi'' from ''fra-vaxsh'' "to grow forth."


In scripture

Like most other Zoroastrian ''yazata''s, the ''fravashi''s are not mentioned in the ''Gathas''. The earliest mention of them is in the Old Avestan ''Yasna Haptanghaiti'' (''Y.'' 37) which includes an invocation of "the ''fravashi''s of the righteous" (
ashavan Ashavan (Avestan: 𐬀𐬴𐬀𐬬𐬀𐬥 ''ašavan'') is a Zoroastrian theological term. It literally means "possessing/mastering '' aša''" and has been interpreted as "possessing/mastering truth" or "possessing/mastering righteousness", but ha ...
). In chapter 57 of the ''
Yasna Yasna (;"Yasna"
'' Yasht'' 13 ( ''Yasht''), the hymn that is addressed to them and in which they appear as beings who inhabit the stratosphere, and aid and protect those who worship them, and in which the ''fravashi''s are presented on the same level as the lesser ''yazata''s. ''Yasht'' 13 is one of the eight "great" ''yashts'', and at 158 verses the longest text in the collection, and one of the better preserved ones as well. It is also the second-most frequently recited ''Yasht'' (after ''Yasht'' 1 to Mazda). Several different authors contributed to the hymn, and its literary quality is uneven; while some verses are rich in traditional poetic phrases, others are of dully imitative prose. The frequently repeated ''kshnuman'' (formulaic invocation) of ''Yasht'' 13 is "We worship the good, strong, bounteous fravašis of the righteous (
ashavan Ashavan (Avestan: 𐬀𐬴𐬀𐬬𐬀𐬥 ''ašavan'') is a Zoroastrian theological term. It literally means "possessing/mastering '' aša''" and has been interpreted as "possessing/mastering truth" or "possessing/mastering righteousness", but ha ...
)." ''Yasht'' 13 begins with a cosmogonical chapter in which the Creator
Ahura Mazda Ahura Mazda (; ae, , translit=Ahura Mazdā; ), also known as Oromasdes, Ohrmazd, Ahuramazda, Hoormazd, Hormazd, Hormaz and Hurmuz, is the creator deity in Zoroastrianism. He is the first and most frequently invoked spirit in the ''Yasna''. ...
is portrayed as acknowledging that material creation was brought about with the assistance of "many hundreds, many thousands, many tens of thousands" of "mighty, victorious ''fravashi''s" (13.1-2). Moreover, Mazda is presented as acknowledging that without the help of the ''fravashi''s, cattle and men would have been lost to
Angra Mainyu Angra Mainyu (; Avestan: 𐬀𐬢𐬭𐬀⸱𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬎 ''Aŋra Mainiiu'') is the Avestan-language name of Zoroastrianism's hypostasis of the "destructive/evil spirit" and the main adversary in Zoroastrianism either of th ...
. "This declaration is wholly unorthodox, and unsupported by any other text." Verses 14-15, as also several other verses scattered through the text, describe how the ''fravashi''s continue to sustain the material world and mankind in the post-creation phase of the world. Verses 16-17, as also several other later verses, celebrate their military prowess and assistance in battle, where they are invoked. Verse 20 includes an injunction to memorize their invocation, so as to be able to call on them in times of need. In 13.49-52, the hymn turns to the function of the ''fravashi''s in relation to the dead. There, the ''fravashi''s of the dead are said to return to their (former) homes during the last days of the year (Hamaspathmaedaya, frawardigan), hoping to be worshipped and receive gifts, in exchange for which they bless those who live there. This section (''karda''), known to priests by its opening words as the ''ya visatha'', also appears in ''Siroza'' 1/2 and several ''Afrinagans'', notably those of Arda Fravash (the 'righteous fravash') and
Dahman Dahman or Dahman Afrin is the Avestan language name of a Zoroastrian concept, later considered to be the embodiment of prayer, and ultimately (also) as a divinity, one of the ''yazata''s. ''Dahman Afrin'' in its true sense literally translates ...
(the ''yazata'' of prayer), and is thus a frequently recited passage. In ''Yt.'' 13.65-68, the are associated with prosperity, and annually strive to ensure that "family, settlement, tribe, and country" has rain. Verses 149 and 155 are likewise related to the of the dead, and offer worship to both and as distinct parts of a mortal's immaterial nature. And while they are said to have martial prowess in some passages, elsewhere (13.49-52, 13.96-144), they are co-eval with the relatively helpless ''urvan''. This co-identification also occurs elsewhere in the Avesta, such as in ''Yasna'' 16.7, where it is explicit. According to Mary Boyce, the perplexing anomalies of ''Yasht'' 13 are residual traces of ''fravashi'' cult, which she defines as a form of an ancestor worship and/or hero-cult that developed during (what she calls) the 'Iranian Heroic Age' (''c.'' 1500 BCE onwards).


In tradition

Although there is no physical description of a ''fravashi'' in the
Avesta The Avesta () is the primary collection of religious texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language. The Avesta texts fall into several different categories, arranged either by dialect, or by usage. The principal text in the litu ...
, the '' faravahar'', one of the best known symbols of Zoroastrianism, is commonly believed to be the depiction of one. The attribution of the name (which derives from the
Middle Iranian The Iranian languages or Iranic languages are a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages in the Indo-European language family that are spoken natively by the Iranian peoples, predominantly in the Iranian Plateau. The Iranian languages are grouped ...
word for ''fravashi'') to the symbol is probably a later development. In
Avestan language Avestan (), or historically Zend, is an umbrella term for two Old Iranian languages: Old Avestan (spoken in the 2nd millennium BCE) and Younger Avestan (spoken in the 1st millennium BCE). They are known only from their conjoined use as the scri ...
grammar, the ''fravashi'' are unmistakably female, while the ''faravahar'' symbol is unmistakably male. In the ''
Denkard The ''Dēnkard'' or ''Dēnkart'' (Middle Persian: 𐭣𐭩𐭭𐭪𐭠𐭫𐭲 "Acts of Religion") is a 10th-century compendium of Zoroastrian beliefs and customs during the time. The Denkard is to a great extent considered an "Encyclopedia of Ma ...
'''s myth of Zoroaster's conception (''Dk.'', 7.2.15-47), his ''frawahr'' is sent down from heaven within a unique hom-plant to be united on earth with his mortal body (''tanu'') and appointed glory (''
xwarrah Khvarenah (also spelled khwarenah or xwarra(h): ae, 𐬓𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬥𐬀𐬵 ') is an Avestan word for a Zoroastrian concept literally denoting "glory" or "splendour" but understood as a divine mystical force or power projected upon and aidin ...
''). In the ''
Bundahishn ''Bundahishn'' (Avestan: , "Primal Creation") is the name traditionally given to an encyclopedic collection of Zoroastrian cosmogony and cosmology written in Book Pahlavi. The original name of the work is not known. Although the ''Bundahishn'' d ...
'''s creation myth narrates a fable in which the fravashis are given a choice of either remaining protected with Ahura Mazda, or being born into mortals, suffering but also helping bring about the defeat of Angra Mainyu. The ''fravashi''s are shown the future before the creation of the ''getik'' material world. Ohrmazd's offer of security with inaction is rejected and the ''fravashi'' consent to enter the material world as active allies in the battle against evil (''GBd.'' 34.12f). In another cosmological myth (''Zadspram'' 3.2-3), when Angra Mainyu breaks into the created world, the ''fravashi''s draw together on the rim of the sky to imprison him. The ''Denkard'', ''Shikand gumanic vichar'', ''Menog i khrat'', ''Zatspram'', and several other works together include an extensive theological exegesis on the distinction between and (material and immaterial) aspects of creation, and between the and . In the hierarchy of the '' yazatas'', the ''fravashi''s are the assistants of the
Amesha Spenta In Zoroastrianism, the Amesha Spenta ( ae, , Aməša Spəṇta—literally "Immortal (which is) holy/bounteous/furthering") are a class of seven divine entities emanating from Ahura Mazda, the highest divinity of the religion. Later Middle Persia ...
''
Haurvatat Haurvatat /ˈhəʊrvətət/ (Avestan: ') is the Avestan language word for the Zoroastrian concept of "wholeness" or "perfection." In post-Gathic Zoroastrianism, Haurvatat was the Amesha Spenta associated with water (''cf.'' '' apo''), prosper ...
'' ( Middle Persian: ''Khordad'') of "Wholeness", whose special domain are "the Waters" (Avestan '' Apo'', Middle Persian: ''Aban''). In the day-name dedications of the Zoroastrian calendar, the ''fravashi''s preside over the 19th day of the month and the first month of the year, and both are named after the ''fraward''s. The intersection of the month-name and day-name dedications are the name-day feast of the ''fraward''s. This feast day of ''farvardin jashan'' is especially observed by Zoroastrians who have lost a relative in the preceding year. Additionally, the fourth watch (''gah'') of the twenty-four-hour day, from sunset to midnight, is under the protection of the ''fraward''s.


References

;Citations ;Works cited * . * * . * * {{Zoroastrian Months Yazatas Ancient Iranian legendary creatures de:Fravashi