Arshtat ( ae, 𐬀𐬭𐬱𐬙𐬁𐬝) 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 scrip ...

name of a

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic ...

principle and signifies either "justice". or "honesty.", col. 205. As a substantive, ''arshtat'' designates the divinity Arshtat, the hypostasis of "Rectitude" and "Justice". Her standing epithet is "world-furthering" or "world-promoting."

In scripture

Although there is a ''

yasht The Yashts are a collection of twenty-one hymns in the Younger Avestan language. Each of these hymns invokes a specific Zoroastrian divinity or concept. ''Yasht'' chapter and verse pointers are traditionally abbreviated as ''Yt.'' Overview The wor ...

'' nominally dedicated to Arshtat (''Yasht 18''), this hymn does not mention her, and it has been supposed that "the occurrence of ''arš-'' 'correct' may have been the reason" for the dedication. citing
. Arshtat is closely allied with "the most upright"

Rashnu Rashnu ( ae, 𐬭𐬀𐬴𐬢𐬏) is the Avestan language name of the Zoroastrian ''yazata'' of justice. Together with Mithra and Sraosha, Rashnu is one of the three judges who pass judgment on the souls of people after death. Rashnu's standar ...

, the "Judge." The two appear as a ''

dvandva A dvandva ('pair' in Sanskrit) is a linguistic compound in which multiple individual nouns are concatenated to form an agglomerated compound word in which the conjunction has been elided to form a new word with a distinct semantic field. For ins ...

'' compound "Rashnu-Arshtat" in ''

Yasna Yasna (;"Yasna"
'' . This is an eschatological identification, and in the liturgy recited on the third day after death she is invoked with Rashnu, Sraosha "Obedience" and

Mithra Mithra ( ae, ''Miθra'', peo, 𐎷𐎰𐎼 ''Miça'') commonly known as Mehr, is the Iranian deity of covenant, light, oath, justice and the sun. In addition to being the divinity of contracts, Mithra is also a judicial figure, an all-seein ...

"Covenant", together the three guardians of the

Chinvat bridge The Chinvat Bridge (Avestan: 𐬗𐬌𐬥𐬬𐬀𐬙𐬋 𐬞𐬈𐬭𐬈𐬙𐬏𐬨 ''Cinvatô Peretûm'', "bridge of judgement" or "beam-shaped bridge") or the Bridge of the Requiter in Zoroastrianism is the sifting bridge, which separates t ...

.. In ''Sirozeh'' 1.26 and 2.26,. Arshtat is invoked as the divinity presiding over the 26th day of the month (cf.

Zoroastrian calendar Adherents of Zoroastrianism use three distinct versions of traditional calendars for liturgical purposes, all derived from medieval Iranian calendars and ultimately based on the Babylonian calendar as used in the Achaemenid empire. ''Qadimi'' ...

). Both verses associate her with the mythical Mount Ushidarena the "keeper of intelligence" that in Zoroastrian tradition is where

Zoroaster Zoroaster,; fa, زرتشت, Zartosht, label= Modern Persian; ku, زەردەشت, Zerdeşt also known as Zarathustra,, . Also known as Zarathushtra Spitama, or Ashu Zarathushtra is regarded as the spiritual founder of Zoroastrianism. He is ...

spent his years in isolation. ''Yasna'' 16.6 states the 26th day of the month is sacred to her. Arshtat is once (''Visperad'' 7.2) identified with

Daena Daēnā () is a Zoroastrian concept representing insight and revelation, hence "conscience" or "religion." Alternately, ''Daena'' is considered to be a divinity, counted among the ''yazata''s. Nomenclature Daena is a feminine noun which translat ...

. (generally translated as "Religion").

In tradition

Arshtat's eschatological role is carried forward into the 9th–14th century texts of Zoroastrian tradition, where she appears as

Middle Persian Middle Persian or Pahlavi, also known by its endonym Pārsīk or Pārsīg () in its later form, is a Western Middle Iranian language which became the literary language of the Sasanian Empire. For some time after the Sasanian collapse, Middle ...

''Ashtad''. Arshtat is an assayer of deeds at the

, the bridge of judgement that all souls must cross. in ''

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'' ...

'' (37.10–14), Arshtat plays this role together with the Amesha Spenta

Ameretat (Avestan: ''𐬀𐬨𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬙𐬁𐬙 '') is the Avestan language name of the Zoroastrian divinity/divine concept of immortality. Amerdad is the Amesha Spenta of long life on earth and perpetuality in the hereafter. The word ' is grammat ...

, of whom Arshtat is a ''hamkar'' "co-operator"; and in the ''

Book of Arda Wiraz The ''Book of Arda Viraf'' (Middle Persian: ''Ardā Wirāz nāmag'', lit. 'Book of the Righteous Wirāz') is a Zoroastrian text written in Middle Persian. It contains about 8,800 words. It describes the dream-journey of a devout Zoroastrian (the W ...

'' (5.3), she stands there with

Vayu-Vata Vāyu-Vāta or ''Vāta-Vāyu'' (IPA: ) is the Avestan language name of a dual-natured Zoroastrian divinity of the wind (Vayu) and of the atmosphere (Vata). The names are also used independently of one another, with 'Vayu' occurring more frequent ...

, and Verethragna. In the apocalyptic ''Zand-i Wahman yasn'' (7.19-20), Arshtat—together with Nairyosangha, Mithra, Rashnu, Verethregna, Sraosha and a personified

Khwarenah 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 aidi ...

—assists the hero

Peshyotan Peshotanu (Avestan ', Middle Persian ''Peshyotan'', ''Peshotan'') is an eschatological figure of the medieval texts of Zoroastrian tradition, in particular in the apocalyptic ''Zand-i Wahman yasn''. In these texts, Peshotanu is an assistant of th ...

References

Bibliography

* (fasc., 1979, Berlin: de Gruyter) * * *: 826 * *: 826 {{Zoroastrian Calendar Yazatas