Arshtat () is the

Avestan language Avestan ( ) is the liturgical language of Zoroastrianism. It belongs to the Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family and was originally spoken during the Old Iranian period ( – 400 BCE) by the Iranians living in the eastern p ...

name of a

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism ( ), also called Mazdayasnā () or Beh-dīn (), is an Iranian religion centred on the Avesta and the teachings of Zarathushtra Spitama, who is more commonly referred to by the Greek translation, Zoroaster ( ). Among the wo ...

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 A Yasht (, ) is a hymn of praise composed in the Young Avestan language and dedicated to specific Zoroastrian divinities. The term commonly applies to the collection of 21 Yashts, although it may also refer to other texts within the wider Avest ...

'' 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 () 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 standard appellation is "the very ...

, 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 Sraosha ( or ; ), is the Avestan name of the Zoroastrian '' yazata'' of "Conscience" and "Observance", which is also the literal meaning of his name. In the Middle Persian commentaries of the 9th-12th centuries, the divinity appears as '', S(a) ...

"Obedience" and

Mithra Mithra ( ; ) is an ancient Iranian deity ('' yazata'') of covenants, light, oaths, justice, the Sun, contracts, and friendship. In addition to being the divinity of contracts, Mithra is also a judicial figure, an all-seeing protector of Truth ( ...

"Covenant", together the three guardians of the Chinvat bridge.. 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 Zoroastrian festivals, liturgical purposes. Those all derive from Middle Ages, medieval Iranian calendars and ultimately are based on the Babylonian calendar a ...

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

Zoroaster Zarathushtra Spitama, more commonly known as Zoroaster or Zarathustra, was an Iranian peoples, Iranian religious reformer who challenged the tenets of the contemporary Ancient Iranian religion, becoming the spiritual founder of Zoroastrianism ...

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 transla ...

. (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, also known by its endonym Pārsīk or Pārsīg ( Inscriptional Pahlavi script: , Manichaean script: , Avestan script: ) in its later form, is a Western Middle Iranian language which became the literary language of the Sasania ...

''Ashtad''. Arshtat is an assayer of deeds at the Chinvat bridge, the bridge of judgement that all souls must cross. in ''

Bundahishn The ''Bundahishn'' (Middle Persian: , "Primal Creation") is an encyclopedic collection of beliefs about Zoroastrian cosmology written in the Book Pahlavi script. The original name of the work is not known. It is one of the most important extant ...

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

Amesha Spenta In Zoroastrianism, the Amesha Spenta (—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 Persian variations of the ter ...

Ameretat () is the Avestan language name of the Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrian divinity/divine concept of immortality. Amerdad is the Amesha Spenta of long life on earth and perpetuality in the hereafter. The word ' is grammatically feminine and the divini ...

, of whom Arshtat is a ''hamkar'' "co-operator"; and in the '' Book of Arda Wiraz'' (5.3), she stands there with

Vayu-Vata Vāyu-Vāta or ''Vāta-Vāyu'' (International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) is the Avestan language name of a dual-natured Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrian divinity of the wind (Vayu) and of the atmosphere (Vata). The names are also used independently of ...

, and

Verethragna Verethragna or Bahram () is a Zoroastrian yazata. The neuter noun ''verethragna'' is related to Avestan ''verethra'', 'obstacle' and ''verethragnan'', 'victorious'. Representing this concept is the divinity Verethragna, who is the Hypostasis ( ...

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

and a personified Khwarenah—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 t ...

References

Bibliography

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