Fire—along with water—are seen as symbols of purity in Zoroastrian religion.Zoroastrian places of worship are sometimes called fire temples. Strabo, a Greek writer from the first century ACE, confirms the observations of Herodotus and other writers that "the Persians do not erect statues or altars, but 'offer sacrifice' (worship) on a high place," and that the worship ceremonies were officiated by the Magi, (the legendary Zoroastrian priests discussed further in the Priesthood Page). By mimicking the cosmic order ašá/arthá, mortal man becomes a “divine artist” aša.van/artha.van and finds the everlasting fire within. Instead, mortal man joins with the Immortal ahûrás in the struggle against all limitation, stagnation and chaos; projects himself into the immensity of eternity, and becomes a bridge into the supernal realm. Standing before an eternal flame reciting a manthra is one way to contemplate the nature of God's creation and how to work in concert with God's creation - an act of piety and worship. The notion of fire worship goes back to reverence for “hearth fire” among ancient Indo-Europeans. The passing of Zoroastrian ideas and values from one person to the next is symbolized by a new flame being lit from an existing one. Zoroastrian's worship in places known as fire temples and it is there that an eternal flame is kept burning with sandalwood and frankincense oils. ], Zoroastrians turn towards a flame (atarsh/athra/atash) or a source of light while praying. 23.6.31-32: "They have also as many cities as Media, and villages as strongly built as towns in other countries, inhabited by large bodies of citizens. Over time, Zoroastrians developed the concept of worshipping in temples, sometimes called fire temples. Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism practices: Zoroastrians believe that the elements are pure and that fire represents God’s light or wisdom. These hymns are believed to be the original words of Zarathushtra, faithfully preserved as an oral tradition through the generations. The Shahnameh goes on to state that King Jamshid: Fire in our faith embodies the triumph, the unsurpassed power of the spirit ḵratü (Homeric krátos,) the breaking free from the confines of space, love of excellence/virtue ašá/arthá and the projection of the unbounded will power into the ends of time and space. A fire temple, Atashkadeh (Persian: آتشکده ‎), Atashgah (آتشگاه) or Dar-e Mehr (در مهر) is the place of worship for the followers of Zoroastrianism, the ancient religion of Iran . Zoroastrianism: Boyce, Mary: Amazon.nl Selecteer uw cookievoorkeuren We gebruiken cookies en vergelijkbare tools om uw winkelervaring te verbeteren, onze services aan te bieden, te begrijpen hoe klanten onze services gebruiken zodat we verbeteringen … tot en met de 7e eeuw n. Chr. In ancient times, historical records state than when the community gathered together for a religious event, they did so in open air gathering areas around a podium where a fire was lit. The name Azerbaijan derives from the Middle and Old Persian Adar-badhagan and Atur-patakan meaning protected by fire. This overcoming of limitations times and again, the rising above the mundane and the attainment of the infinite through the act of becoming ever better, is called “eternal progress” in the Zoroastrian sacred literature. Zoroastrian worship practices have evolved from ancient times to the present day. The temporal fire represents the spiritual flame (mainyu athra) within us and the ethical values of Asha: order, beneficence, honesty, fairness and justice. The Scripture Selection page provides some verses from the Gathas and their translations. Authentic Zoroastrianism based on the poetic gathas and their most ancient commentaries, Introductory poem to the gatha inspired poetry, The principle of action and the impulse of health/vitality in Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism, sacred fire and fire-worship, Mazda, Odin and the Sacred Fire of Zoroaster – rainwindandwolf, Rapithwin, the lord of brightness, and radiance, Veneration of Immortals, and the Concept of Intercession in Zoroastrianism. In ancient times, Zoroastrians had no fixed place of worship. Each fire temple contains an altar with an eternal flame that burns continuously and is never extinguished.According to legend, three ancient Zoroastrian fire temples, known as the great fires, were said to have come directly from the Zoroastrian god, Ahura Mazda, at the beginning of time. Zoroastrians are not fire-worshippers, as some Westerners wrongly believe. No Temples or AltarsWorshipping on High Places. In certain temples, this fire is kept burning continuously, representing an eternal flame. I shall conclude by Yasna 34.4 from the poetic gathas: at töi áθrém ahûrá//aôjö.aηh.vañtem ašá ûsé.mahî, asîštém éma.vañtem//stöi rapañtæ ciθrá-av.aηhem, at mazdá daibiš.iiañtæ//zastá.ištá.áiš dereštá-aæn.aηhem, Thy fire, god-force//energetic through cosmic order, truth; is our object of wish/desire, Swift and mighty//stands to radiate happiness, manifesting good fortune. een belangrijke, door de staat gesteunde religie in Iran geweest. Zoroastrians worship in fire temples such as the one below. Ignorance and darkness are the absence of wisdom and light. The wondrous workings of the cosmic order ašá/arthá are akin to the transformative nature of fire. Persia is now a Mohammedan country. The “most vigorous” or lively fire of vazištá is identified with lightening. "... separated the priesthood from other folk The terms “Fire Worship” and “Fire-Worshippers” were always associated with Zoroastrianism and Zoroastrians throughout history. Zoroastrianism is a pre-Islamic Iranian religion and one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions. Zoroastrianism became the state religion of Persia. Our lives are the temples of our souls. Search from Zoroastrianism Fire stock photos, pictures and royalty-free images from iStock. Zoroastrianism stills retains practitioners in the 21st Century, most notably the Parsees of Mumbai, India. If so, one of the few Western references to this name), that is to say, the purest worship of divine beings (cf. 4th century CE, Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus makes the following observations in his Rerum gestarum libri Even when the ancient words of a manthra are poorly understood, reciting a manthra has a calming, soothing effect that allows the mind to refocus itself. The reverence for “hearth fire,” underlies the significance of continuing the family line and the clan. Zoroastrians believe that the elements are pure and that fire represents God 's light or wisdom. Although the exact date Zoroastrianism was founded is unknown, archaeological evidence and linguistic comparisons with the Hindu text Rig Veda suggest that it emerged around 1200-1500 BCE. In the Zoroastrian scriptures is a section called the Gathas or hymns. The verse is about the realization of “an eternal age of progress and a spring with no end” through a “molten, flowing” ḵšûstá “metal/iron” aii.aηhá which “gives or establishes” dávöi the “sign, indication” daḵštem of “a god-like existence” ahv.áhü. In Zoroastrianism, the great gift of the Gods is manö the “mind energy/courage/spirit” to face destiny with unbounded “fiery vitality,” become the artist of the gods aša.van/artha.van and to win the timeless glory sravá by “hearing the song/music of the Immortals.”, In the poetic gathas, the protection páiiüm of Mazdá the “supreme god of inspiring creativity,” is sought in none “other than thy fire and mind power” aniiém θwahmát áθras.čá man.aηhas.čá, (See Yasna 46.7, 3rd rhymed verse line. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Zoroastrian’s worship in places known as fire temples and it is there that an eternal flame is kept burning with sandalwood and frankincense oils. ( Log Out /  The Early Iranian Religion was polytheistic with Ahura Mazda as the king of the gods presiding over a pantheon of many others. 371D; Isoc. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. The temporal fire also represents the fire of creation. Sanskrit agni English ignite from Latin ignis, and Russian ogon), and an inanimate type *paewr- (cf. Zoroastrianism is one of the oldest world religions and arguably the first monotheistic faith in the world. In fact, the Persian word doud-man “lineage, dynasty, house” goes back to the SMOKE arising from the “family hearth.” Thus an eternal flame burning in “home, hearth and kin group” is both a consequence and a requirement of ašá/arθá “excellence, truth, world order.”. ), In Zoroastrianism the “family hearth” is sacred and never suppose to go out or be extinguished. The temporal world therefore is the battle-field in which the warrior fulfills his divine destiny, cherishing life as a cultivator and farmer, where plants, animals and men are each called to grow and ripen into powerful forces asserting themselves within the creative order of ašá/arthá. Their wont, however, is to ascend the summits of the loftiest mountains..." Look upon the fire and behold therein how they were created." 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