Ahurani is the Avestan language 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 ...

(class of) divinity associated with "the waters" ( ''āpō''). In scripture, the expression ''ahurani'' appears both in the singular and in the plural, and may - subject to context - either denote a specific divinity named Ahurani, or a class of divinities that are ''ahurani''s. The Avestan feminine suffix ''-ani'' denotes "companion, wife, mate", hence ''ahurani'' means "partner of ''ahura''." The ''ahura'' of the name may or may not be a reference to Ahura Mazda or to the other

Ahura Ahura (Avestan: 𐬀𐬵𐬎𐬭𐬀) is an Avestan language designation for a particular class of Zoroastrian divinities. The term is assumed to be linguistically related to the Asuras of Indian Vedic era. Etymology Avestan ''ahura'' "lord" der ...

s. Following recent scholarship (see

for details), it is now generally supposed that there was once been a divinity whose proper name was *Ahura, and from whom the various ''ahura''s of 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 lit ...

receive this epithet.

In scripture

In the ''Yasna Haptanghaiti''

In the ''

Yasna Haptanghaiti The ''Yasna Haptanghaiti'' (), Avestan for "Worship in Seven Chapters," is a set of seven hymns within the greater ''Yasna'' collection, that is, within the primary liturgical texts of the Zoroastrian Avesta. Chapter and verse pointers are to ''Yas ...

'', the ''ahurani''s are invoked in the plural, as "companions of the ''

ahura Ahura (Avestan: 𐬀𐬵𐬎𐬭𐬀) is an Avestan language designation for a particular class of Zoroastrian divinities. The term is assumed to be linguistically related to the Asuras of Indian Vedic era. Etymology Avestan ''ahura'' "lord" der ...

''." In these verses of great antiquity and linguistically as old as the Gathas, they are also said to be "created by Ahura Mazda" (''Yasna'' 38.4).

In the Younger Avesta

In the Younger Avesta, the expression appears in the singular: Ahurani bears gifts of health, prosperity, renown, and for the well-being of the soul (''Yasna'' 68.3-4). In ''Yasna'' 68.11, the devotee asks Ahurani for a long life and a welcome in the radiant abode of the righteous (i.e. paradise, cf. ''

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 ''Yasna'' 68, which is a "hidden" (since not explicitly dedicated to them) ''

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 ...

'', the "''ahuric'' one of (the) Ahura," appears to represent water in all its variations: rivers, wells, lakes, seas, snow and rain (''Yasna'' 68.6). As such, the single divinity appears to be synonymous with the ''*apas'', the group of Indo-Iranian divinities of the waters. In other verses, the waters are themselves revered as the ''ahurani''s (''Yasna'' 38.3). The ''ahurani''s enlighten thought, speech and actions (''Yasna'' 68.4). This is in line with the Indo-Iranian tradition of identifying water with wisdom (Avestan: ''

mazda , commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan. In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one m ...

''). The ''ahurani''s as described as bringers of fertility and peace. In ''Yasna'' 68.1-2 (cf.

Ab-Zohr The Ab-Zohr (; ae, 𐬀𐬞 𐬰𐬀𐬊𐬚𐬭𐬀, translit=ap-zaoθra; pal, 𐭠𐭯 𐭦𐭥𐭧𐭫, translit=ab-zohr) is the culminating rite of the greater '' Yasna'' service, the principal Zoroastrian act of worship that accompanies th ...

, "offering to water"), the celebrant priest offers the ''ahurani''s a libation of milk and butter (representing animal creation).

In tradition

Ahurani(s) are not included in any list of

yazatas Yazata ( ae, 𐬫𐬀𐬰𐬀𐬙𐬀) is the Avestan word for a Zoroastrian concept with a wide range of meanings but generally signifying (or used as an epithet of) a divinity. The term literally means "worthy of worship or veneration",.. and i ...

, nor do they/does she have a day-name dedication in the

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'' ...

. This may be because in later Zoroastrianism

Aredvi Sura Anahita Anahita is the Old Persian form of the name of an Iranian goddess and appears in complete and earlier form as ('), the Avestan name of an Indo-Iranian cosmological figure venerated as the divinity of "the Waters" (Aban) and hence associate ...

dominates as divinity of the waters, and it is to her that the hymn to the waters (the ''Aban Yasht'') is dedicated. There appear to be historic parallels between the Avestan ''ahurani''s and the RigVedic ''varunani''s, the "wives of

Varuna Varuna (; sa, वरुण, , Malay: ''Baruna'') is a Vedic deity associated initially with the sky, later also with the seas as well as Ṛta (justice) and Satya (truth). He is found in the oldest layer of Vedic literature of Hinduism, such ...

." These parallels are one of the points of comparison for the theory that Ahura Mazda and Varuna both descend from a common predecessor (see Ahura Mazda for details).

Bibliography

* p. 51. * p. 58. * pp. 230–231. * * p. 688. {{refend Zoroastrianism Persian words and phrases