Haurvatat /ˈhəʊrvətət/ (Avestan: ') 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 ...

word for the

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 on ...

concept of "wholeness" or "perfection." In post-Gathic Zoroastrianism, Haurvatat was 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 Persian ...

associated with water (''cf.'' '' apo''), prosperity, and health. Etymologically, Avestan ''haurvatat'' derives from an Indo-Iranian root and is linguistically related to

Vedic Sanskrit Vedic Sanskrit was an ancient language of the Indo-Aryan subgroup of the Indo-European language family. It is attested in the Vedas and related literature compiled over the period of the mid- 2nd to mid-1st millennium BCE. It was orally preser ...

''sarvatāt'' "intactness, perfection". The Indo-Iranian root has in turn

Indo-European The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Dutc ...

origins. In

Common Era Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the or ...

Zoroastrian tradition, Haurvatat 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 Per ...

''Hordad'', continuing in

New Persian New Persian ( fa, فارسی نو), also known as Modern Persian () and Dari (), is the current stage of the Persian language spoken since the 8th to 9th centuries until now in Greater Iran and surroundings. It is conventionally divided into thre ...

as ''Khordad''. The Iranian civil calendar of 1925, which adopted

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'' ...

month names, has ''Khordad'' as the name of the 3rd month of the year. The Avestan language noun ''haurvatat'' is grammatically feminine and in scripture the divinity Haurvatat is a female entity. However, in tradition (K)Hordad was/is considered male; this development is attributed to the loss of grammatical gender in Middle Persian. In ''Isis and Osiris'' 46,

Plutarch Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''P ...

translates Haurvatat as Πλοῦτος ''ploutos'' "wealth, riches" and equates the divinity with "

Plutus In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Plutus (; grc-gre, Πλοῦτος, Ploûtos, wealth) is the god and the personification of wealth, and the son of the goddess of agriculture Demeter and the mortal Iasion. Family Plutus is most commonl ...

," the Greek god of riches.

Scripture

Gathas

Like the other

s also, Haurvatat is already attested in the

Gathas The Gathas ()"Gatha"
''

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

himself. And like most other principles, Haurvatat is not unambiguously an entity in those hymns. Unlike four of the other Amesha Spentas, Haurvatat does not have a standing epithet that in later Avesta texts becomes an element of her proper name. Already in the Gathas, Haurvatat is closely allied with

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 ...

, the Amesha Spenta of "Immortality". Addressing

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''. ...

in ''

Yasna Yasna (;"Yasna"
''

exclaims that "both Wholeness and Immortality are for sustenance" in the Kingdom of God. In the same verse, as also in ''Yasna'' 45.10 and 51.7, parallels are drawn between Ameretat and Haurvatat on the one hand and "endurance and strength" on the other.

Younger Avesta

The relationship between Ameretat and Haurvatat is carries forward into the Younger Avesta (''

Yasna Yasna (;"Yasna"
''

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 wo ...

'' 1.15; 10.92). The Younger Avestan texts allude to their respective guardianships of plant life and water (comparable with the Gathic allusion to sustenence), but these identifications are only properly developed in later tradition (see below). These associations with also reflect the Zoroastrian cosmological model in which each of the Amesha Spentas is identified with one aspect of creation. The antithetical counterpart of Haurvatat is demon (''

daeva A daeva (Avestan: 𐬛𐬀𐬉𐬎𐬎𐬀 ''daēuua'') is a Zoroastrian supernatural entity with disagreeable characteristics. In the Gathas, the oldest texts of the Zoroastrian canon, the ''daeva''s are "gods that are (to be) rejected". Thi ...

'') ''Tarshna'' "thirst," while Ameretat's is ''Shud'' "hunger." Ameretat and Haurvatat are the only two Amesha Spentas who are not already assigned an antithetical counterpart in the Gathas. In the eschatological framework of ''Yasht'' 1.25, Ameretat and Haurvatat represent the reward of the righteous after death (''cf.''

Ashi Ashi (Avestan: 𐬀𐬴𐬌 ''aṣ̌i/arti'') is the Avestan language word for the Zoroastrian concept of "that which is attained." As the hypostasis of "reward," "recompense," or "capricious luck," ''Ashi'' is also a divinity in the Zoroastria ...

and ''

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 ...

''). Haurvatat and Ameretat will destroy the demons of hunger and thirst at the final renovation of the world (''Yasht'' 19.95-96). Unlike Ameretat, Haurvatat has a ''Yasht'' consecrated to her (''Yasht 4''), and is invoked as the protector of the seasons and years (''Yasht'' 4.0, ''Siroza'' 1.6, 2.6). In ''Yasht'' 4.1, Haurvatat is described as having been created by

for "the help, joy, comfort, and pleasure of the ''

''." The righteous can put demons to flight by invoking the name of Haurvatat (''Yasht'' 4.2). In ''Yasht'' 4.4, Haurvatat is implored to give mankind the power to withstand the seductive attacks of the ''Pairikas'', the devilish sprites of

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 ...

Tradition

Through the association with plants and water, Ameretat (MP: ''Amurdad'') and Haurvatat (MP: ''Hordad'') are consequently identified with food and drink (''cf.'' sustenance in the Gathas, above), and traditionally it was out of respect for these two Amesha Spentas (MP: ''Ameshaspand'') that meals were to be taken in silence. In '' Book of Arda Viraf'' 23.6–8, the righteous Viraz sees a man punished in hell "for consuming Hordad and Amurdad while unlawfully chattering while he chewed." 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'' ...

'', a Zoroastrian account of creation completed in the 12th century, Ameretat and Haurvatat appear—together with

Spenta Armaiti In Zoroastrianism, Spənta Ārmaiti (Avestan 𐬯𐬞𐬆𐬧𐬙𐬀 𐬁𐬭𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬙𐬌 for "Bounteous Harmony" or "Holy Devotion") is one of the Amesha Spentas, the seven divine manifestations of Wisdom and Ahura Mazda. While older so ...

(MP: ''Spendarmad''), the third female Amesha Spenta—on the left hand of Ahura Mazda (''Bundahishn'' 26.8). Throughout Zoroastrian scripture and tradition, these three principles are most consistently identified with the creations that they represent: respectively plant life, water, and earth. In ''Arda Viraf'' 35.13, the three daughters of

are described to be in the image of Armaiti, Ameretat, and Haurvatat. In the hierarchy of ''yazata''s, Haurvatat has as her assistants or cooperators (''hamkars'') three lesser ''yazata''s: ''

Vata-Vayu 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 ...

'' of the wind and atmosphere, ''Manthra Spenta'' of "bountiful spells" and the

Fravashi Fravashi ( ae, 𐬟𐬭𐬀𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬴𐬌, translit=fravaṣ̌i, ) is the Avestan language term for the Zoroastrian concept of a personal spirit of an individual, whether dead, living, or yet-unborn. The ''fravashi'' of an individual sends o ...

s, the hordes of guardian spirits. In the day-name and month-name dedications of the

(that makes the basis for the

Jalali calendar The Jalali calendar is a solar calendar, was compiled during the reign of Jalaluddin Malik-Shah I of Seljuk by the order of Nizam al-Mulk and the place of observation were the cities of Isfahan (the capital of the Seljuks), Rey, and Nishapur ...

), the sixth day of the month and third month of the year are named after Haurvatat/Hordad/Khordad/Xordad and are under her protection. The Iranian civil calendar of 1925 reinstated Zoroastrian month-name conventions and hence also has ''Khordad'' as the third month of the year, beginning at May 22 (21. in leap years). This calendar is thus the one with which western astrology is most accurately corresponding. Khordad confers exactly with

Gemini Gemini may refer to: Space * Gemini (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac ** Gemini in Chinese astronomy * Project Gemini, the second U.S. crewed spaceflight program * Gemini Observatory, consisting of telescopes in the Northern ...

, the passage of the

sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

through the

ecliptic The ecliptic or ecliptic plane is the orbital plane of the Earth around the Sun. From the perspective of an observer on Earth, the Sun's movement around the celestial sphere over the course of a year traces out a path along the ecliptic again ...

al segment of 60 - 90 degrees from vernal equinox.

Religiosity

Haurvatat-Ameretat ( Pahlavi ''hrwdʼd'' ''ʼmwrdʼd'') appears in

Sogdian language The Sogdian language was an Eastern Iranian languages, Eastern Iranian language spoken mainly in the Central Asian region of Sogdia (capital: Samarkand; other chief cities: Panjakent, Fergana, Khujand, and Bukhara), located in modern-day Uzbekist ...

texts as ''hrwwt mrwwt''. A relationship to

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

''hawrot'' ''mawrot'' has been suggested but is not confirmed. According to Islam tradition, Al-Quran mentions two entities sent to

Babil ''Bābili(m)'' * sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 * arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel'' * syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel'' * grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn'' * he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel'' * peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru'' * elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...

(Babylon) named

Harut and Marut Harut and Marut ( ar, هَارُوْت وَمَارُوْت, Hārūt wa-Mārūt) are two angels mentioned in Quran 2:102, who are said to have been located in Babylon. According to some narratives, those two angels were in the time of Idris. Th ...

, to test people faith because they teach

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

and sorcery. These entities stated that they were sent to test the faith of the people before teaching them.

Bibliography

* * * * {{Zoroastrian Calendar Yazatas Water deities