Anahita

The Temple of Anahita in Kangavar is Iran’s largest stone structure after Persepolis. Thought to have been built around 200 BCE or earlier, this UNESCO World Heritage Site was dedicated to Anahita. Anahita was Goddess of the Milky Way, water, and all rivers on Earth.

The temple is "located on a hill, about 32 meters higher than the ground adjacent to it, overlooking the beautiful Plains of Kangavar. With a foursquare plan, stone, plaster and lime were used in its construction. The stone columns of Anahita temple are thicker in comparison with columns found in other ancient monuments of Iran. Stone ditches adjusted the river water and magnificently, directed it to the pond in the center of the temple. This type of water stream in the temple is one of the engineering wonders of that time, displaying this sacred element as beautifully as possible." (source)

Anahita is an old Goddess, "probably existing in some form prior to the 3rd millennium BCE when ancient Persian religion developed in the region of Greater Iran (the Caucasus, Central Asia, South Asia, and West Asia). The Indo-Iranians (Aryans) who eventually settled in Persis had been part of a larger migratory group which included the Indo-Aryans who would settle northern India, and at this time, Anahita and the Hindu goddess Saraswati (presiding over knowledge, learning, music, and wisdom) were probably the same deity." (source)

"At some point, the Indo-Iranians developed their religious belief system to reflect a cosmic clash between the forces of order, light, and goodness with those of chaos, darkness, and evil." (source)

This belief system became Zoroastrianism, often called the "first monotheistic religion." To develop a monotheistic religion from polytheistic roots, it seems that one has to kill or usurp the roles of all of the other deities. The Abrahamic religions likely evolved from Zoroastrianism, which took the first step towards this usurpation, declaring most existing deities to be deavas, evil ones who should no longer be worshipped (source). In ancient times, the Goddess was often head of the pantheon, creator, and bestowed the divine right of kings (source). In Zoroastrianism, this Goddess was Anahita.

In the Zoroastrian scriptures, Ahura Mazda, the new head God, prays and sacrifices to Anahita in order to win her favor to spread his religion (source). This seems to contradict the Zoroastrian claim that Ahura Mazda created all of the deities out of his essence.

In Zoroastrain scriptures, Anahita is described as wearing a cloak is made from 300 beavers, possibly indicating a more northerly origin. Her arms are strong and the size of a horse's thigh (source). Through time, Anahita was demoted from Goddess to angel in Zoroastrianiam, and her appearance changes in artwork of later times.

Temple of Anahita original painting available from Saatchi Art. Prints and other merch available in shop or through Fine Art America.

In my painting, the ghost of Anahita is based on a rock relief at Taq-e Bostan created around 400 CE. The reliefs are adjacent to sacred springs that empty into a large reflecting pool at the base of a mountain cliff, at a campground along the Silk Road, about 75 miles west of the Temple of Anahita at Kangavar (source).

Image Source: Wikipedia

Image Source: Amazing Iran

Anahita is the figure on the left in this relief, showing the investure of Investiture Emperor Khosrau Parviz. Anahita is the patron yazata of the Sassanian dynasty. She stands behind Ahura Mazda as he presents the diadem of sovereignty on the right. Taq-e Bostan, Iran. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Also in my painting, above, the girl taking a selfie in the ruins of Anahita's temple is from an article about online dating saving Zoroastrianism - which is closed to new converts.

I'm still reading about Anahita. Her connection to the first embers of monotheism, her evolution through time, and her connections to other Eurasian Goddesses. She's complicated. And sometimes she has wings.

Comments

Asherah

An inscription from Khirbet El-Qôm (near Jerusalem) dated to the 700s BCE and translated by archaeologist Judith Hadley reads, "Uriyahu the Rich wrote it. Blessed be Uriyahu by Yahweh for from his enemies by his Asherah he has saved him by Oniyahu by his Asherah and by his A[she]rah.” ( Source ) Asherah was the Great Goddess of the Ancient Near East. From this inscription and other evidence, it is surmised that Yahweh, the God of the Jews, once had a wife - Asherah. Asherah was also sometimes known as Astarte and was associated with lions and the planet Venus, like her relative, Ishtar/Inanna. Asherah's symbol was the tree of life, and her worship involved sacred groves and asherah poles. Asherah original painting available through Saatchi Art . Stickers, prints, and other merch available in shop or through RedBubble or Fine Art America. All of the Asherahs in my painting are based on figurines housed in the Isra...

Jowangsin

Jowangsin is a Korean Goddess of fire and the hearth. An offering to Jowangsin in the form of a bowl of fresh water would be placed on an altar above the hearth. Jowangsin had rules for the kitchen. Do not curse while in the hearth. Do not sit on the hearth. Do not place your feet on the hearth. Maintain the cleanliness of the kitchen. You may worship other deities in the kitchen. ( source ) Throw your muddy shoes inside or put them on the hearth, and you will experience her vengeance. She was believed to keep track of household activities and communicate with the heavens. Jowangsin helping with the cooking in a traditional Korean kitchen, circa 1950. Original painting, prints, and merch available in shop or via Fine Art America or Saatchi Art . Left: Women in a kitchen in Korea in 1950. Right: An example of a traditional kitchen in hanok (traditional Korean-style homes) during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). [National Archives of Korea, N...

Sophia and the Apocryphon of John

In 1945, thirteen leather-bound papyrus codices buried in a sealed jar were found by an Egyptian farmer near the town of Nag Hammadi, Egypt. These early Christian texts date from the 3rd century CE, and include writings attributed to John the Baptist. The writings of John became known as the Secret Book of John, or the Apocryphon of John. A translation by Frederik Wisse can be read online . In the Apocryphon, there is a female counterpart to the Father - the holy Mother, Barbelo. "She is the forethought of the All - her light shines like his light - the perfect power... The first power, the glory of Barbelo, the perfect glory in the aeons, the glory of the revelation... she became the womb of everything, for it is she who is prior to them all, the Mother-Father." I became aware of the Apocryphon of John after reading a graphic novel by Marisa Acocella, The Big She-Bang, The Herstory of the Universe According to God the Mother (highly recommended, by ...

Helena Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine of Tibetan Wisdom

Helena Blavatsky was born in what was then Russia in 1831. She traveled the world, researching ancient religions, searching for ancient wisdom of the great protoreligion. In 1875, she founded the Theosophical Society. The motto of the society is "There is no religion higher than truth." She wrote multiple books and was hugely influential in bringing ideas about eastern religion to the west. She detested the Catholic missionary system and its attempts to wipe out indigenous religions, and actively worked against it in India and Ceylon. Both Thomas Edison and Gandhi studied theosophy, along with many other intellectuals of the era. Helena Blavatsky original painting and fine art prints available through Saatchi Art . Stickers, prints and other merch available in shop or through RedBubble or Fine Art America . In 1888, Blavatsky published the first edition of Secret Doctrine , containing her translation of the Book of Dzyan , an ancient book...

Al-Lat

Al-Lat was the Great Mother Goddess of pre-Islamic Arabia. She was worshipped at the Kaaba in Mecca until the city was conquered in 630 AD by Muhammed. ( source ) Yes...that Kaaba, where Allah is now worshipped. She was rewritten as a daughter of Allah and a djinn, but was also considered to be Allah's wife, consort, or feminine aspect. Or...is she the root from which Allah evolved? In the Quran, Allah is not referred to by gendered pronouns. Is Allah a Great Mother Goddess? insert shrug emoji here. Al-Lat original painting based on a bas relief from Palmyra. Original painting, prints, and merch available in shop or through RedBubble or Fine Art America . J ohanna-Hypatia Cybeleia offers the following evidence. "Although the word ka‘bah itself means 'cube', it is very close to the word ku‘b meaning 'woman's breast' which is derived from the same three-letter root. This turns out to be an appropriate metaphor, as the Ka‘bah nu...

Inuit Creaton Myth of Aakuluujjusi

The first woman, Aakuluujjusi, transformed her trousers into a caribou. She gave the animal sharp teeth and long tusks. Then, taking off her jacket, she made a walrus with horns on its head. "But the Inuit took fright before these animals that attacked them on land and in the water: she therefore decided to interchange their horns and tusks, and kicking the forehead of the caribou she broke some of its teeth to render it inoffensive, and caused its eye sockets to bulge out to weaken its vision. She then said, 'Stay far away like true game.' But the caribou were now too quick for the hunters, so she reversed the direction of the hair on their bellies to slow them down." These were the first big game animals of the Inuit. ( Source ) Aakuluujjusi’s creation was a process. She didn’t create the perfect game animals on her first try. She looked at the results, sought feedback, and then adjusted. She created boldly, knowing that perfection wasn’t required. Origin...

Echoing Multiverse

Search This Blog