Khvarenah

Khvarenah(also spelledkhwarenahorxwarra(h):Avestan:𐬓𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬥𐬀𐬵xᵛarənah) is anAvestanword for aZoroastrianconcept literally denoting "glory" or "splendour" but understood as a divine mystical force or power projected upon and aiding the appointed. The neuter noun thus also connotes "(divine) royal glory", reflecting the perceived divine empowerment of kings. The term also carries a secondary meaning of "(good) fortune"; those who possess it are able to complete their mission or function.

In 3rd- to 7th-centurySassanid-era inscriptions as well as in the 9th- to 12th-century texts of Zoroastrian tradition, the word appears as ZoroastrianMiddle Persiankhwarrah,rendered with thePahlaviideogramGDE,reflectingAramaicgada"fortune". Middle Persiankhwarrahcontinues asNew Persiank(h)orra.These variants, which are assumed to be learned borrowings from the Avestan, are the onlyIranian languageforms with an initial 'xᵛ-'. In all other dialects, the word has an initialf-(see details underrelated terms,below).

Etymology and related terms

Avestankhvarenahis probablyderived from Proto-Avestan*hvar"to shine", nominalized with the-nahsuffix. Proto-Avestan*hvaris in turn related to Old Indicsvarwith the same meaning, and together descending from Proto-Indo-Iranian*súHr̥"to shine", ultimately fromProto-Indo-European*sóhr"to shine". Other proposals suggest a linguistic relationship with Avestanxᵛar-"to eat".

Of the numerousIranian languagesin which the word is attested, the initialxᵛ-is evident only as Avestankhvar(e)nahand as ZoroastrianMiddle Persiankhwarrah,from whichNew Persiankhorrathen derives. In other Iranian dialects the word has anf-form, for instance asMedianandOld Persianfarnah-,from which Middle- and New Persianfarr(ah)and adjectivalfarrokhderive. For many decades, thef-form was believed to represent a specific Median sound-law change of proto-Iranianxᵛ-tof-.The hypothesis has since been shown to be untenable, and the proto-Iranian form is today reconstructed as*hu̯,preserved in Avestan asxᵛ-and dissimilated asf-in other Iranian dialects.

Pre-ChristianGeorgian kingsof thePharnavazid dynastywere divinely assignedkxwarrahand its loss usually led to the monarch's imminent death or overthrow in Georgian kingship. Many of the monarchs had names based on this etymological root likePharnavaz,PharnajomandPharasmanes.The word was borrowed into theGeorgian languageasp'ar[n].

Coin of Kushan rulerHuvishka,with deityPharro( "ΦΑΡΡΟ" ). Circa 152-192 CE.

In the Iranian languages of the Middle Period, the word is also attested asBactrianfar(r)o,Khotanesepharra,Parthianfarh,Sogdianf(a)rn,andOsseticfarnæandfarn,though in these languages the word does not necessarily signify "glory" or "fortune": InBuddhism,Sogdianfarnand Khotanesepharrasignified a "position of a Buddha," that is, with "dignity" or "high position." This meaning subsequently passed intoTocharian.InManicheanism,Sogdianfrnsignified "luck" and was a designator of the "first luminary". Manichean Parthianfarhagain signifies "glory." InScytho-SarmatianandAlanculture,Digor-OsseticfarnæandIron-Osseticfarnsignified "peace, happiness, abundance, fortune."

The term also appears as a borrowing inArmenianpʿarkʿ,but with a greater range of meaning than in Iranian languages.

In scripture

Bisyllabickhvarenahis only attested once in theGathas,the oldest hymns of Zoroastrianism and considered to have been composed by the prophet himself. The one instance of Gathickhvarenahoccurs inYasna51.18, where the word appears to mean royal glory. The primary source of information onkhvarenahcomes from theYashts, the youngerAvesta'scollection of 21 hymns dedicated to individual divinities.

Two distinct forms ofkhvarenahare discernible inYasht19:

• kavam khvarenah(kauuaēm xᵛarənah), the fortune of thekavis, the Kayanian kings
• akhvaretem khvarenah(axᵛarətəm xᵛarənah), glory that both divinities and mortals should strive for.

SimilarlyYasht18, although nominally dedicated toArshtat,is a short 9-verse ode to a third variant ofkhvarenah;theIraniankhvarenah(airiianəm xᵛarənah) that is created byAhura Mazdaand that is "full of milk and pastures," vanquishes thedaevas and theUn-Iranians.

Yasht19, which is nominally dedicated toZam"Earth", further typifieskhvarenahas ayazata,that is, itself "worthy of worship." The same hymn includes a list of divinities and mortals who perform their duties due to the power ofkhvarenah.Among these are the mythological Kayanian kings – thekavis (kauuis) – who are rulers through the grace of, and empowered by,khvarenah.

Khvarenahis however also glory held by divinities:Ahura Mazdahas it (19.9-13), theAmesha Spentashave it (19.14-20), the otheryazatasas well (19.21-24).Yimaloses it thrice, in turn toMithra,ThraetaonaandKeresaspa.Khvarenahassumes the shape of a bird when leaving Yima. (19.35-36, 19.82)

According toYasht13.14, the waters flow, the plants spring forth, and the winds blow through thekhvarenahof theFravashis.InYasna68.11, the waters ofAredvi Suraare invoked to bestow radiance and glory.Khvarenahis also associated with the waters in other texts; with the world-sea Vourukasha inYasht19.51 and 19.56-57; with the Helmand river inYasht19.66ff. It is also identified withHaoma,together with which it plays a seminal role in the legend of the birth of Zoroaster. In these passages,khvarenahhas a seminal and germinal implication, being both fiery fluid and living seed.

InYasna60.2, the family priest is seen to request joy and blessings for the righteous, good nature, truth, prosperity, power, and glory for the house in which he offers prayers. The hymn to Mithra speaks of the divinity as the "dispenser ofkhvarenah"(Yasht10.16, 10.128, 10.141). Other texts describe Mithra as "most endowed with glory" (Yasht19.35,Vendidad19.15).

InYasht19.46,Akem Manah,the demon of "evil purpose" attempts (but fails) to seizekhvarenah.The IraniankhvarenahandDahman,the hypostasis of prayer, renderBushyasta- the demoness of "sloth" – powerless (Yasht10.97, 13.4).

At the final renovation of the world, the royal glory will follow theSaoshyants(Yasht19.89).

In tradition

In the 9th-12th century texts of Zoroastrian traditionkhvarenah(→Middle Persiankhwarrah) is a spiritual force that exists before the creation of thetan-gohr,the mortal body (BundahishnII.7ff,Zadspram3.75). In these later texts, the glory appears to be acquirable through learning and knowledge (BundahishnII.9ff).

Khwarrahcontinues to be identified with astral bodies (Dadistan-i DenigI.25, I.35-36), but its primary function is in its role as the divine glory of kings, the continuation of the Avestan notion of thekavam khvarenah.New in tradition is an identification ofkhwarrahwith religion, as in "the greatkhwarrah-bestowing force of the pure religion "(Dadistan-i DenigI.36)

TheKar-namag i Ardashir,a collection of hagiographic legends related toArdashir,the founder of theSassanid Empire,includes (4.11.16 and 4.11.22-23) a tale in which Ardashir – who at that point in the story is still a vassal of theArsacid Parthians– escapes from the court of the last Arsacid king,Ardavan.In the story, Ardashir makes off with much Ardavan's treasure, as well as Ardavan's favourite concubine, and is being chased by Ardavan and his troops. On the road, Ardavan and his contingent are overtaken by an enormous ram, which is also following Ardashir. Ardavan's religious advisors explain that the ram is the manifestation of thekhwarrahof the ancient Iranian kings, which is leaving Ardavan and the Parthians in favor of a new emperor.

The representation ofkhwarrahas a ram reappears on Sassanid seals and as an ornament in Sassanid architecture.Khwarrahalso appears in Sassanian crowns as a bird with a pearl in its beak. Depictions ofkhwarrahas a bird are allusions to the Avestan myth ofYasht19.35-36, 19.82 in whichkhvarenahtakes the shape of a bird as it leavesYima(MP: Jamshid), a metamorphosis similar to that of the yazata of victory,Verethragna.The crown as a repository ofkhwarrahis also attested in the Paikuli inscription of Narseh, which describes the punishment meted out to an individual who has been "driven byAhrimanand thedevs"to stealkhwarrahby placing the crown on the head of a false ruler.Another ubiquitous motif in Sassanian art is the symbol of a boar, which is a representation of the protection of theyazataVerethragna(MP: Wahram) given to rulers that holdkhwarrah.

The ring of kingship that appears in Sassanian investiture reliefs is often identified as representingkhwarrah.This is also the case for the ring held by the bearded figure in the Achaemenid winged sun-disk symbol that is traditionally considered to represent afravashi(MP:fravahr). The Achaemenid winged sun-disk has in its entirety also been occasionally been interpreted as a representation ofkhvarenah.

Thatkhwarrah– in addition to its significance as "royal fortune" – also signified "fortune" in a general sense is demonstrated by the use of anAramaicideogramGDEin the Middle Persian texts of theSassanidand post-Sassanid periods.The custom of using this Aramic ideogram to representkhvarenahis probably inherited from Achaemenid times.

Syncretic influences

"The fundamental motif of Iranian kingship, a hereditary dynastic charisma [...], which, could however be lost, was at the root of ideas that were widespread in the Hellenistic and Roman periods."For example, as thetyche basileos, fortuna regia,the saving grace (luck) of fortune of a king; and probably also the royalfarrahin thetycheof the various Hellenistic rulers of theSeleucidandArsacidperiods as well as of theKushankings.

Because the concepts ofkhvarenah/khwarrahand Aramaicgd(y)circulated in the same areas and have many characteristics in common, it is possible that the Mesopotamian concept influenced the Zoroastrian one.On the other hand,khvarenahmay also be a facet of Zoroastrianism's Indo-Iranian cultural inheritance sincekhvarenahappears to have a parallel in Indictejas,in which kingship is likewise associated with the bright splendor and power of light and fire.

The concept of the royalkhwarrahsurvived the 7th century downfall of theSassanid Empire,and remained a central motif (for instance as thefarr-e elahi) in the culture, philosophy and epics of Islamic Iran.

In culture

• The 1995Ossetianfilm "ФАРН" (en:Farn) produced for North Ossetian Television by Murat Dzhusoyty.

See also

• Senmurv
• Shekinah

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Boyce, Mary (1975),History of Zoroastrianism,vol. 1, Leiden: Brill.
• de Jong, Albert (2004), "Sub Specie Maiestatis: Reflections on Sasanian Court Rituals", in Stausberg, Michael (ed.),Zoroastrian Rituals in Context,Numen 102, Leiden: Brill, pp. 345–365.
• Gnoli, Gherardo (1996), "Über das iranische*hu̯arnah-:lautliche, morphologische und etymologische Probleme. Zum Stand der Forschung ",Altorientalische Forschungen,23:171–180,doi:10.1524/aofo.1996.23.1.171,S2CID163727744.
• Gnoli, Gherardo (1999),"Farr(ah)",Encyclopaedia Iranica,vol. 9, Costa Mesa: Mazda, pp. 312–316, archived fromthe originalon 2008-05-27,retrieved2007-08-04.
• Lubotsky, Alexander (1998), "Avestan xᵛarənah-: the etymology and concept", in Meid, W. (ed.),Sprache und Kultur. Akten der X. Fachtagung der Indogermanischen Gesellschaft Innsbruck, 22.-28. September 1996,Innsbruck: IBS, pp. 479–488.