Farid Shoolizadeh
One of the multiple deities that Iranians before Zarathushtra believed in was Mehr or Mithra. Mithra should be considered as one of the most favoured deities of Iranians before Zarathushtra. Worshiping this deity, together with other deities among Iranians, has a history of at least 8000 years, because in Sumerian scripts of 8000 years ago, the Caspians (the first group of Aryans that came to the plateaus of Iran) were called sun worshipers. Of course, this statement will prove true only when we can prove that Mithra and the sun were one in Iranian myths, while we know that Iranians of the Avesta era had differentiated between the sun and Mehr (Mithra) and for each of these two features of Ahura’s creation (Avesta believed in pantheism and that everything is created by Ahura Mazda) there was a separate prayer.
According to the knowledge of creation among Iranians before Zarathushtra, every deity is the guardian of a part of creation and that a specific worldly process is carried out through support of this deity. They knew of Mithra as the deity of vow and commitment and the guardian of commitment between human beings. An example is a stone inscription in the cuneiform script belonging to the 15th century BC, containing an agreement between the Hittiti s and Mitannis (two clans of the Iranian race), in which the ruler of the Mitannis swears upon Mithra.
As regards the structure and root of the word ‘Mehr’ in the Avesta and Sanskrit vocabulary, various meanings have been attributed to it but all of them have one general meaning which is ‘love and friendship’. Bartholomae and Yusti believe its origin to be from the words ‘homeland’ and ‘home’ and its meaning to be ‘guest’. In the fourth chapter of Vandidad the word ‘Mehr’ means vow and commitment, for example, in Mehr Yasht also it has the same meaning. In Sanskrit, too, this word means love and friendship. In the contemporary Avesta Mehr or Mithra have come down from the position of ‘self-existance’ and have become a creation of Ahura Mazda. Mithra in Mehr Yasht is a deity who is created by Ahura Mazda, who overlooks everything and guards oaths and protects the good people of the world.
Among Iranians before Zarathushtra killing animals in the name of sacrificing for their deities was prevalent and sacrificing for Mithra was of special importance. Zarathushtra went into a serious war with the belief of sacrificing animals and believing in imaginary gods, and it is possible that one of the reasons for his being disfavored and having had to emigrate from his motherland was this. It is clear that with the appearance of the Zoroastrian religion and prohibition of sacrifice for false deities, the leaders of the olden Aryan faith (Harrapans) would go under loss if sacrificing would stop and for this reason they started showing their enmity with this great man of Iran.
Evident characteristic of Iranian deities before Zarathushtra was the never ending greed of these deities for sacrifice and gifts!! since only sacrificing animals on the alter would satisfy and please them!! An example of the importance that a sacrificing alter had is the fact that all matters of life depended on sacrificing and they believed that the universe itself was existing due to sacrifices (Rigveda, 10th chapter, 9th line).
Chapter 32, line 12 of Gahan explains the contempt of Zarathushtra towards these misled people, who cruelly and gladly sacrifice useful animals for the false deities:
Translation of Rostam Shahzadi: “with these deeds they (the Grahmas and Harrapans) prevent the people from good deeds and sacrifice animals with cheerful shouts and with deceiving words sick some, who are blind and deaf, on people with noise and commotion in order to rule over the people with injustice and tyranny.”
Cybille Shatouk writes about the sacrificing alters of Iranians before Zarathushtra: “They would build alters in special places, facing the East, with special shapes (round, semi round or square). They would usually build walls around the alter. The round shaped alter represented the earth, square represented the four ends of the sky and semi round represented the space between the earth and the sky. The more the ceremony had details to the same proportion the number of the religious leaders would increase.
Sometimes they would build the alters in the middle of mountains or in caves and put stone benches on both sides of the passage inside the cave, for seating the leaders and the sacrificer. The light of this alter would be provided from small openings in the ceiling or narrow windows, to the extent that the room of the alter was dark and this was because the original state of the cave should be preserved.
After sacrificing the animals for Mithra or other deities they would grill the meat and make kebab, and would spill some of the blood under the alter. They would mix the blood with the juice of ‘Hauma’ and wine and would divide it among those present. Then, they would start making merry and eat the grilled meat of the sacrificed animal with bread till late at night!!
By studying the contemporary Avesta, specially th Hum Yasht and Mehr Yasht, we come to know that the immortal words of Zarathushtra has kept many faiths of Iranians from getting corrupted and diverted. For example, we can mention the meaning of celebrating and rejoicing next to Iranians and the sacredness of Hauma.
Maybe, the main reason for the mistake some make in thinking that the deity ‘Mehr’ is the same as the Greek/Roman Mithra is just because of the common name used and of course the similarity of western Mithraism with Zoroastrian religion. If we compare the difference between these two we will realize that worshiping Mehr by Iranians before Zarathushtra, from the point of view of the religious structure, had nothing in common with the Greek/Roman faith. Not only the Mehr worshiping faith, as one of the Aryan deities, but no other organized faith, could have existed before Zarathushtra and not left its effecti in history!! Dr Mehrdad Bahar, the famous Iranian mythologist, has had extensive research in myths, ancient culture and religions. In his book “Asian Religions”, which is a cultural encyclopedia of ancient religions, does not mention anywhere about a separate religion by the name of Mehr or Mithra among Iranians before Zarathushtra and so
righteously speaks about Mithra in the frame of those multiple Aryan deities. By reading the Iranica encyclopedia (1978) and also the series of reports of the second world congress on research in Mehr (1975, Tehran), we will find two clear points: first, most of the scholars in Mehr believe that Roman/Greek Mithraism in Europe to be definitely influenced by Zoroastrianism of Iran, and second: they believe the European Mithraism to be lacking direct and structural connection with Mehr worshiping among Iranians before Zarathushtra and worshiping Mehr as a creature of Ahura Mazda, as written in Avesta
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