Amesha Spentas - Persian Mythology

The Amesha Spentas

The Bounteous Immortals

The seven divine emanations of Ahura Mazda, representing his fundamental attributes and virtues. They are not separate gods but aspects of the supreme deity, each protecting a portion of creation and embodying a divine quality. Together with Ahura Mazda, they form the heptad of supreme divine beings in Zoroastrianism.

The Seven Amesha Spentas

1. Vohu Manah (Bahman) - Good Mind

Domain: Divine wisdom, enlightenment, understanding, benevolence

Protects: Cattle and all beneficial animals

Symbol: The enlightened mind, pastoral care

Opposite Daeva: Akoman (Evil Mind)

Sacred Day: 2nd day of each month (Bahman)

Nature: Vohu Manah represents the good mind that chooses Asha over Druj. He is the first of the Amesha Spentas created by Ahura Mazda and greeted Zoroaster in his first vision, leading him to Ahura Mazda's presence. Vohu Manah grants spiritual understanding and guides souls to paradise.

Invocation: Called upon for wisdom in decisions, clarity of thought, and compassion toward animals.

2. Asha Vahishta (Ardibehesht) - Best Truth/Righteousness

Domain: Truth, cosmic order, divine law, righteousness, justice

Protects: Fire and all forms of light

Symbol: Sacred flame, divine order

Opposite Daeva: Druj (The Lie)

Sacred Day: 3rd day of each month (Ardibehesht)

Nature: Asha Vahishta embodies the fundamental principle of Asha - truth, righteousness, and cosmic order. He represents the divine law that governs existence and the moral truth that guides right action. Fire is his earthly manifestation, pure and uncorrupted. He judges souls at the Chinvat Bridge alongside Rashnu and Mithra.

Invocation: Called upon for truth-seeking, maintaining righteousness, purification, and justice.

3. Khshathra Vairya (Shahrevar) - Desirable Dominion

Domain: Divine sovereignty, righteous power, just rule, spiritual kingdom

Protects: Metals, minerals, and the sky

Symbol: Royal power exercised righteously

Opposite Daeva: Saurva (Tyranny)

Sacred Day: 4th day of each month (Shahrevar)

Nature: Khshathra Vairya represents divine kingship and righteous authority. He embodies the power to establish and maintain Asha in the world. Associated with warriors and just rulers, he grants the strength to resist evil and establish divine order. In the final battle of Frashokereti, he will cast Ahriman and the daevas into impotence.

Invocation: Called upon by rulers for just governance, by warriors for righteous strength, and for establishing divine order.

4. Spenta Armaiti (Spendarmad) - Holy Devotion

Domain: Devotion, piety, humility, love, harmony

Protects: Earth and all that grows from it

Symbol: The fertile earth, humble devotion

Opposite Daeva: Taromaiti (False Piety)

Sacred Day: 5th day of each month (Spendarmad)

Gender: Feminine principle

Nature: Spenta Armaiti is the only explicitly feminine Amesha Spenta, representing the nurturing and receptive aspects of divinity. She embodies faithful devotion to Ahura Mazda, humility before the divine, and the loving care of the earth. Through her, the earth becomes sacred and worthy of protection. She teaches that true power lies in humble service.

Invocation: Called upon for devotion, humility, harmony in relationships, and protection of the earth and agriculture.

5. Haurvatat (Khordad) - Wholeness/Perfection

Domain: Wholeness, health, completeness, perfection

Protects: Waters - rivers, lakes, seas, rain

Symbol: Flowing water, spiritual wholeness

Opposite Daeva: Tarev (Thirst/Disease)

Sacred Day: 6th day of each month (Khordad)

Nature: Haurvatat represents spiritual and physical wholeness - the state of perfect health and completeness. Always paired with Ameretat (Immortality), together they represent the ultimate goal of existence: perfect, eternal life. Water is his domain because it sustains life and cleanses impurity. At the Frashokereti, he will grant perfect wholeness to all creation.

Invocation: Called upon for health, healing, purification, and spiritual completion.

6. Ameretat (Amordad) - Immortality

Domain: Immortality, eternal life, life-giving power

Protects: Plants, trees, and all vegetation

Symbol: The tree of life, eternal vitality

Opposite Daeva: Zairicha (Poison/Decay)

Sacred Day: 7th day of each month (Amordad)

Nature: Ameretat represents the gift of immortality and eternal life. Always paired with Haurvatat (Wholeness), they form a unity of perfect eternal existence. Through plants that renew themselves each season, Ameretat demonstrates the principle of life overcoming death. In paradise, blessed souls drink the elixir of immortality that Ameretat provides. At Frashokereti, all righteous beings will receive immortality.

Invocation: Called upon for longevity, protection of plants, and spiritual immortality.

7. Ahura Mazda - Supreme Unity

Domain: Humanity, wisdom, supreme divinity

Protects: Humanity and the principle of existence itself

Symbol: The complete unity of all divine attributes

Nature: Ahura Mazda himself is counted as the seventh Amesha Spenta, representing the unity and source from which all divine attributes emanate. While the other six manifest specific aspects of divinity, Ahura Mazda embodies the totality of divine perfection. His special protection of humanity reflects the central Zoroastrian teaching that humans are co-workers with the divine in defeating evil.

📚 Primary Sources: Amesha Spentas

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Avesta - Yasna (Gathas)

Avesta:Yasna 47:Verse 1

"Through the Best Spirit, O Mazda, thou didst create for us the Kine, the Water, and the Plants; and Immortality and Perfection thou didst give through devotion, at the birth of life, for all that are and have been."

Source: Avesta, Yasna 47 (Praise of the Amesha Spentas), c. 1500-1000 BCE

Avesta:Yasna 51:Verse 7

"Through Good Mind, Right, and Dominion, may we receive through thy Spirit, O Mazda, healing and immortality, power and endurance, prosperity and life continuous."

Source: Avesta, Yasna 51, c. 1500-1000 BCE

Avesta:Yasna 28:Verse 2-3

"I who would serve you, O Mazda Ahura and thou Good Mind, with actions of devout Piety grant ye me through Dominion the gifts of both worlds, the bodily and that of mind, which put my followers on the road to the truth. Grant me in Good Purpose your help and power. For you I will ask, Right, how to inspire the more nobly-minded to right."

Source: Avesta, Yasna 28, c. 1500-1000 BCE

Bundahishn

Bundahishn:Chapter 1:Verse 44-53

"First he created Vohuman (Good Mind), by whom the progress of the creatures of Ohrmazd is advanced. Second, he created Ardwahisht (Best Truth), through whom the progress of truth is promoted. Third, he created Shahrewar (Desirable Dominion), through whom good government is advanced. Fourth, he created Spendarmad (Holy Devotion), through whom love and wisdom flourish. Fifth, Hordad (Wholeness), through whom the waters are protected. Sixth, Amurdad (Immortality), through whom plants are caused to grow. These are the archangels and powers of Ohrmazd, who came into being by his will."

Source: Greater Bundahishn, Chapter 1, c. 9th century CE

Bundahishn:Chapter 26:Verse 35-40

"The first three thousand years, the creatures remained in spiritual form. They could not be touched or harmed. Ohrmazd formed them in spiritual form and kept them in spiritual form for three thousand years, in which they were unthinking, unmoving, and intangible. The six Amahraspands (Amesha Spentas) ministered to the creation in those three thousand years of spiritual existence."

Source: Greater Bundahishn, Chapter 26, c. 9th century CE

Yasht 19 - Zamyad Yasht

Avesta:Yasht 19:Verse 16-18

"We sacrifice to the Glory that cannot be taken away, the Glory of the Aryan countries. The Good Mind achieved the Glory; the Good Religion achieved the Glory; the Good Fire achieved the Glory. And they who are the six Amesha-Spentas will obtain the Glory when the final restoration of the world will come to pass."

Source: Avesta, Yasht 19 (Zamyad Yasht - Hymn to Earth), c. 1000 BCE - 500 CE

Divine Functions & Creation

Role in Creation

The Amesha Spentas were the first creations of Ahura Mazda in spiritual form. Through them, Ahura Mazda created and maintains the material world:

Sky (Metal): Created through Khshathra Vairya's power
Water: Maintained and protected by Haurvatat
Earth: Nurtured and sustained by Spenta Armaiti
Plants: Given life and regeneration by Ameretat
Animals: Protected and guided by Vohu Manah
Fire/Light: Manifested and preserved by Asha Vahishta
Humanity: Directly created and guided by Ahura Mazda

Cosmic Battle

Each Amesha Spenta has a corresponding arch-demon (daeva) opposing them:

Vohu Manah vs. Akoman (Evil Mind)
Asha Vahishta vs. Druj (The Lie)
Khshathra Vairya vs. Saurva (Tyranny)
Spenta Armaiti vs. Taromaiti (False Piety)
Haurvatat vs. Tarev (Thirst/Disease)
Ameretat vs. Zairicha (Poison/Decay)

Worship & Invocation

Sacred Calendar

Each month in the Zoroastrian calendar is dedicated to one of the Amesha Spentas, and within each month, specific days bear their names. The corresponding day and month together form especially auspicious times for invoking each Amesha Spenta.

Offerings

Traditional offerings to the Amesha Spentas reflect their domains:

Vohu Manah: Care for cattle and livestock
Asha Vahishta: Maintaining sacred fires, burning incense
Khshathra Vairya: Just rule, protecting the weak
Spenta Armaiti: Tending gardens, protecting earth
Haurvatat: Keeping waters pure, water libations
Ameretat: Planting trees, protecting vegetation

In Daily Prayer

Zoroastrians invoke the Amesha Spentas daily in prayers, particularly in the Yasna ceremony where each is honored in sequence. The principle of living according to the Amesha Spentas means embodying their virtues: good thoughts (Vohu Manah), good words (Asha Vahishta), and good deeds (all Amesha Spentas working in harmony).