Mithra

Mithra (Avestan: 𐬀𐬭𐬚𐬌𐬨 Miθra, Old Persian:

𐎷𐎰𐎼 Miça), commonly known as Mehr,
is the Iranian deity of covenant, light, oath,
justice and the sun.[1] In addition to being
the divinity of contracts, Mithra is also a
judicial figure, an all-seeing protector of
Truth, and the guardian of cattle, the
harvest, and the Waters.
 Mithra

light and oath

Late 4th-century Sasanian relief of Mithra

Other names Mehr, Mitra

Equivalents

Roman equivalent Mithras

Hinduism equivalent Mitra

The Romans attributed their Mithraic
mysteries to Zoroastrian Persian sources
relating to Mithra. Since the early 1970s,
the dominant scholarship has noted
dissimilarities between the Persian and
Roman traditions, making it, at most, the
result of Roman perceptions of Zoroastrian
ideas.[2]

Etymology
Together with the Vedic common noun
mitra, the Avestan common noun miθra
derives from Proto-Indo-Iranian *mitrám
(Mitra), from the root *mi- "to bind", with
the "tool suffix" -tra- "causing to". Thus,
etymologically mitra/miθra means "that
which causes binding", preserved in the
Avestan word for "Covenant, Contract,
Oath".

In Middle Iranian languages (Middle

Persian, Parthian etc.), miθra became mihr,
from which New Persian ‫ مهر‬mehr and
Armenian mihr/mehr ultimately derive.

In scripture
Like most other Divinities, Mithra is not
mentioned by name in the Gathas, the
oldest texts of Zoroastrianism and
traditionally attributed to Zoroaster
himself, or by name in the Yasna
Haptanghaiti, a seven-verse section of the
Yasna liturgy that is linguistically as old as
the Gathas. As a member of the Iranian
ahuric triad, along with Ahura Mazda and
Ahura Berezaiti (Apam Napat), Mithra is an
exalted figure. Together with Rashnu
"Justice" and Sraosha "Obedience", Mithra
is one of the three judges at the Chinvat
Bridge, the "Bridge of Separation" that all
souls must cross. Unlike Sraosha, Mithra
is not, however, a psychopomp, a guide of
souls to the place of the dead. Should the
Good Thoughts, Words, and Deeds
outweigh the Bad, Sraosha alone conveys
the Soul across the Bridge.
As the Divinity of Contract, Mithra is
undeceivable, infallible, eternally watchful,
and never-resting. Mithra is additionally
the protector of cattle, and his stock
epithet is "of Wide Pastures." He is
Guardian of the waters and ensures that
those pastures receive enough of it.

The lack of Mithra's presence in the texts

was once a cause of some consternation
amongst Iranians. An often-repeated
speculation of the first half of the 20th
century was that the lack of any mention
(i.e., Zoroaster's silence) of Mithra in these
texts implied that Zoroaster had rejected
Mithra. This ex silentio speculation is no
longer followed. Building on that
speculation was another series of
speculations, which postulated that the
reason why Zoroaster did not mention
Mithra was that the latter was the supreme
God of a bloodthirsty group of daeva-
worshipers that Zoroaster condemned.
However, "no satisfactory evidence has yet
been adduced to show that, before
Zoroaster, the concept of a supreme god
existed among the Iranians, or that among
them Mithra – or any other divinity – ever
enjoyed a separate cult of his or her own
outside either their ancient or their
Zoroastrian pantheons."[3]
Coinage of Kushan ruler Kanishka I with Miiro (Μιιρο), "Mithra". Circa 120–150 CE

The Avestan Hymn to Mithra (Yasht 10) is

the longest, and one of the best-preserved,
of the Yashts. Mithra is described in the
Zoroastrian Avesta scriptures as "Mithra of
Wide Pastures, of the Thousand Ears, and
of the Myriad Eyes," (Yasna 1:3),[4] "the
Lofty, and the Everlasting... the Province
Ruler,"(Yasna 1:11),[4] "the Yazad (Divinity)
of the Spoken Name" (Yasna 3:5),[4] and
"the Holy," (Yasna 3:13).[4] The Khorda
Avesta (Book of Common Prayer) also
refer to Mithra in the Litany to the Sun,
"Homage to Mithra of Wide Cattle
Pastures," (Khwarshed Niyayesh 5),[5]
"Whose Word is True, who is of the
Assembly, Who has a Thousand Ears, the
Well-Shaped One, Who has Ten Thousand
Eyes, the Exalted One, Who has Wide
Knowledge, the Helpful One, Who Sleeps
Not, the Ever Wakeful. We sacrifice to
Mithra, The Lord of all countries, Whom
Ahura Mazda created the most glorious, Of
the Supernatural Yazads. So may there
come to us for Aid, Both Mithra and Ahura,
the Two Exalted Ones,"(Khwarshed
Niyayesh 6-7),[5] "I shall sacrifice to his
mace, well-aimed against the Skulls of the
Daevas" (Khwarshed Niyayesh 15).[5]
Some recent theories have claimed Mithra
represents the Sun itself, but the Khorda
Avesta refers to the Sun as a separate
entity – as it does with the Moon, with
which the Sun has "the Best of
Friendships," (Khwarshed Niyayesh 15).[5]

In inscriptions
Although there is no known Mithraic
iconography in the Achaemenid period,[6]
the deity is invoked in several royal
Achaemenid inscriptions:

In Artaxerxes II's (r. 404 – 358 B.C.)

trilingual (Old Persian, Elamite, and
Babylonian) inscription at Susa (A2Sa) and
Hamadan (A2Hc), which have the same
text, the emperor appeals to "Ahuramazda,
Anahita, and Mithra protect me against all
evil," and beseeches them to protect what
he has built.

Although the Behistun inscription of Darius

I (r. 522 – 486 B.C.) invokes Ahuramazda
and "the Other Gods who are", this
inscription of Artaxerxes II is remarkable
as no Achaemenid king before him had
invoked any but Ahura Mazda alone by
name. Boyce suggests that the reason for
this was that Artaxerxes had chosen
Anahita and Mithra as his patron/protector
Divinities.

Mithra is invoked again in the single

known inscription of Artaxerxes III, A3Pa,
found at Persepolis. In that inscription,
that emperor appeals to "Ahuramazda and
the God Mithra preserve me, my country,
and what has been built by me."

In tradition

Coin of Artabanus II of Parthia (c. 128–124 BC). The Hellenistic depiction on the reverse shows the king kneeling before
an Apollo-like god, which is thought to be Mithra.[6]
A marble relief of the tauroctony in later Roman Mithraism, 2nd – 3rd century CE

Investiture of Sassanid emperor Ardashir II (3rd century CE bas-relief at Taq-e Bostan, Iran. On the left stands the yazata
Mithra with raised barsom, sanctifying the investiture.[6]

In the Zoroastrian calendar, the sixteenth

day of the month and the seventh month
of the year are dedicated to and are under
the protection of Mithra. The Iranian civil
calendar of 1925 adopted Zoroastrian
month-names, and as such also has the
seventh month of the year named "Mihr".
The position of the sixteenth day and
seventh month reflects Mithra's rank in the
hierarchy of the Divinities; the sixteenth
day and seventh month are respectively
the first day of the second half of the
month and the first month of the second
half of the year. The day on which the day-
name and month-name dedications
intersect is (like all other such
intersections) dedicated to the divinity of
that day/month, and is celebrated with a
Jashan (from Avestan Yasna, "Worship") in
honor of that Divinity. In the case of Mithra,
this was Jashan-e Mehregan, or just
Mehregan for short.

In Zoroastrian scripture, Mithra is distinct

from the divinity of the Sun, Hvare-
khshaeta (literally "Radiant Sun", from
which the Middle Persian word Khorshed
for the Sun). However, in Zoroastrian
tradition, Mithra evolved from being an all-
seeing figure (hence vaguely associated
with the Sun) into a divinity co-identified
with the Sun itself, effectively taking over
Hvare-khshaeta's role. It is uncertain how
and when and why this occurred, but it is
commonly attributed to conflation with the
Babylonian sun god Shamash and/or the
Greek deity Apollo, with whom Mithra
shares multiple characteristics such as a
judicial function and association with the
Sun. This characteristic is part of Mithra's
Indo inheritance in that the Indic Rigveda
have solar divinities that are not distinct
from Mithra/Mitra and Mitra is associated
with sunrise in the Atharvaveda. Sun
Salutation is a daily yogic activity
worldwide even in current times and is
preceded by chanting "OM Mitraya
Namaha", where "Mitraya"[7] is one of the
108 Names for Lord Surya/Sun God.
Royal names incorporating Mithra's (e.g.,
"Mithradates") appear in the dynasties of
Parthia, Armenia, and in Anatolia, in
Pontus and Cappadocia.

The youthful Apollonian-type Mithra is

found in images from other countries of
Iranian culture in the Parthian period, such
as Commagene in the Roman-Parthian
border and the Kushan Empire on the Indo-
Iranian border.[6]

In Manichaeism
Persian and Parthian-speaking
Manichaeans used the name of Mithra
current in their time (Mihryazd, q.e. Mithra-
yazata) for two different Manichaean
angels.

1. The first, called Mihryazd by the

Persians, was the "Living Spirit"
(Aramaic rūḥā ḥayyā), a savior-figure
who rescues the "First Man" from the
demonic Darkness into which he had
plunged.
2. The second, known as Mihr or Mihr
Yazd among the Parthians, is the
"Messenger" (Aramaic īzgaddā),
likewise a savior figure, but one
concerned with setting up the
structures to liberate the Light lost
 when the First Man had been
defeated.

The second figure mentioned above, the

Third Messenger, was the helper and
redeemer of mankind, and identified with
another Zoroastrian divinity, Narisaf
(derived from Pahlavi Narsēh from Avestan
Nairyō.saȵhō, meaning 'Potent Utterance',
the name of a Yazata).[8] Citing Boyce,[9]
Sundermann remarks, "It was among the
Parthian Manicheans that Mithra as a Sun
God surpassed the importance of Narisaf
as the common Iranian image of the Third
Messenger; among the Parthians the
dominance of Mithra was such that his
identification with the Third Messenger led
to cultic emphasis on the Mithraic traits in
the Manichaean God."[10]

Unrelated to these Mihrs are Parthian and

Sogdian Mytr or Mytrg. Although sharing
linguistic roots with the name Mithra,
Werner Sundermann established that
those names denote Manicheanism’s
equivalent of Maitreya.

In literature
According to Boyce, the earliest literary
references to the mysteries are by the
Latin poet Statius, about 80 CE, and
Plutarch (c. 100 CE).[11]
See also
Mithraism
Mitra
Mitra (Vedic)
Maitreya
Verethragna
List of solar deities

References
1. "Mithraism | Definition, History, Mythology,
& Facts | Britannica" (https://www.britannic
a.com/topic/Mithraism) .
www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
2. Beck, Roger (2002-07-20). "Mithraism (htt
p://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/mithrais
m) ". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Online Edition.
Retrieved 2012-09-07.

3. Boyce 2001, p. 243, n.18.

4. "AVESTA: YASNA (English): Chapters 0-8" (h
ttp://www.avesta.org/yasna/y0to8s.htm) .
avesta.org.

5. "AVESTA: KHORDA AVESTA: Niyayeshes

(Litanies)" (http://www.avesta.org/ka/niyay
esh.htm) . avesta.org.
6. Franz Grenet, "MITHRA ii. ICONOGRAPHY
IN IRAN AND CENTRAL ASIA",
Encyclopædia Iranica, online edition, 2016,
available at
http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/mithr
a-2-iconography-in-iran-and-central-asia
(accessed on 19 May 2016).

7. "Surya Namaskar - prayers to the Sun-god"

(http://www.harekrsna.de/surya/surya-nam
es.htm) . www.harekrsna.de.

8. Sundermann, Werner (1979), "The Five Sons

of the Manichaean God Mithra", in Ugo
Bianchi (ed.), Mysteria Mithrae:
Proceedings of the International Seminar
on the Religio-Historical Character of
Roman Mithraism, Leiden: Brill
 9. Boyce, Mary (1962), "On Mithra in the
Manichaean Pantheon", in Henning, Walter
B.; Yarshater, Ehsan (eds.), A Locust's Leg:
Studies in Honour of S. H. Taqizadeh,
London.

10. Sundermann, Werner (2002), "Mithra in

Manicheism", Encyclopaedia Iranica, Costa
Mesa: Mazda Pub
11. Boyce, Mary; Grenet, Frantz (1975).
Zoroastrianism under Macedonian and
Roman rule, Part 1 (https://books.google.co
m/books?id=MWiMV6llZesC&q=inauthor%3
Amary+inauthor%3Aboyce+mithra&pg=PA4
68) . Brill. pp. 468, 469. ISBN 90-04-09271-
4. Retrieved 2011-03-16. "... the Persian
affiliation of the Mysteries is acknowledged
in the earliest literary reference to them.
This is by the Latin poet Statius who,
writing about 80 CE., described Mithras as
one who "twists the unruly horns beneath
the rocks of a Persian cave". Only a little
later (c. 100 CE.) Plutarch attributed an
Anatolian origin to the Mysteries, for
according to him the Cilician pirates whom
Pompey defeated in 67 BCE. "celebrated
 certain secret rites, amongst which those
of Mithras continue to the present time,
having been first instituted by them"."

Bibliography
Boyce, Mary (2001), "Mithra the King and
Varuna the Master", Festschrift für Helmut
Humbach zum 80., Trier: WWT, pp. 239–257

Malandra, William (1983), An Introduction to

Ancient Iranian Religion, Minneapolis:
University of Minnesota Press, ISBN 0-8166-
1115-7
Schmidt, Hans-Peter (2006), "Mithra i: Mithra
in Old Indian and Mithra in Old Iranian" (htt
p://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/mithra-i) ,
Encyclopaedia Iranica, vol. OT 10, New York:
iranica.com.
 Jacobs, Bruno (2006), "Mithra" (http://www.re
ligionswissenschaft.unizh.ch/idd/prepublicat
ions/e_idd_mithra.pdf) (PDF), Iconography of
Deities and Demons in the Ancient Near East,
(Electronic Pre-Publication), Leiden: U
Zürich/Brill.
Dumézil, Georges (1948), Mitra-Varuna: Essai
sur deux représentations indo-européennes de
la souveraineté, 2nd edn. Paris: Gallimard,
1948 (1st edn. 1940); trans. as Mitra-Varuna:
An Essay on Two Indo-European
Representations of Sovereignty by Derek
Coleman, New York: Zone Books, 1988.

External links
Media related to Mithra at Wikimedia
Commons
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title=Mithra&oldid=1150768605"

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