*mitra (Proto-Indo-Iranian, nominative *mitras) was an important Indo-Iranian divinity. Proto-Indo-Iranian, is the reconstructed Proto-language of the Indo-Iranian branch of Indo-European. Following the prehistoric cultural split of Indian and Iranian cultures, names descended from *mitra were used for the following religious entities:
- Mitra (Sanskrit Mitrá-, Mitráḥ), a deity (asura) who appears frequently in the ancient Indian text of the Rigveda. This article is about the Vedic deity Mitra. For other divinities with related names see the general article Mitra. Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical In Hinduism In Hinduism, the Asura ( Sanskrit: असुर are a group of power-seeking deities sometimes referred to as Demons or sinful The Rigveda ( Sanskrit sa ऋग्वेद ṛgveda, a compound of ṛc "praise verse" and veda "knowledge"
- Mithra (Avestan Miθra-, Miθrō), a yazata mentioned in the Zoroastrian sacred scripture of the Avesta, whose modern Persian equivalent is Mehr. This article is about the Zoroastrian Yazata Mithra (Miθra For other divinities with related names see the general article Mitra. Avestan is an Eastern Old Iranian language that was used to compose the sacred hymns and canon of the Zoroastrian Avesta. Yazata is the Avestan language word for a Zoroastrian concept Zoroastrianism (ˌzɔroʊˈæstriəˌnɪzəm is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings The Avesta is the primary collection of sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language.
- Mithras, the principal figure of the Greco-Roman religion of Mithraism. The Mithraic Mysteries or Mysteries of Mithras (also Mithraism) was a Roman mystery religion which became popular among the military in the late In modern Olympic and amateur Wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling is a particular style and variation The Mithraic Mysteries or Mysteries of Mithras (also Mithraism) was a Roman mystery religion which became popular among the military in the late
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Etymology
Both Vedic Mitra and Avestan Mithra derive from an Indo-Iranian common noun *mitra-, generally reconstructed to have meant "covenant, treaty, agreement, promise. Vedic Sanskrit is an ancient Indian language, the language of the Vedas, the oldest Shruti texts of Hinduism. Avestan is an Eastern Old Iranian language that was used to compose the sacred hymns and canon of the Zoroastrian Avesta. " This meaning is preserved in Avestan miθra "covenant. " In Sanskrit and modern Indo-Aryan languages, mitra means "friend," one of the aspects of binding and alliance. Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical The Indo-Aryan languages (within the context of Indo-European studies also Indic) are a branch of the Indo-European language family
The Indo-Iranian reconstruction is attributed[1] to Christian Bartholomae[2], and was subsequently refined by A. Meillet (1907), who suggested derivation from the Proto-Indo-European root *mei "to exchange. " Contradicting suggestions included *meh "to measure" (Gray 1929).
Pokorny (IEW 1959) refined Meillet's *mei as "to bind. The Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch ( IEW, "Indo-European Etymological Dictionary") was published in 1959 by the Austrian-German comparative " Combining the root *mei with the "tool suffix" -tra- "that which [causes] . . . " (also found in man-tra-, "that which causes to think"), then literally means "that which binds," and thus "covenant, treaty, agreement, promise, oath" etc. A mantra ( Devanāgarī मन्त्र (or mantram is a religious or mystical syllable or poem typically from the Sanskrit language Pokorny's interpretation also supports "to fasten, strengthen", which may be found in Latin moenia "city wall, fortification", and in an antonymic form, Old English (ge)maere "border, boundary-post".
Meillet and Pokorny's "contract" did however have its detractors. Lentz (1964, 1970) refused to accept abstract "contract" for so exalted a divinity and preferred the more religious "peity. " Because present-day Sanskrit mitra means "friend," and New Persian mihr means "love" or "friendship," Gonda (1972, 1973) insisted on a Vedic meaning of "friend, friendship," not "contract".
Meillet's analysis also "rectified earlier interpretations"[1] that suggested that the Indo-Iranian common noun *mitra- had anything to do with the light or the sun. When H. Lommel suggested[3] that such an association was implied in the Younger Avesta (>6th c. BCE), that too was conclusively dismissed. [4] Today, it is certain that "(al)though Miθra is closely associated with the sun in the Avesta, he is not the sun" and "Vedic Mitra is not either. The Avesta is the primary collection of sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language. "[1]
Old Persian Mitra or Miθra - both only attested in a handful of 4th century BCE inscriptions of Artaxerxes II and III - "is generally admitted [to be] a borrowing from the Avesta,"[5] the genuine Old Persian form being *Miça. Artaxerxes II Mnemon ( Old Persian: 𐎠𐎼𐎫𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎠 Artaxšaçrā, Ἀρταξέρξης (ca Artaxerxes III of Persia ( Ca 425 BC &ndash 338 BC ( Old Persian: 𐎠𐎼𐎫𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎠 transliterated as Artaxšaçrā) was the Great The Avesta is the primary collection of sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language. (Kent initially suggested Sanskrit[6] but later[5] changed his mind). Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical Middle Iranian myhr (Parthian, also in living Armenian usage) and mihr (Middle Persian), derive from Avestan Mithra.
Greek/Latin "Mithras," the focal deity of the Greco-Roman cult of the same name, is the nominative form of vocative Mithra. In modern Olympic and amateur Wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling is a particular style and variation In contrast to the original Avestan meaning of "contract" or "covenant" (and still evident in post-Sassanid Middle Persian texts), the Greco-Roman Mithraists probably thought the name meant "mediator. " In Plutarch's 1st century discussion of dualistic theologies, the Greek historiographer provides the following explanation of the name in his summary of the Zoroastrian religion: Mithra is a meson ("in the middle") between "the good Horomazdes and the evil Aremanius [. Ahura Mazda ( ae Ahura Mazdā) is the Avestan language name for a divinity exalted by Zoroaster as the one uncreated Creator "Ahriman" redirects here For other uses see Ahriman (disambiguation. . . ] and this is why the Pérsai call the Mediator Mithra" (Isis and Osiris 46. The Iranian people are a collection of Ethnic groups defined along linguistic lines as speaking Iranian languages. 7). Zaehner[7] attributes this false etymology to a role that Mithra (and the sun!) played in the now extinct branch of Zoroastrianism known as Zurvanism. Zurvanism is a now-extinct branch of Zoroastrianism that had the divinity Zurvan as its First
Indic Mitra
Vedic Mitra is a prominent deity of the Rigveda distinguished by a relationship to Varuna, the protector of rta. This article is about the Vedic deity Mitra. For other divinities with related names see the general article Mitra. This article discusses the historical religious practices in the Vedic time period see Hinduism and Indian religions for details The Rigveda ( Sanskrit sa ऋग्वेद ṛgveda, a compound of ṛc "praise verse" and veda "knowledge" In Vedic religion, Varuna or Waruna ( Devanagari:वरुण IAST: varuṇa) is a god of the Sky, of Rain and Sanskrit ṛtá (sa ऋत as used in Vedic Sanskrit literally means the "order or course of things" cognate to Avestan Aša Together with Varuna, he counted among the Adityas, a group of solar deities, also in later Vedic texts. In Hinduism, the Ādityas are a group of Devas or celestial gods the sons of Āditi and Kashyapa. "Sun god" redirects here For the Ramsey Lewis album see Sun Goddess (album. Vedic Mitra is the patron divinity of honesty, friendship, contracts and meetings.
The first extant record of Indo-Aryan[8] Mitra, in the form mi-it-ra-, is in the inscribed peace treaty of c. 1400 BC between Hittites and the Hurrian kingdom of the Mitanni in the area southeast of Lake Van in Asia Minor. The Hittites were an ancient Anatolian people who spoke a language of the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language family and established The Hurrians (also Khurrites; cuneiform Ḫu-ur-ri 𒄷𒌨𒊑 were a people of the Ancient Near East, who lived in northern Mesopotamia Mitanni ( Hittite cuneiform, also Mittani) or Hanigalbat ( Assyrian Hanigalbat Khanigalbat cuneiform) Lake Van (Van Gölü Gola Wanê Վանա լիճ Daryacheye Van ("Lake of Van" is the largest Lake Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black There Mitra appears together with four other Indo-Aryan divinities as witnesses and keepers of the pact.
Iranian Mithra
In Zoroastrianism, Mithra is a member of the trinity of ahuras, protectors of asha/arta, "truth" or "[that which is] right". This article is about the Zoroastrian Yazata Mithra (Miθra For other divinities with related names see the general article Mitra. Zoroastrianism (ˌzɔroʊˈæstriəˌnɪzəm is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings For the fictional character in the Marvel Universe series see Ahura (comics; for the river see Akhurian River. Asha ( aša) or arta is the Avestan language term for a concept of cardinal importance to Zoroastrian theology and doctrine Mithra's standard appellation is "of wide pastures" suggesting omnipresence. Mithra is "truth-speaking, . . . with a thousand ears, . . . with ten thousand eyes, high, with full knowledge, strong, sleepless, and ever awake. " (Yasht 10. 7). As preserver of covenants, Mithra is also protector and keeper of all aspects of interpersonal relationships, such as friendship and love. A covenant, in its most general sense is a solemn promise to engage in or refrain from a specified action
Related to his position as protector of truth, Mithra is a judge (ratu), ensuring that individuals who break promises or are not righteous (artavan) are not admitted to paradise. Paradise is a word of Persian origin ( Persian: پردیس Pardìs) that is generally identified with the Garden of Eden or with Heaven. As also in Indo-Iranian tradition, Mithra is associated with (the divinity of) the sun but originally distinct from it. Mithra is closely associated with the feminine yazata Aredvi Sura Anahita, the hypostasis of knowledge. Yazata is the Avestan language word for a Zoroastrian concept ae Aredvi Sura Anahita ( ae Arədvī Sūrā Anāhitā) is the Avestan language name of an Indo-Iranian Cosmological figure venerated as the divinity
Graeco-Roman Mithras
The name Mithra was adopted by the Greeks and Romans as Mithras, chief figure in the mystery religion of Mithraism. The Mithraic Mysteries or Mysteries of Mithras (also Mithraism) was a Roman mystery religion which became popular among the military in the late The Mithraic Mysteries or Mysteries of Mithras (also Mithraism) was a Roman mystery religion which became popular among the military in the late Mystery Religions, Sacred Mysteries or simply Mysteries, were "religious cults of the Graeco-Roman The Mithraic Mysteries or Mysteries of Mithras (also Mithraism) was a Roman mystery religion which became popular among the military in the late At first identified with the Sun-god Helios by the Greeks, the syncretic Mithra-Helios was transformed into the figure Mithras during the 2nd century BC, probably at Pergamon. In Greek mythology the Sun was personified as Helios (ˈhiliˌɑs ( Ἥλιος Latinized as Helius) Syncretism consists of the attempt to reconcile disparate or contradictory beliefs often while melding practices of various schools of thought The 2nd century BC started the first day of 200 BC and ended the last day of 101 BC. This new cult was taken to Rome around the 1st century BC and was dispersed throughout the Roman Empire. The 1st century BC started the first day of 100 BC and ended the last day of 1 BC. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Popular among the Roman military, Mithraism was spread as far north as Hadrian's Wall and the Germanic Limes. Hadrian's Wall ( Latin: perhaps Vallum Aelium, "the Aelian wall" is a stone and turf Fortification built by the Roman The Limes Germanicus ( Latin for Germanic frontier) was a remarkable line of frontier ( Limes) forts that bounded the ancient Roman
References
- ^ a b c Schmidt, Hans-Peter (2006), “Mithra i: Mithra in Old Indian and Mithra in Old Iranian”, Encyclopaedia Iranica, vol. OT 10, New York: iranica. com, <http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/ot_grp10/ot_mithra_i_20060114.html>
- ^ Bartholomae, Christian (1904), Altiranisches Wörterbuch, Strassburg: Trübner (fasc. , 1979, Berlin: de Gruyter), at column 1183.
- ^ Lommel, Herman (1970), “Die Sonne das Schlechteste?”, in Schlerath, Bernfried, Zarathustra, Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, pp. 360-376
- ^ Gershevitch, Ilya (1975), “Die Sonne das Beste”, in Hinnells, John R. , Mithraic Studies: Proceedings of the First International Congress of Mithraic Studies. , vol. 1, Manchester: UP/Rowman & Littlefield, pp. 68-89
- ^ a b Ware, James R. & Kent, Roland G. (1924), “The Old Persian Cuneiform Inscriptions of Artaxerxes II and Artaxerxes III”, Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association 55: 52-61 at p. 55.
- ^ Kent, Ronald G. (1953), Old Persian: Grammar, Lexicon, Texts (2nd ed. ), New Haven: American Oriental Society, §78/p. 31b.
- ^ Zaehner, Richard Charles (1955). Zurvan, a Zoroastrian dilemma. Oxford: Clarendon. at pp. 101-102.
- ^ Thieme, Paul (1960). "The 'Aryan' Gods of the Mitanni Treaties". Journal of the American Oriental Society 80. 4. pp. 301-317.
Dictionary
Mitra
-proper noun
- An important divinity of Indic culture, descended, together with the Zoroastrian yazata Mithra, from a common Proto-Indo-Iranian deity *Mitra, a god of the oath.
- Proto-Indo-Iranian deity, a god of the oath.
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