[INDOLOGY] Iranian question

[Arash Zeini]

Hello Dean,

I don't know of any Middle Persian sources that would support Nabarz's
view. It's quite inaccurate, and goes against what we, or I, know about
Zoroastrianism. I have had a brief look at some of the other descriptions
of Zoroastrianism in Nabarz (2005) and would say that most are outdated by
now, if they had not already been then.

A couple of the Middle Persian texts associate Zarathustra's mother with
the Endless Light, but none seem to suggest any virgin birth. That's why I
said yesterday that the process is complex involving a number of steps.
Zarathustra is certainly not conceived like other people, and
divine/supernatural beings go to various lengths to make his birth
possible. In Dēnkard 7 that I mentioned yesterday, his parents have
intercourse three times with the idea to conceive a child.

If you read Persian, I can warmly recommend this book which is a collection
of sources:

Amoozgar, J. & A. Tafazzoli. 1997. Zoroaster's mythical life. Tehran.

Best wishes,
Arash


On Sun, 26 Dec 2021, 05:23 Dean Michael Anderson via INDOLOGY, <
indology at list.indology.info> wrote:

> Thanks. I was hoping to find the primary source.
>
> Best,
>
> Dean
>
> On Sunday, December 26, 2021, 10:39:34 AM GMT+5:30, Alex Watson via
> INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
>
> On Saturday, December 25, 2021, 10:57:41 PM GMT+5:30, Arash Zeini via
> INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
> Hello Dean,
> What's reference for the text you quote, or is that what you are asking?
>
> On Sun, Dec 26, 2021 at 3:39 AM Dean Michael Anderson via INDOLOGY <
> indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
> Yes, I was trying to find the source of that quote.
>
>
> The sentence is contained in:
> Payam Nabarz (2005), *The Mysteries of Mithras: The Pagan Belief That
> Shaped the Christian World*. Simon and Schuster.
> --
> Alex Watson
> Professor of Indian Philosophy
> Ashoka University
> *https://ashokauniversity.academia.edu/AlexWatson
> <https://ashokauniversity.academia.edu/AlexWatson>*
>
>
>
> On Saturday, December 25, 2021, 10:57:41 PM GMT+5:30, Arash Zeini via
> INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
>
> Hello Dean,
>
> What's reference for the text you quote, or is that what you are asking?
>
> As you know the sources for Zarathustra's birth stories are the Middle
> Persian accounts, and among those Book 7 of the Dēnkard stands out. The
> birth story is complex and Ohrmazd and his helpers put many elements in
> motion so that Zarathustra can be conceived. One of these, is sexual
> intercourse between the parents, something the the daemons try to
> discourage.
>
> Best,
> Arash
>
>
> On Sat, 25 Dec 2021, 11:04 Dean Michael Anderson via INDOLOGY, <
> indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
> Sorry for once again spilling over the South Asian borders but I can't
> seem to find a reliable reference for this claim:
>
> "Zoroaster is said to have had a miraculous birth: his mother, Dughdova,
> was a virgin who conceived him after being visited by a shaft of light.
>
> Perhaps some of our Indo-Iranians might know.
>
> Best,
>
> Dean
>
>
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