Shamash (Akkadian Šamaš "Sun"), was a native Mesopotamian deity and the sun god in the Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonianpantheons. Shamash was the god of justice in Babylonia and Assyria, corresponding to Sumerian Utu.
Both in early and in late inscriptions Shamash is designated as the "offspring of Nannar"; i.e. of the moon-god, and since, in an enumeration of the pantheon, Sin generally takes precedence of Shamash, it is in relationship, presumably, to the moon-god that the sun-god appears as the dependent power. temples to Shamash were erected in all large centres – such as Babylon, Ur, Mari, Nippur, and Nineveh.
Together with Nannar–Sin and Ishtar, Shamash completes another triad by the side of Anu, Enlil and Ea. The three powers Sin, Shamash and Ishtar symbolized three great forces of nature: the moon, the sun, and the life-giving force of the earth, respectively.
Another reference to Shamash is the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh. When Gilgamesh and Enkidu travel to slay Humbaba, each morning they pray and make libation to shamash in the direction of the rising sun for safe travels. Gilgamesh receives dreams from Shamash, which Enkidu then interprets, and at their battle with Humbaba, it is Shamash's favor for Gilgamesh that enables them to defeat the monster. Shamash gifted to the hero Gilgamesh three weapons (the axe of mighty heroes, a great sword with a blade that weighs six pounds and a hilt of thirty pounds and the bow of Anshan).
The attribute most commonly associated with Shamash is justice. Just as the sun disperses darkness, so Shamash brings wrong and injustice to light. Hammurabi attributes to Shamash the inspiration that led him to gather the existing laws and legal procedures into code, and in the design accompanying the code the king represents himself in an attitude of adoration before Shamash as the embodiment of the idea of justice. Several centuries before Hammurabi, Ur-Engur of the Ur dynasty (c. 2600 BC) declared that he rendered decisions "according to the just laws of Shamash."
Shamash was historically associated with the planet Saturn. Morris Jastrow, Jr. identifies Shamash with the planet Saturn
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Both in early and in late inscriptions Shamash is designated as the "offspring of Nannar"; i.e. of the moon-god, and since, in an enumeration of the pantheon, Sin generally takes precedence of Shamash, it is in relationship, presumably, to the moon-god that the sun-god appears as the dependent power. temples to Shamash were erected in all large centres – such as Babylon, Ur, Mari, Nippur, and Nineveh.
Together with Nannar–Sin and Ishtar, Shamash completes another triad by the side of Anu, Enlil and Ea. The three powers Sin, Shamash and Ishtar symbolized three great forces of nature: the moon, the sun, and the life-giving force of the earth, respectively.
Another reference to Shamash is the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh. When Gilgamesh and Enkidu travel to slay Humbaba, each morning they pray and make libation to shamash in the direction of the rising sun for safe travels. Gilgamesh receives dreams from Shamash, which Enkidu then interprets, and at their battle with Humbaba, it is Shamash's favor for Gilgamesh that enables them to defeat the monster. Shamash gifted to the hero Gilgamesh three weapons (the axe of mighty heroes, a great sword with a blade that weighs six pounds and a hilt of thirty pounds and the bow of Anshan).
The attribute most commonly associated with Shamash is justice. Just as the sun disperses darkness, so Shamash brings wrong and injustice to light. Hammurabi attributes to Shamash the inspiration that led him to gather the existing laws and legal procedures into code, and in the design accompanying the code the king represents himself in an attitude of adoration before Shamash as the embodiment of the idea of justice. Several centuries before Hammurabi, Ur-Engur of the Ur dynasty (c. 2600 BC) declared that he rendered decisions "according to the just laws of Shamash."
Shamash was historically associated with the planet Saturn. Morris Jastrow, Jr. identifies Shamash with the planet Saturn
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Faravahar (OP *Pravarti > MP: prʾwhr)[1] is one of the best-known symbols of Zoroastrianism, the state religion of ancient Iran. The Faravahar-symbol was influenced by the Assyrians. This religious-cultural symbol was adapted by the Pahlavi dynasty to represent the Iranian nation.
The etymology of Paravahar is the Middle Persian root /prwr/ (the Pahlavi script of Middle Persian did not represent short vowels), and the word is thus variously pronounced/written Parohar, prohar, prawahr, pravahr and so forth, as there is no agreed upon method of transliterating the Middle Persian word into English. In Dekhoda's dictionary and the 17th-century Persian dictionary Burhan Qati', it appears as فروهر "puruhar". The Encyclopedia Iranica renders it as prawahr (this reflects thePazend dibacheh form, corresponding to Book Pahlavi prʾwhr).
The winged disc has a long history in the art and culture of the ancient Near and Middle East. Historically, the symbol is influenced by the "winged sun" hieroglyph appearing on Bronze Age royal seals (Luwian SOL SUUS, symbolizing royal power in particular)[citation needed]. In Neo-Assyrian times, a human bust is added to the disk, the "feather-robed archer" interpreted as symbolizing Ashur.
While the symbol is currently thought to represent a Fravashi (approximately a guardian angel) and from which it derives its name (see below), what it represented in the minds of those who adapted it from earlier Mesopotamian and Egyptian reliefs is unclear. Because the symbol first appears on royal inscriptions, it is also thought to represent the 'Divine Royal Glory' (Khvarenah), or the Fravashi of the king, or represented the divine mandate that was the foundation of a king's authority.
This relationship between the name of the symbol and the class of divine entities it represents, reflects the current belief that the symbol represents a Fravashi. However, there is no physical description of the Fravashis in the Avesta, the sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, and in Avestan the entities are grammatically feminine.
In present-day Zoroastrianism, the faravahar is said to be a reminder of one's purpose in life, which is to live in such a way that the soul progresses towards frasho-kereti, or union with Ahura Mazda, the supreme divinity in Zoroastrianism. Although there are a number of interpretations of the individual elements of the symbol, none of them are older than the 20th century
The Shahname by Ferdowsi is Iran's national epic and contains stories (partly historical and partly mythical) from pre-Islamic Zoroastrian times. The tomb of Ferdowsi which is visited by numerous Iranians every year, contains the Faravahar icon as well.
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Origin
The winged symbol now associated with Zoroastrianism known as the Faravahar has its origins in an older symbol of a winged disk without a human figure within it. This older symbol, more than 4000 years old and found in both Egypt and Mesopotamia, was commonly associated with the sun and deities strongly connected with the sun. It also represented power, particularly divine power, and it was used to reinforce the concept of god-kings and divinely appointed rulers.
Assyrians associated the winged disk with the god Shamash, but they also had a version similar to the Faravahar, with a human figure within or emerging from the disk, which they associated with their patron god, Assur. From them the Achaemenid Emperors (600 CE to 330 CE) adopted it as they spread Zoroastrianism throughout their empire as the official religion.
Historical Meanings
The exact meaning of the Zoroastrian Faravahar in history is debatable. Some have argued that it originally represented Ahura Mazda. However, Zoroastrians generally consider Ahura Mazda to be transcendent, spiritual and without physical form, and for most of their history they did not artistically depict him at all. More likely, it continued to primarily represent divine glory.
It may have also been associated with the fravashi (also known as the frawahr), which is part of the human soul and acts as a protector. It is a divine blessing granted by Ahura Mazda at birth and is entirely good. This is different from the rest of the soul, which will be judged according to its deeds on the day of judgment.
Modern Meanings
Today, the Faravahar continues to be associated with the fravashi. There is some debate as to specific meanings, but what follows is a discussion of common general themes.
The central human figure is generally taken to represent the human soul. The fact that he is aged in appearance represents wisdom. One hand points upward, urging believers to always strive for improvement and be mindful of higher powers. The other hand holds a ring, which may represent loyalty and faithfulness. The circle from which the figure emerges can represent the immortality of the soul or the repercussions of our actions, which are brought about by the eternal divine order.
The two wings are composed of three main rows of feathers, representing good thoughts, good words and good deeds, which is the basis of Zoroastrian ethics. The tail is likewise comprised of three rows of feathers, and these represent bad thoughts, bad words and bad deeds, above which every Zoroastrian strives to rise.
The two streamers represent Spenta Mainyu and Angra Mainyu, the spirits of good and evil. Every person must constantly choose between the two, so the figure is facing one and turning his back to the other. The streamers evolved out of earlier symbols sometimes accompanying the winged disk. It some images, the disk has bird talons emerging out of the bottom of the disk. Some Egyptian versions of the disk include two accompanying cobras in the position now occupied by the streamers.