Indar

Indar or Indra is the Zoroastrian daeva representing the destructive aspects of fire, ^[1] and leading people away from proper worship. ^[2] He is the antagonist of Asha Vahishta, the Zoroastrian Yazata representing Asha. ^[3]

Name

Indar (yndl) is the Middle Persian version of Avestan 𐬌𐬧𐬛𐬭𐬀 (indra). The oldest epigraphically attested mention of the name appears ca. 1380 BCE in the treaties between the Mitanni and the Hittites. ^[4] The name is also widely attested as the Vedic deva इन्द्र (indra). Both Old Iranian and Old Indic Indra go back to a reconstructed Proto-Indo-Iranian *Índras. However, its etymology beyond that is unclear. ^[5] For instance, in a 1995 review paper, thirteen different hypotheses to its origin are presented. ^[6]

In the Avesta

In the Avesta, Indar is named Indra and appears only two times, both of which in the Vendidad. The first mention is found in chapter 10, where instructions are given on how to oppose the corrupting influence of dead bodies. The texts instructs the faithful to recite verses from the Gathas and to proclaim one's rejection of Ahriman (Vd. 10.5), Nasu (Vd. 10.6) as well as Indra, Saurwa, and Nåŋhaiθya (Vd. 10.9). The latter three are also known from the Vedic religion as Indra, Sarva (one of the names of Rudra) and Nasatya (another name of the Ashvins). ^[7] The second mention is found in chapter 19 verse 43 (Vd. 19.43). Here, Indra is named directly after Ahriman and followed again by Saurwa, and Nåŋhaiθya. ^[8]

In Zoroastrian tradition

In later Zoroastrian tradition, Indar appears in a number of Middle Persian texts. In the Denkard, Indar is listed jointly with Ahriman and Savul as one of the beings one must not worship. ^[9] In the Bundahishn, Indar is listed behind Akoman and before Saurwa, and Nåŋhaiθya, as one of the six arch deavas of Ahriman, which oppose the six Amesha Spentas of Ahura Mazda. ^[10] The text also makes it clear, that Indar is the opponent of Asha Vahishta, the Amesha Spenta, representing Asha. According to the Wizidagiha-i Zadspram, Indar will be killed by Asha Vahishta during the final battle. ^[3]

Analysis

The place of Indar within the pantheon of Zoroastrianism is unclear. ^[11] On the one hand, he only appears twice in the Avesta and has, consequently, been labeled as a minor figure. ^[12] On the other hand, Indar appears usually in a prominent role, close to or even directly behind Ahriman himself. This indicates that he was perceived as a very powerful figure within the hierarchy of the deavas. ^[13]

Another question, regards the relationship of the Iranian Indar, known from the Zoroastrian texts, with the Indian Indra, as depicted in the Vedas. ^[14] Both the Iranian Indar and the Indian Indra are depicted as a powerful deava and deva, respectively. The main difference is that, whereas the Indian devas are the gods of the Vedic and Hindu pantheon, the deavas became increasingly demoted in Iran and eventually even demons. ^[15] In addition, the Indian Indra has a number of traits, which in the Iranian tradition aren't associated with the increasingly evil Indar. Instead, they are connected with a number of positiv figures like Verethragna and Mithra. ^[16]

References

Citations

1. Darmesteter 1880, p. Introduction IV.34: " Indra, a name or epithet of fire as destructive".
2. Malandra 2004, "Indar's chief role is that of seducer who perverts men's minds, leading them to abandon proper worship".
3. Stausberg 2002, p. 324.
4. Christensen 1941, pp. 3-4: "Indra et Nähaÿvya sont les dieux Indra et Näsatya, invoqués, dans un passé lointain, dans le fameux traité de Mitanni, comme les dieux du pacte, avec Varuna et Mitra".
5. Malandra 2004, "The name "Indra" has no certain etymology".
6. Chakravarty 1995.
7. Yarshater 2006, p. 348: "Three fallen Indo-Iranian deities, Indra, Narjhaithya (Ved. Nasatya), and Sauvra (Ind. Sarva), are listed among the demons".
8. Malandra 2004, "At Vd. 19.43 Indra stands second in a list of demons after Aŋra Mainyu".
9. Duchesne-Guillemin 2008, p. 898: "The Denkart (p. 792,1. 18) formally condemns the worship of Indar, Savul, and Ahriman".
10. Malandra 2004, "[T]his place immediately after Akōman, rather than Ahriman, is repeated in the Pahlavi Books (Bundahišn [TD₂] = Gr.Bd., p. 15.9)".
11. Andrés-Toledo 2009, p. 220: "In later Pahlavi texts [...] Indar is just part of a enumeration of evil beings, and no particular feature describes him".
12. Malandra 2004, "Indra of the Avesta is a relatively insignificant daēwa, mentioned only twice".
13. Malandra 2004, "Indra stands second in a list of demons after Aŋra Mainyu, perhaps an indication of his importance in the demonic hierarchy".
14. Herrenschmidt & Kellens 1993, "It is not clear [...] why the Mazdeans rehabilitated Vāiiu but not Rudrá, the Nāˊsatyas, or even Indra".
15. Herrenschmidt & Kellens 1993, "*DAIVA, Old Iranian noun (Av. daēuua-, OPers. daiva-) corresponding to the title devá- of the Indian gods [...], though the category of divinities to which it referred seems to have dropped completely out of the Iranian religious tradition and even to have become demonized".
16. Malandra 2004, "Vedic Indra shares martial attributes with two closely related Iranian deities".

Bibliography

• Andrés-Toledo, Miguel Á. (2009). VÎDÊVDAD 10-12: Critical Edition, Translation and Commentary of the Avestan and Pahlavi Texts. Salamanca: Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca. doi:10.14201/gredos.133215.
• Chakravarty, Uma (1995). "On the Etymology of the Word 'Índra'". Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. 76 (1). Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute: 27–33. JSTOR   41694367.
• Christensen, Arthur (1941). Essai sur la démonologie iranienne. Copenhagen: Ejnar Munksgaard.
• Darmesteter, James (1880). Müller, Max (ed.). Zend-Avesta I: Vendidad. Sacred Books of the East. Vol. 4. Oxford: At the Clarendon Press.
• Duchesne-Guillemin, Jacques (2008). "Zoroastrian Religion". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). The Cambridge History of Iran. Vol. 3(2). Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-24693-4.
• Herrenschmidt, Clarisse; Kellens, Jean (1993). "DAIVA". Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. VI. New York: Routledge and Kegan Paul. pp. 599–602.
• Malandra, William W. (2004). "INDRA". Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. XIII. New York: Routledge and Kegan Paul. pp. 103–105.
• Stausberg, Michael (2002). Die Religion Zarathushtras, Vol. 1. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer Verlag..
• Yarshater, Ehsan (2006). "Iranian National History". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). The Cambridge History of Iran. Vol. 3(1). Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-24693-4.