The Indo-European Origin of the Gathaic Motif of Conflagration

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of History, Faculty of Literature, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract
As the most important part of the Avestan texts, which were considered to be own speeches and thoughts of Zoroaster himself, Gathaic texts has always been of interest to researchers in order to recover the true thoughts of this Iranian prophet. According to researchers, the innovations of Gahan's thoughts that caused a profound transformation in the Mazdeism worldview are the most important feature of this ancient text. A transformation which makes change in the view of the philosophy of existence and the nature of history, and history that in the thought of Indo-Iranians was a cycle of infinite periods, became a linear path ending in the event of the Last Day or Farshkert. Despite these innovations and changes, it is noteworthy that there are similar patterns and motifs between Gathaic texts and the eschatological mythologies of other Indo-European peoples. One of these similar patterns is the motif of the final fire, which has been considered in Gathaic thought as an important event in the Last Judgment and the Resurrection. similar with this Gathaic belief, the Conflagration also has a special place in the eschatological thoughts of other Indo-European peoples. On this basis, the Main problem of this research is to examine the Indo-European origins of the Conflagration motif in Gathaic thought. This research has examined this subject with an analytical-comparative approach and based on historical, linguistic, and also mythological texts and evidences, and has reached the conclusion that Zoroaster, in explaining and developing his thoughts in constructing of the Resurrection, has used Indo-European eschatological motifs and patterns, especially the motif of the Conflagration.

Keywords


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Volume 16, Issue 59 - Serial Number 59
Spring 2024
Spring 2024
Pages 33-58

  • Receive Date 21 May 2024
  • Revise Date 27 August 2024
  • Accept Date 12 October 2024
  • Publish Date 30 November 2024