of Mount Alburz and gains her votaries in the far-off lands of East and West, where occasionally her cult degenerates into obscene rites. Herodotus who confuses her with Mithra says that her cult came to Iran from the Semites of Assyria and Arabia.[1]
She is celebrated in one of the longest Yashts and in the 65th chapter of the Yasna. She is described as the most courageous, strong, of noble origin,[2] good, and most beneficent.[3] Ahura Mazda has assigned to her the work of guarding the holy creation, like a shepherd guarding his flock.[4] The eighth month of the year and the tenth day of the month are named after the waters of Ardvi Sura.[5]
Her image in words found in the texts, corresponds with her statue in stone. The text gives a fine descriptive image of the female deity. She is a maiden of fair body, well-shaped, pure, courageous, tall, bright, beautiful, and glorious. Upon her head she wears a golden crown studded with a hundred stars and beautifully adorned, square golden earrings adorn her ears, a golden necklace decorates her neck, she wears a golden mantle, she has tightly girded her waist so that her beautiful breasts come out prominently, her white arms graced by elegant bracelets are stouter than a horse, she wears golden shoes, a rich garment of gold or of the skin of the beavers.[6] Pliny says that a statue made of solid gold was set up in the temple of Anaitis.[7] We have already seen on the authority of Berosus that Artaxerxes Mnemon (b.c. 404–358) introduced the worship of the images of Anahita among the Persians.[8]
Ahura Mazda heads the list of the sacrificers who entreat her for various boons. The Yasht dedicated to Ardvi Sura Anahita furnishes us with the names of those who have sacrificed unto her and begged of her various boons. The number of her supplicants exceeds that of any other angel. Ahura Mazda and Zarathushtra invoke her, with Haoma and Baresman, with spells
- ↑ Herod. 1. 131.
- ↑ Yt. 5. 15.
- ↑ Yt. 5. 130, 131.
- ↑ Yt. 5. 6, 89.
- ↑ Ys. 16. 4.
- ↑ Yt. 5. 7, 15, 64, 78, 123, 126-129.
- ↑ Historia Naturalis, 33, 4 (24) 82f.
- ↑ Cited by Clemens Alexandrinus, Protreptica, 5, 65, 3; Jackson, Images and Idols (Persian) in ERE. 7. 151-155; cf. Cumont, Anāhita, in ERE. 1. 414, 415.
