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Zamyad Yasht

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The Zamyad Yasht also known as the Kayan Yasn is the nineteenth Yasht of the 21 Yasht collection and is dedicated to the veneration of Zam.[1] It belongs to the Legendary Yashts and, with 97 stanzas, it is the fourth longest in the collection.[2]

Name

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The name of the Yasht is reported in different ways in the sources. While today, the name Zamyad Yasht is widely used, the early manuscripts F1 and E1 use the name Kayan Yasn, i.e., Yasna of the Kayanians. This situation is caused by the disparate nature of the text, which consists of two different parts, one of which dedicated to the Kayanians.[1]

In addition, the origin of Zamyad itself remains a matter of debate. While the first part is derived from Zam, the divinity of Earth to whom the Yasht is dedicated, the second part is unclear. According to Pirar, it may be a corruption of zam yazata (Goddess Earth).[3] Humbach and Ichaporia, however, reject this derivation based on the existence of the, otherwise implausible, phrase zamyad yazata (Goddess Zamyad), and derive it instead from a hypothetical early Middle Persian zam huyad yazad (munificent Goddess Earth).[4]

Overview

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The Zamyad Yasht is generally divided into two distinct parts none of which mention Zam, i.e., the divinity of Earth to whom it is nominally dedicated. It has been speculated that the geographical references in the first part may establish a connection.[5] The two parts are assumed to have originally been independent text, which were only joined at some later time.[6] The Yasht is celebrated on the 28th day of each month of the Zoroastrian calendar.[7] Among the Yasht collection, it is grouped into the Legendary Yashts because of the lengthy descriptions of the Kayanians.[8]

Content

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The Zamyad Yasht consists of two parts. The first, smaller, part (stanzas 1-8) contains a description of important mountains of the Avestan world. The second, much longer, part (stanzas 9-96) is dedicated to the Kayanians.[1] In addition to the partition into stanzas, the second part is furthermore grouped into 15 chapters, called Kardas. This difference again points toward this part of the Yasht having originally formed an independent text.[9]

Geographical fragment - Stanzas 1-8

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See also: Zam

The first part contains a list of mountains. This list is also found in the Bundahishn, where it is, however, followed by similar lists of seas, rivers, and lakes.[10] This indicates that the Avestan descriptions in the Zamyad Yasht are the remnants of an originally much longer text, parts or all of which survided in the Middle Persian Bundahishn.[11] This first part of the Yasht is, therefore, called the geographical fragment.

Kayan Yasn - Stanzas 9-96

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See also: Kayanian dynasty and Khvarenah

The second part of the Zamyad Yasht is the Kayan Yasn proper. It is dedicated to the praise of the Kavyan Khvarenah, i.e., the Glory of the Kayanians and provides a long list of the early rulers of the Kayanians.[12] The important role of the Khvarenah is established by the introductory verse of each Karda being either "We worship the mighty Glory belonging to the Kavis" or "We worship the mighty un-taken Glory".[13] The Khvarenah is often associated with mountains in the Avesta, and it has been speculated that this connection let to the joining of the two disparate parts.[14]

Editions and translations

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The Zamyad Yasht has typically been edited by being part of the Avesta or Yasht collection. For example Darmesteter published in 1883 a translation into English[15] and in 1892 into French.[16] In 1927, Lommel published a translation of the Yasht collection into German.[17] In addition, there have been editions focussing on the Zamyad Yasht specifically. In 1992, Eric Pirar published an edition of the Kayan Yasn, i.e., only Stanzas 9-96 including a translation and commentary into French.[18] In 1998, Humbach and Ichaporia published an edition of the Zamyad Yasht jointly with a translation into English and a commentary.[19]

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b c Humbach & Ichaporia 1998, p. 11.
  2. ^ Ichaporia 2006.
  3. ^ Pirar 1992, p. 6.
  4. ^ Humbach & Ichaporia 1998, p. 14.
  5. ^ Lommel 1927, p. 169: "Daß die Erde selbst, der sonst so oft Verehrung gezollt wird, nicht erwähnt, nur allenfalls in dem § 8 Gesagten mit verstanden wird, ist jedenfalls auffallend".
  6. ^ Lommel 1927, p. 169: "Vielleicht sind sie auch verschiedenen Alters und erst für das Ritual dieses Tages aneinandergehängt".
  7. ^ Ichaporia 2006, "The text honors Zamyād Yazad, the divinity (of the) Munificent Earth, the protective divinity of the 28th day of each month".
  8. ^ Hintze 2014, "The first, ‛legendary’, group is comprised of the six hymns Yt. 5 [...], 9 [...], 15 [...], 16 [...], 17 [..], and 19".
  9. ^ Lommel 1927, p. 169: "Erst nach dem auf die Gebirge bezüglichen Abschnitt setzt die Kardä-Einteilung und -Zählung ein. Auch dieses äußerliche Merkmal kennzeichnet also den voranstehenden Teil als ein Stück für sich, nicht eigentlich zu dem Ganzen gehörig".
  10. ^ Ichaporia 2006, "the list of mountains of the geographical fragment is mirrored by the quite similar list of mountains in the Pahlavi Bundahišn".
  11. ^ Ichaporia 2006, " The four Bundahišn chapters are evidence of a lost Avestan pre-Zamyād Yašt.".
  12. ^ Yarshater 1983, p. 437.
  13. ^ Hintze 2014, " “We worship the mighty Glory belonging to the Kavis” (Yt. 19.9, 13, etc.) or, in the three central ones, with “We worship the mighty un-taken Glory” (Yt. 19.45, 55, 65)".
  14. ^ Gnoli 1999, "Verses 1-8, on the other hand, contain a list of mountains, which probably justifies the present title of the whole hymn,[...] there are good reasons to believe that the connection between xᵛarənah- and mountains was not unimportant".
  15. ^ Darmesteter 1883, pp. 286-309.
  16. ^ Darmesteter 1892, pp. 615-641.
  17. ^ Lommel 1927, pp. 168-186.
  18. ^ Pirar 1992.
  19. ^ Humbach & Ichaporia 1998.

Bibliography

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  • Darmesteter, James (1883). Müller, Max (ed.). Zend-Avesta II: The Sirozahs, Yasts and Nyayis. Sacred Books of the East. Vol. 23. Dehli: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. ISBN 978-81-208-0124-0.
  • Darmesteter, James (1892). Le Zend-Avesta, Vol. 2: Traduction Nouvelle Avec Commentaire Historique Et Philologique; La Loi (Vendidad); L'Épopée (Yashts); Le Livre de Prière (Khorda Avesta). Paris: E. Leroux.
  • Gnoli, Gherardo (1999). "FARR(AH)". Encyclopædia Iranica. New York: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
  • Humbach, Helmut; Ichaporia, Pallan R. (1998). Zamyad Yasht: Yasht 19 of the Younger Avesta. Text, Translation, Commentary. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 3447040262.
  • Hintze, Almut (2014). "YAŠTS". Encyclopædia Iranica. New York: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
  • Ichaporia, Pallan R. (2006). "ZAMYĀD YAŠT". Encyclopædia Iranica. New York: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
  • Kotwal, Firoze M.; Hintze, Almut (2008). The Khorda Avesta and Yast Codex E1 (PDF). Harrassowitz. ISBN 978-3-447-05692-2.
  • Lommel, Herman (1927). Die Yäšt's des Awesta. Quellen der Religionsgeschichte: Iran. Vol. 15. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.
  • Pirar, Eric V. (1992). Kayan Yasn (Yasht 10.9-96) - L'Origine Avestique des Dynasties Mythiques d'Iran. Barcelona: Editorial Ausa.
  • Yarshater, Ehsan (1983). "Iranian National History". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). The Cambridge History of Iran. Vol. 3(1). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-24693-4.
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