Faravahar, believed to be a depiction of a Fravashi.

In Zoroastrian doctrine a Fravashi or Fravaši (Avestan, فروردین Farvadin in later Persian) is the guardian spirit of an individual, who sends out the urvan (often translated as 'soul') into the material world to fight the battle of good versus evil. On the morning of the fourth day after death, the urvan returns to its fravashi, where its experiences in the material world are collected. Faravahar, The depiction of the Human soul before birth and after death. ... Faravahar, The depiction of the Human soul before birth and after death. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... Zoroastrianism (Avestan Daênâ Vañuhi the good religion)[1][2] is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings ascribed to the prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra, Zartosht). ... Avestan is an Eastern Old Iranian language that was used to compose the sacred hymns and canon of the Zoroastrian Avesta. ... Persian (Local names: فارسی Fârsi or پارسی Pârsi)* is an Indo-European language spoken in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan as well as by minorities in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, India, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Southern Russia, neighboring countries, and elsewhere. ...

The concept of the fravashi, unlike that of many of the other Yazata, does not appear to have an equivalent in proto-Indo-Iranian religions. The historical development of the concept is unclear, and there are several conflicting theories as to when and why fravashi received the role they play in the texts of the Avesta. Even the origins of the term are subject to dispute. Boyce speculates that perhaps the fravashi are the remnants of the hero-cult of the "Iranian Heroic Age" (c. 1500 BCE onwards), when ancestor-worship was widespread. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Zoroastrian angelology. ... See Avesta Municipality for the Swedish town Yasna 28. ... (Redirected from 1500 BCE) Centuries: 17th century BC - 16th century BC - 15th century BC Decades: 1550s BC 1540s BC 1530s BC 1520s BC 1510s BC - 1500s BC - 1490s BC 1480s BC 1470s BC 1460s BC 1450s BC Events and Trends Stonehenge built in Wiltshire, England The element Mercury has been...

Early Zoroastrian texts such as Yasht 17 make a clear departure from ancestor worship, but the Fravashi may have been re-integrated later in an effort to make the religion more widely acceptable. The military prowess of the fravarshi is celebrated throughout the Yashts, and in two sections they are clearly identified with the urvan. Both are more consistent with the beliefs of the Iranian Heroic Age than with the philosophy expressed in the Gathas, the most important part of the Avesta and thought to have been composed by Zarathustra (Zoroaster) himself. See Avesta Municipality for the Swedish town Yasna 28. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

The fravarshi are not mentioned at all in the Gathas. The earliest mention of them is in the Haptan Yasht, where they are mentioned several times. Although there is no physical description of the fravarshi in the Avesta, the faravahar or farohar, one of the best known symbols of Zoroastrianism, is commonly believed to be the depiction of a fravashi. The use of faravahar (Avestan) or farohar (Persian) to refer to the symbol is probably a later development. In Avestan language grammar, the fravashi are unmistakably female, while the faravahar are unmistakably male. See Avesta Municipality for the Swedish town Yasna 28. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... Avestan is an Eastern Old Iranian language that was used to compose the sacred hymns and canon of the Zoroastrian Avesta. ... Persian (Local names: فارسی Fârsi or پارسی Pârsi)* is an Indo-European language spoken in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan as well as by minorities in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, India, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Southern Russia, neighboring countries, and elsewhere. ... Avestan is an Eastern Old Iranian language that was used to compose the sacred hymns and canon of the Zoroastrian Avesta. ...

In Zoroastrian angelology, a fravashi (Farvadin) is a Yazata, responsible to the archangel Haurvatat (Khordad Amesha Spenta), whose special domain is water. In chapter 57 of the Yasna, the fravashi are responsible for the course of the sun, moon, and stars (and will do so until the renovation of this world), and in nurturing waters and plants, and protecting the unborn in the womb. They would annually strive to ensure that "family, settlement, tribe, and country" had rain. Zoroastrian angelology is branch of Zoroastrian doctrine that deals with the hierarchical system of divinities introduced by the reforms of Zarathustra (Zoroaster). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Zoroastrian angelology. ... In Zoroastrianism, Amesha Spentas are the Holy Immortals, the equivalent of Archangels in Christian theology. ...

The principal source of information on the fravarshi is Yasht 13, where they appear as beings who inhabit the stratosphere, and aid and protect those who worship them. In the Farvardin Yasht, the farvarshi are described as a vast host of "many hundreds, many thousands, many tens of thousands" aiding Ahura Mazda in the creation of the universe. This is diametrically opposite to what is expressed in Gathas 34.5-34.7, where Ahura Mazda is the sole deity and omniscient creator of everything. Ahura Mazda is the Avestan language name for an exalted divinity of ancient proto-Indo-Iranian religion that was subsequently declared by Zarathustra (Zoroaster) to be the one uncreated creator of all (God). ... Ahura Mazda is the Avestan language name for an exalted divinity of ancient proto-Indo-Iranian religion that was subsequently declared by Zarathustra (Zoroaster) to be the one uncreated creator of all (God). ...

The nineteenth day of the month of the Zoroastrian calendar and the first month of the Zoroastrian and present-day Iranian calendars are named Farvadin and are dedicated to the fravashi. The Zoroastrian calendar is a religious calendar used by members of the Zoroastrian faith, and it is an approximation of the (tropical) solar calendar. ... The Iranian calendar (Persian: ‎) also known as Persian calendar or the Jalāli Calendar is a solar calendar currently used in Iran and Afghanistan. ...

References

• Jal-Vajifdar, Farrokh. "The Decent of the Fravashis". The Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies. 
• Boyce, Mary. "Fravaši". The Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies. 
• Malandra, W. W. (1971). The Fravaši Yašt. University Microfilms. 
• Moulton, J. H. (1972). Early Zoroastrianism. London. 
• "Fravashi". Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics (2). (1913).
• Narten, J. (1985). "Avestisch frauuaši". Indo-Iranian Journal 28: 35–48.