Asman: The Yazata of the Sky
- Dala Sarkis
- Jun 3
- 13 min read
Introduction
Asman is the yazata of the sky in the Zoroastrian and Iranic tradition: the divinity of the shining heaven, the highest sky and the firmament, the first part of the material world created by Ahura Mazda, the vast shining vault that arches over the world.
In the vision of the Wise Lord, Asman, whose name means the sky or heaven, is the divinity presiding over the sky, the shining heaven that arches over the world. In the cosmology of the tradition, the sky was the first part of the material world to be created, and it is envisioned as a vast and shining vault, personified as a divinity in gleaming armour who stands against the powers of darkness. The sky holds the sun, the moon, and the stars, and it is honoured as a great cosmic divinity of the good creation.
Like the other divinities of the Zoroastrian tradition, Asman belongs to the shared ancient religious and mythological heritage of the Iranic peoples, a tradition the Kurds hold in common with the Persians and others of the Iranic world. To know Asman is to encounter the Zoroastrian reverence for the sky, the shining heaven that arches over the world, the first of the material creations and a great cosmic divinity of the good creation.
Contents
Who Is Asman?
Asman is the yazata, or divinity, of the sky in the Zoroastrian tradition, one of the beneficent divine beings created by Ahura Mazda. His name means the sky or heaven, and he is the divinity of the shining heaven, the highest sky and the firmament, the vast and shining vault that arches over the world. In the cosmology of the tradition, the sky is the first part of the material world to be created by the Wise Lord, brought forth before the other creations, and it is envisioned as a great shining vault, of a substance hard and bright, that encloses and protects the world. The sky is personified as a divinity in gleaming armour, a mighty cosmic being who stands against the powers of darkness; for the sky, in the cosmic vision, is the first line of the good creation against the assault of evil. The sky holds the sun, the moon, and the stars, the heavenly lights, and it presides over a day of the month. As the yazata of the sky, the shining heaven that arches over the world and the first of the material creations, Asman holds a great place among the cosmic divinities of the Zoroastrian vision.
The Meaning of the Name
The name Asman means the sky or heaven, the shining vault that arches over the world. The name is an ancient one, and interestingly it is connected also with the idea of stone, so that the sky is understood as a kind of shining, stony firmament, a hard and bright vault enclosing the world.
This meaning is central to the character of the divinity, for Asman is the sky, the shining heaven that arches over the world. The connection of the name with both the sky and stone is an ancient and interesting one, found also in the related ancient Indian tradition, and it reflects the conception of the sky as a hard, bright, and shining vault, a kind of stony firmament of a substance hard and gleaming, that encloses and protects the world. This conception of the sky as a hard and shining vault is bound up with its role as the protective enclosure of the world and the first line of the good creation against the darkness. The name marks the divinity as the sky, the shining heaven, the bright vault that arches over and encloses the world. The element of the name, with its sense of the shining and the stony firmament, captures the ancient conception of the sky as a vast, hard, and gleaming vault. To grasp the meaning of the name is to grasp the conception of the sky as the shining heaven and the bright, enclosing vault, the great cosmic divinity that arches over the world, holding the heavenly lights and standing against the darkness, near to Hvare-khshaeta the Sun and Mah the Moon that it holds.
Key Takeaways
Asman is the Zoroastrian yazata of the sky and the shining heaven.
The name means the sky, connected also with the idea of stone.
The sky is the first part of the material world to be created.
It is a vast, hard, shining vault that encloses and protects the world.
It is personified as a divinity in shining armour against the darkness.
It holds the sun, the moon, and the stars and presides over a day.
Quick Facts
Name: Asman (the sky, heaven)
Meaning: The sky or heaven; connected also with stone (stony firmament)
Role: Yazata presiding over the sky and the shining heaven
In cosmology: The first part of the material world created
Form: A vast, hard, shining vault enclosing the world
Personified as: A divinity in gleaming armour against the darkness
Holds: The sun, the moon, and the stars
Associated with: Hvare-khshaeta (Sun), Mithra, Khshathra Vairya
In the calendar: Presides over the 27th day of the month
Heritage: Shared Iranic religious and mythological tradition
The Shining Heaven
Asman is the divinity of the shining heaven, the highest sky and the firmament, the vast and shining vault that arches over the world, one of the great and beautiful images of the Zoroastrian cosmic vision.
In the Zoroastrian cosmic vision, the sky is one of the great and beautiful features of the created world, the vast shining heaven that arches over the earth, holding the sun, the moon, and the stars, and Asman is the divinity who presides over and personifies it. The sky is the highest heaven, the shining vault that arches over and encloses the world, of a substance hard and bright, gleaming like a precious and shining stone or metal. This shining heaven is a thing of beauty and majesty, the great vault of the sky with its luminaries, the highest and most encompassing of the visible features of the world. As the divinity of the sky, Asman presides over this shining heaven, the vast and gleaming vault that arches over the world. This role as the divinity of the shining heaven is the most characteristic aspect of Asman, the presiding power of the vast and shining vault of the sky. It is as the divinity of the shining heaven, the bright vault that arches over the world, that Asman is honoured, the great cosmic divinity of the sky in the Zoroastrian vision.
The First of the Creations
In the cosmology of the tradition, the sky is the first part of the material world to be created by Ahura Mazda, brought forth before the other creations, a place of special honour in the cosmic vision.
In the Zoroastrian account of creation, the material world is created in a series of stages, and the sky is the first of the material creations to be brought forth by the Wise Lord, created before the waters, the earth, the plants, the animals, and humankind. In one telling, the Wise Lord fashioned his creations first within himself and then brought them forth in their proper order, and the sky was the first to be manifested, brought forth, as it were, from the head. As the first of the material creations, the sky has a place of special honour and importance in the cosmic vision, the first and highest of the created things of the material world, the great vault within which the rest of creation is enclosed and unfolds. This role as the first of the material creations is a defining feature of Asman, marking the sky as the first and most encompassing of the created things of the material world, the great vault created first by the Wise Lord. It is as the first of the material creations, the first-created and most encompassing of the visible world, that the sky holds its special place of honour in the Zoroastrian cosmic vision, the great vault within which the good creation unfolds.
The Sky Against the Darkness
The sky is personified as a divinity in gleaming armour, the first line of the good creation against the assault of the powers of darkness, Ahriman and his demons.
In the Zoroastrian cosmic vision, the world is the arena of the great struggle between the good creation and the powers of darkness and evil, and the sky has a heroic role in this struggle. The sky is personified as a divinity clad in gleaming armour, a mighty and shining warrior, who stands as the first line of the good creation against the assault of Ahriman and his demons. In the cosmic drama, when the powers of darkness assault the good creation, the sky, as the outermost and first-created of the material world, is the first to meet and resist the assault, the shining vault that encloses the world and bars the way to the powers of darkness, holding them within the bounds of the created world where they may in time be overcome. This heroic role of the sky as the shining warrior and the first line of defence against the darkness is a striking and beautiful image, the great gleaming vault standing firm against the assault of evil. This role as the bulwark against the darkness is a notable aspect of Asman, binding the divinity of the sky to the great cosmic struggle of the good creation against the powers of darkness. It is as the shining warrior and the bulwark of the good creation, the gleaming vault that stands against the darkness, that the sky holds a heroic place in the Zoroastrian cosmic vision.
The Sky and the Heavenly Lights
The sky holds the sun, the moon, and the stars, the heavenly lights, and is associated with the divinities of light and the heavenly luminaries.
The shining heaven of Asman is the vault that holds and displays the heavenly lights, the sun, the moon, and the stars, which move across and shine within it. The sky is thus closely associated with the divinities of the heavenly luminaries, with Hvare-khshaeta the radiant Sun, Mah the Moon, and the stars such as Tishtrya, all of which shine within the vault of the sky. The sky is the great vault within which these luminaries move and shine, the shining heaven that holds and displays the lights of the world. In this, Asman is grouped with the divinities of light and the heavenly luminaries, the great vault that holds the lights of heaven. The association of the sky with the heavenly lights is a beautiful aspect of Asman, binding the divinity of the sky to the luminaries that shine within it and to the divinities of light. It is as the shining vault that holds the sun, the moon, and the stars, the great heaven of the heavenly lights, that Asman is honoured among the cosmic divinities of the Zoroastrian vision, the sky within which the lights of the world shine.
Symbolism and Meaning
Asman embodies, above all, the Zoroastrian reverence for the sky, the shining heaven that arches over the world, the first and most encompassing of the material creations and a great cosmic divinity of the good creation. As the divinity of the sky, he represents the majesty and beauty of the heavens and the protective enclosure of the world.
Asman embodies, too, the heroic role of the sky as the bulwark of the good creation against the darkness, the shining warrior who stands firm against the assault of evil, and the great vault that holds the heavenly lights. In this, he represents the order, beauty, and protective strength of the cosmos. In all this, Asman is among the great cosmic divinities of the Iranic religious tradition, embodying the sky, the shining heaven, the first of the creations, and the bulwark against the darkness. He is the yazata of the sky, the shining vault that arches over the world and holds the heavenly lights such as Hvare-khshaeta the Sun and Mah the Moon, one of the great figures of the cosmology that the Kurds share with the other heirs of the Iranic tradition. The reverence for the shining heaven that he embodies is among the most majestic and beautiful features of the Iranic cosmic vision.
Asman and the Kurds
Asman, like the other divinities of the Zoroastrian tradition, belongs to the shared ancient religious and mythological heritage of the Iranic peoples, a tradition that the Kurds, as an Iranic people, hold in common with the Persians and others of the Iranic world. The reverence for the sky and the heavens is part of the deep heritage of the whole region.
For the Kurds, whose mountainous homeland lies beneath the vast and often brilliant skies of the highlands, the ancient Iranic reverence for the shining heaven has a certain natural resonance, part of the deep background of their cultural and spiritual world; indeed, the very word for the sky in Kurdish and the related Iranic languages descends from the same ancient root as the name of Asman. The reverence for the sky, the majestic vault that arches over the world and holds the heavenly lights, is part of the shared cosmological heritage of the Iranic world. It is honest and accurate to understand Asman as part of this shared Iranic and Zoroastrian heritage, rather than as a uniquely Kurdish figure; the divinity of the sky belongs to the common ancient religious tradition of the Iranic peoples. As an Iranic people with ancient roots in this world, the Kurds share in this heritage, of which the divinity of the sky is a part, alongside the other heirs of the Iranic tradition. In presenting Asman, then, we present a figure of the shared ancient Iranic heritage to which the Kurds are heirs, the yazata of the sky, the shining heaven that arches over the world, whose name lives on in the ordinary word for the sky to this day.
Debates and Misconceptions
Is Asman a separate god worshipped in place of the one God? No; in the Zoroastrian understanding, Asman is a yazata, one of the beneficent divine beings created by the one God, Ahura Mazda. The sky is honoured and personified as a great and beautiful work of the Wise Lord, the first of the material creations and the bulwark of the good creation, but it is honoured within a faith centred on the one God, not worshipped as an independent god in place of him. This understanding preserves the fundamentally monotheistic character of the faith, in which the sky and the other features of the world are honoured as the good works of the one God.
Why is the sky connected with stone? This is an interesting and ancient feature. The name of the sky, Asman, is connected etymologically with both the sky and the idea of stone, a connection found also in the related ancient Indian tradition. This reflects the ancient conception of the sky as a hard, bright, and shining vault, a kind of stony firmament of a substance hard and gleaming, rather than the empty air of the modern conception. The honest explanation is that this reflects an ancient cosmological conception of the sky as a solid, shining dome enclosing the world, a conception bound up with the sky's role as the protective enclosure and bulwark of the good creation.
Is Asman a specifically Kurdish figure? No; like the other divinities of the Zoroastrian tradition, the divinity of the sky belongs to the shared ancient Iranic religious heritage, a tradition the Kurds hold in common with the Persians and others of the Iranic world, rather than a uniquely Kurdish figure. As an Iranic people, the Kurds share in this broad and ancient heritage, of which the sky is a part, alongside their neighbours; and the very word for the sky in the Iranic languages descends from the same ancient root.
Related Topics
Ahura Mazda: the Wise Lord, who created the sky first
Hvare-khshaeta: the radiant Sun, held within the vault of the sky
Mah: the Moon, the heavenly light within the sky
Tishtrya: the rain-star, shining within the heaven
Mithra: the lord of light, associated with the sky
Khshathra Vairya: the holy immortal of metals, akin to the shining sky
Ahriman: the darkness against which the sky stands
Vourukasha: the cosmic sea, another great feature of the cosmos
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Asman in Zoroastrianism?
Asman is the yazata, or divinity, of the sky in the Zoroastrian tradition, one of the beneficent divine beings created by Ahura Mazda. His name means the sky or heaven, and he is the divinity of the shining heaven, the highest sky and the firmament, the vast and shining vault that arches over the world. In the cosmology of the tradition, the sky is the first part of the material world to be created, personified as a divinity in shining armour against the darkness.
What does the name Asman mean?
The name Asman means the sky or heaven, the shining vault that arches over the world. Interestingly, it is connected also with the idea of stone, a connection found in the related ancient Indian tradition, so that the sky is understood as a kind of shining, stony firmament, a hard and bright vault enclosing the world. This reflects the ancient conception of the sky as a solid, gleaming dome rather than the empty air of the modern conception.
Why is the sky the first of the creations?
In the Zoroastrian account of creation, the material world is created in a series of stages, and the sky is the first of the material creations to be brought forth by the Wise Lord, before the waters, the earth, the plants, the animals, and humankind. In one telling, the Wise Lord fashioned his creations within himself and brought them forth in order, the sky first. As the first and most encompassing of the material creations, the sky has a place of special honour.
How does the sky stand against the darkness?
The sky is personified as a divinity in gleaming armour, a shining warrior who stands as the first line of the good creation against the assault of Ahriman and his demons. As the outermost and first-created of the material world, the sky is the first to meet and resist the assault of darkness, the shining vault that encloses the world and bars the way to the powers of darkness, holding them within the bounds of the created world where they may in time be overcome.
What heavenly lights does the sky hold?
The shining heaven of Asman is the vault that holds and displays the heavenly lights: the sun (Hvare-khshaeta), the moon (Mah), and the stars (such as Tishtrya), which move across and shine within it. The sky is closely associated with the divinities of these luminaries and grouped with the divinities of light, the great vault within which the lights of the world move and shine.
Is Asman a Kurdish figure?
Asman belongs to the shared ancient Zoroastrian and Iranic religious heritage, a tradition the Kurds hold in common with the Persians and others of the Iranic world, rather than a uniquely Kurdish figure. As an Iranic people with ancient roots in this world, beneath the vast skies of their highland homeland, the Kurds share in this heritage; indeed the very word for the sky in Kurdish and the related Iranic languages descends from the same ancient root as the name of Asman.
References and Further Reading
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