Gathas
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The Gathas () are five hymns in the Avestan language from the Zoroastrian oral tradition of the Avesta. The oldest surviving text fragment dates from 1323 CE, but they are believed by scholars to have been composed before 1000 BCE and passed down orally for centuries. They are traditionally believed to have been composed by the prophet Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) himself. They form the core of the Zoroastrian liturgy (the Yasna). They are arranged in five different modes or metres.
Key facts
- Religious text.image
- Bodleian J2 fol 175 Y 28 1.jpg
- Religious text.caption
- Yasna 28.1, Ahunavaiti Gatha (Bodleian MS J2)
- Religious text.author
- Zarathustra
- Religious text.religion
- Zoroastrianism
- Religious text.language
- Avestan
- Religious text.background
- 990955
via Wikipedia infobox
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Article
7 sectionsContents
- Structure and organization
- Language
- Content
- References
- Notes
- Works cited
- Further reading
The Gathas () are five hymns in the Avestan language from the Zoroastrian oral tradition of the Avesta. The oldest surviving text fragment dates from 1323 CE, but they are believed by scholars to have been composed before 1000 BCE and passed down orally for centuries. They are traditionally believed to have been composed by the prophet Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) himself. They form the core of the Zoroastrian liturgy (the Yasna). They are arranged in five different modes or metres.
The Avestan term '' (𐬔𐬁𐬚𐬁 "hymn", but also "mode, metre") is cognate with Sanskrit gāthā (गाथा), both from the Proto-Indo-Iranian word *gaHtʰáH, from the root *gaH- "to sing".