The Etymology of "Farvahar"

Farvahar symbol decorating the Adorian Zoroastrian temple in Tehran (1917)

The etymology of the word Farvahar offers an opportunity to explore some of the most complex religious and national concepts in Iranian tradition. For about two centuries now, the symbol commonly referred to as Farvahar has been regarded by many as a representation of the Zoroastrian religion (Mazdayasnā), or even as an emblem of Ahura Mazda. This symbol is frequently used in the architecture of contemporary Zoroastrian fire temples. This article does not aim to confirm or reject that belief. Instead, I focus on the etymology of the word and the history of its usage, including that of the visual symbol associated with Farvahar.

The modern Persian word Faravahar is derived from the Middle Persian fravahar. Variants of this word also appear in Parthian and Manichaean Middle Persian texts, such as frāwahr. The reconstructed Old Persian form was likely fravarti. We can state with certainty that the term in Old Avestan — the language in which Zoroaster composed the Gathas — was fravashi. This is evident from its appearance in both the older (e.g., Yasna Haptanghaiti) and newer parts of the Avesta. Another significant modern Persian word from the same root is Farvardin (the first month of the Persian calendar). It is important to emphasize, however, that the word farr (as in farr-e Kayani, or “royal glory”) is etymologically unrelated to both fravashi and farvardin.

But what is fravashi? The meaning of this word is among the most enigmatic concepts in Zoroastrian texts and beliefs. It might loosely be translated as “the spirit of dead heroes.” However, this interpretation is only a well-supported hypothesis. In Zoroastrian doctrine, the concept of urvan (soul) is foundational. It predates the Indo-Iranian split and especially predates Zoroaster’s reforms. After death, the urvan descends into the depths of the earth — the domain of Yima, known as Jamshid in Persian or Yama in the Vedic tradition. These urvans return once a year to their former homes, where they benefit from the aroma of food and drink offered to them by their descendants.

The relationship between fravashi and urvan remains one of the most debated issues in Zoroastrian studies. Most scholars consider the concept of fravashi to have originated during the heroic age of Iranian history (around 1500 BCE). This may explain why the concept is absent from Indian traditions and exists only among Iranians. Furthermore, the idea predates the prophet Zoroaster. There is another group of scholars who consider fravashi to have developed after Zoroaster but assimilated with archaic elements. The major scholarly theories about the etymology of fravashi are as follows:

1. If fravashi derives from the root vert (to turn or revolve) with the prefix fra, it would mean “to pass on” or “to die.” In this interpretation, fravashi and urvan are essentially the same.
2. If it derives from the root ver (to conceive or to carry) with fra and the infinitive suffix -ti, forming fravash[t]i, then references in the Avesta to ancestral spirits prayed to for the birth of sons become more understandable.
3. According to a third view, the root var meaning “to cover, protect” (as in vərəti) combined with fra (to ward off) suggests that fravashi means “protective warrior spirit.” In this view, fravashis are distinct from ordinary urvans; rather than descending underground, they cross the Chinvat Bridge (the bridge of judgment, akin to Islam’s Sirat bridge) and ascend to the heavens from Mount Harā (Alborz).
4. A fourth theory traces the root to var meaning “to choose,” rendering the word as “one chosen for eternal sanctification.” Despite differing in linguistic origin, this interpretation shares conceptual ground with the third.

Mary Boyce, after comparing these and other theoris theories, concluded that fravashi is a vestige of ancestral worship among early Iranian-Aryan migrants. She suggests that this cult was particularly prevalent among warriors and differed from the religious practices of pastoralist Iranian-Aryans. Eventually, the two concepts — urvan and fravashi — merged. According to Boyce, Zoroaster likely attempted to reduce the prominence of both ideas, as they contradicted his religious framework, which emphasized that the soul’s fate depends solely on thought, word, and deed — not on offerings from descendants or one’s warrior lineage. Notably, the word fravashi does not appear in Zoroaster’s hymns.

Nevertheless, belief in urvan and fravashi was so deeply rooted among eastern and western Iranians that, in the centuries after Zoroaster and with the conversion of new followers to his religion, these concepts gradually reentered Zoroastrian prayers and beliefs. The inconsistencies and contradictions between references to fravashi and urvan may stem from this later reintegration.

What is the relationship between the fravashi and the symbol that today is often referred to as the Farvahar? Historians of Iranian antiquity have proposed three main interpretations of the meaning — and therefore the name — of this symbol, which appears frequently on Achaemenid rock reliefs and seals following the reign of Cyrus the Great. Before exploring these theories, it is helpful to understand when and where this emblem first appeared.

Behistun, Darius’ relief (ca. 520 BCE)

The earliest known depiction of this symbol within the Achaemenid Iranian imperial tradition is found above the inscription at Bisotun, commissioned by Darius the Great (Darius I).

There are other examples of the symbol on rock relief. The tomb Qyzqapan in Iraq is one example. The most accepted theory is that it belongs to a local ruler and not a Median king as Herzfeld originally hypothesized.

The rock-cut tomb of Qyzqapan in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq.

However, even earlier examples of nearly identical motifs are found in the remains of Assyrian architecture.

Depiction of Assur (9th-8th BCE)

Both the Assyrians and the Iranians appear to have borrowed this symbol from the Egyptian falcon-god Horus. The winged sun disk represented divine kingship and protection in Egypt. In Assyria, the winged sun disk was a prominent symbol of Ashur, who also embodied divine power and the king’s connection to the divine.

Depiction the Egyptian god Horus as a falcon

Notably, Achaemenid representations of this motif evolved slightly after Darius’s reconquest of Egypt — at which point the wings become longer and more angular.

Relief on Persepolis walls

All these images have been observed by Iranians and foreign explorers who visited the ancient sites. An orientalist named Antoine Isaac Silvestre de Sacy (1758–1838), who is known for deciphering Pahlavi inscriptions of Sassanian kings, was the first who associated the motif with what he called férouher. Ever since his seminal manuscript on the topic, this symbol has been associated with farvahar.

Besides the naming, there are three main scholarly interpretations of what this symbol meant to the Achaemenids:

1. Divine Representation: In the early days of Achaemenid studies, some scholars considered the symbol to represent Ahura Mazda. One supporting argument was the invocation of Ahura Mazda in the accompanying inscriptions. However, this theory is now largely regarded as unlikely.
2. Royal Fravashi: Others have pointed out that in the relief above Darius’s tomb, the man within the winged ring wears a headdress that closely resembles Darius’s royal crown. This has led to the interpretation of the image as a visual representation of the king’s fravashi. Darius I referred to himself as a ready and capable warrior. This theory is the basis for naming the symbol “Faravahar.”
3. Royal Glory (Khvarenah): The most widely accepted view today is that the symbol represents khvarenah, the divine royal glory. In modern Persian the word has evolved to farr. This is the word that was adopted by the Greeks and eventually become the English word “charisma.”Evidence cited in favor of this interpretation includes the presence of a solar disc (a common emblem of divine radiance) and a crescent moon beside it above Darius’s tomb.