Farn, Hvarno ( other Iranian. Xᵛarənah , other Persian farnah - “glory, happiness”, always in the middle kind ) - an abstract deity in ancient Iranian mythology associated with fire, light and heat.
Content
Mythology
Usually this deity is interpreted as the material embodiment of the life-giving power of the Sun, the divine fire, the divine essence, bringing wealth, power and power. Often Farn appears both as a kind of abstract sacred good idea, and as a concrete material symbol, a divine character. Usually in mythology, Farn has common attributes with food, which is often indicated in the Iranian languages by the same word or its derivatives. For example, the mention of this name occurs when performing the modern traditional Ossetian [1] feast of the rite [2] - in one of the toasts, pronounced in strict sequence, there is an appeal to “Farn” of the universe with a request for the granting of happiness. Sometimes Farn acts as a good spirit - the keeper of the hearth. In some cases, Farn is understood as happiness, a share, fate, that is, in this sense it is comparable with the similar gods of Greek and Roman mythology - Tyche , Fortune . Farn often appears as a symbol of royal power.
In the myths and traditions of the Iranian and culturally related peoples, Farn is associated with images of animals and birds. In particular, in myths Farn was often presented in the form of a falcon of Vargan, therefore it was believed that amulets of bird feathers could bring good luck and protect its owner both in this and in the other world. Among a number of peoples who adopted the ancient Iranian cultural tradition, for example among the Sarmatians (Scythians), the image of a ram, as the embodiment of Farn, and also sometimes a gazelle or deer, became widespread. The depiction of these symbols on a person’s clothing often testified to his belonging to the royal family. The ram image as a symbol of Farn became widespread in the Kushan kingdom , Sogd and Bactria [3] .
Farne in Art
In Henry Lyon Oldie ’s novel “ I'll Take It Myself ”, a man is described who accidentally and by and large mistakenly received a farn of Iranian shahs, and thus became a shah.
Notes
- ↑ Ossetians are direct descendants of the Alans , an Iranian-speaking tribe of Sarmatian origin.
- ↑ For details, see the article Three Pies .
- ↑ In particular, the terracotta figurines of sheep found during excavations of the sanctuary of the ancient ancient city of Antioch of Zayaksartskaya are identified by researchers with Farn .
Literature
- Farn // Encyclopedia "Myths of the World"
- Shenkar M. A. About iconography x v arǝnah and its role in the ideology of the ancient Iranians // Last Encyclopedist: On the anniversary of B. A. Litvinsky. M .: Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, 2013.S. 427-451.
- Shaub I. Yu. From the History of Pagan Beliefs in the Northern Black Sea Region: the Cult of the Farn at the Scythians // Bulletin of the Orthodox St. Tikhon Theological Institute, 2004, No. 2, 149-158.