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Faravahar

The Faravahar, the winged figure of ancient Persia that became the best-known symbol of Zoroastrianism: its origins, the modern reading of its parts and its use today.

Also called Farohar · Fravashi

In brief

  1. I.The Faravahar is a figure of a man rising from a winged disc, carved on monuments of ancient Persia.
  2. II.Its original meaning is debated; it may have shown the royal glory or a god.
  3. III.Modern Zoroastrians read it as the human soul and the choice between good and evil.
  4. IV.It is also a widely used symbol of Iranian identity.

Chapter I

What it means

Zoroastrians today read the Faravahar as a picture of the human soul on its journey. The figure of an older man stands for wisdom. One hand points upward, towards progress; the other holds a ring, a sign of loyalty and of keeping promises. The two streamers below are the two spirits, good and evil, between which each person must choose.

The three rows of feathers in each wing stand for good thoughts, good words and good deeds, the heart of Zoroastrian ethics. The ring around the body is the eternity of the soul.

Chapter II

Where it comes from

The image grew from the winged sun disc of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. In Persia it appears above the kings in the rock reliefs of Darius I at Behistun and at Persepolis, 6th–5th century BCE. Some scholars think it shows the god Ahura Mazda, others the royal glory, khvarenah, or the fravashi, the guardian spirit.

In the 19th and 20th centuries Parsi and Iranian Zoroastrians adopted it as the emblem of their faith.

Chapter III

Where you see it today

The Faravahar is carved over the doors of fire temples, worn as a pendant and printed on books and calendars. Many Iranians of all beliefs use it as a symbol of their country’s ancient heritage.

Questions people ask

What do the three rows of feathers mean?

In the modern reading, they stand for good thoughts, good words and good deeds, the three principles of Zoroastrian ethics.

Did ancient Zoroastrians use it as a religious symbol?

Scholars disagree. The image appears in royal art of the Achaemenid Empire (6th–4th century BCE). Its use as the emblem of the faith developed mostly in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Sources and further reading

  1. Mary Boyce, Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices (Routledge, 1979)
  2. Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Parsiism”
  3. Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Religious symbolism and iconography”

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