What is the Faravahar?
The Faravahar (Avestan: fravahar; Persian: farvahar) is the central emblem of Zoroastrianism, the ancient Iranian religion founded by the prophet Zarathustra (Greek: Zoroaster). It depicts a bearded man standing in a winged disc, one hand raised and the other holding a ring. The figure dates to the Achaemenid Empire (c. 550–330 BCE) and appears in monumental relief carvings at Persepolis and Naqsh-e Rostam. Zoroastrians read it as the fravashi, the divine pre-existent soul or guardian spirit that accompanies each person from before birth to after death.
Faravahar vs. fravashi, khvarenah, and Ahura Mazda
The fravashi is the divine guardian spirit in Zoroastrian theology. It is distinct from the ordinary soul (urvan) that is judged at death. The fravashi is eternal, pre-existent, and participates in the cosmic order. Scholars debate what the Achaemenid symbol originally represented. Some read it as the royal khvarenah, the divine glory or fortune that legitimised Persian kingship. Others identify it directly with Ahura Mazda, the Wise Lord and supreme deity of Zoroastrianism. A third reading, favoured by modern Zoroastrian communities, identifies the figure as the fravashi. The three interpretations are not mutually exclusive. The debate is ongoing in Iranian studies and comparative religion.
Reading the symbol
Each element of the Faravahar carries a traditional interpretation. The two large wings spread horizontally in three rows of feathers. The three rows represent the three ethical pillars of Zoroastrianism: humata (good thoughts), hukhta (good words), and hvarshta (good deeds). The lower feathers point downward and represent the three opposing vices to be turned away from. The circular ring at the figure's waist symbolises eternity. The bearded man holds a second ring in his lowered hand. The raised hand points upward toward Ahura Mazda and the principle of asha, cosmic truth and righteousness.
Zarathustra, the Avesta, and the tradition
Zoroastrianism traces its founding to the prophet Zarathustra. The dating is contested: scholars place him anywhere from c. 1800 BCE to c. 600 BCE, with most recent scholarship leaning toward the earlier end. Zarathustra composed the Gathas, seventeen hymns in Old Avestan that form the oldest and most authoritative layer of the Avesta, Zoroastrianism's sacred scripture. The tradition centres on a cosmic struggle between asha (truth, righteousness, cosmic order) and druj (falsehood, chaos), with Ahura Mazda as the supreme creative force on the side of truth. Scholars have traced Zoroastrian influence on Abrahamic ideas of monotheism, cosmic dualism, judgment, resurrection, and the architecture of heaven and hell, transmitted through Achaemenid and Parthian-period contact.
The Faravahar after the Achaemenid period
After the Arab conquest of Persia in the 7th century CE, the Faravahar declined in official use as Iran became predominantly Muslim. It was revived as a national symbol under the Pahlavi dynasty (1925–1979). It now appears on Persian jewellery, carpet designs, and in diaspora Zoroastrian communities worldwide. Iran's Zoroastrian minority, concentrated in Yazd and Kerman, continues to use it on temples, gravestones, and community art. The symbol carries a dual valence: theological emblem in living Zoroastrian practice, and marker of pre-Islamic Persian identity in broader Iranian culture. The two readings coexist.
The Faravahar in the index
The index does not yet hold items dedicated to Zoroastrianism specifically. The Hinduism entry covers the Indo-Iranian tradition that shares Vedic roots with early Zoroastrian religion. The Mysticism entry addresses the cross-traditional territory of inner seeking in which Zoroastrian contemplatives participate. The Afterlife entry discusses beliefs about the soul's journey after death. Zoroastrian eschatology, including the Chinvat Bridge, moral judgment, and the destinations of Garothman (the house of song) and Drujo-Demana (the house of lies), is among the oldest systematic accounts of what follows death. The Dharma entry treats cosmic order in the Hindu and Buddhist sense; asha is its Zoroastrian counterpart. As content covering Zoroastrian teaching enters the index, this entry will gather it.