Zoroaster
Truth is the best of all that is good.
–Zoroaster
A prophet of the 9th or 10th century BC, the founder of Zoroastrianism, who lived and preached somewhere in the east of modern Iran. At that time society was divided into herdsmen and farmers on the one hand, and a priestly class on the other, largely nomadic and strongly dependent on cattle (which can be seen in another of Zoroaster’s statements: The best insight, which purifies progeny for mankind, let it also be applied to the cow.) Zoroastrianism was one of the first — if not the first of all –revealed religions (i.e. a new religion, “revealed” to one individual rather than building up organically over millenia; it is also the first religion (as far as I know) to cast the universe as a great battleground between Good (”Truth”) and Bad (”Lies’), in which each human being has a moral obligation to choose between them.
Zoroaster is the English version of his name, derived from Zoroastres, the Greek version of his name. The original Old Persian was Zarathushtra, of uncertain meaning, but it definitely has something to do with camels. The most likely meaning is “one whose camels are old.” (I’m not kidding. I don’t make this up, I just report it.) The Greeks seem to have chosen the form Zoroastres because it sounds like Greek for “undiluted stars” (which makes it all the more remarkable that the opening theme of the film 2001 was Also Sprach Zarathushtra by Richard Strauss).
The sound of Zoroaster is one of remarkable power, beginning with a flourish of directed earth energy, infused with strength, and channeled; it’s no wonder that Western mysticism equated Zoroaster, rightly or wrongly, with insinuations of ancient magic and wisdom. Zarathushtra, meanwhile, while still directed and flourishing, is more even and balanced, and indicates more challenges on the path. If Zarathushtra really did mean “old camels” in Old Persian, then the ancient Persians associated age with deep wisdom and artistry, and camels with difficult journeys.
