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Anahita


 

Anahita (or Nahid in Modern Persian), whose name means "unstained" or "immaculate", was an ancient Persian deity. Her cult was strongest in Western Iran, and had extensive parallels with that of the Semitic Near Eastern "Queen of Heaven", deification of the planet Venus, eternal virgin (however many sexual encounters she had), goddess of war, love, and fertility Ishtar, who was probably derived from the Sumerian Inana. Anahita may have been a direct borrowing from the Near East, or may have acquired Near Eastern characteristics from a confrontation between Iranian and Mesopotamian cultures.

External links

  • http://www.avesta.org/ka/yt5sbe.htm - The fifth Avestan Yasht.
  • http://archi-west.tripod.com/anahita.htm - The Anahita Temple at Kangavar.