Anahit

The Golden Mother

Goddess of Fertility, Healing, Wisdom and Sovereignty

FESTIVALS

Navasard (August 11), The Beautiful Mother (April 6)

MAGICAL & RITUAL ASSOCIATIONS*

Colors: Gold & Red

Animal: Lion

Botanical: Pomegranate

Mineral: Garnet

Metal: Gold

The goddess Anahit is a Goddess for all Armenian people.

Anahit is a goddess of both Fire and Water, fertility, wisdom, healing, abundant harvest, and riches. She may be a syncretization of earlier tribal goddesses of the Armenians and other ancient peoples indigenous to the Armenian highlands: the Hurrians, Luwians, Hittites, and Urartians. The Urartians were a politically savvy warrior race who appear to be the most direct ancestors of modern Armenians, and had a pantheon of many gods and goddesses.

The highest of the pantheon were Haldi, Tesheiba, and Shivini: three powerful warrior gods. Arubani was the consort of Haldi, and was the most revered goddess of the Urartians. She was a fertility goddess and patron of the arts. It is likely that Anahit inherited some or all of Arubani's qualities, expanding upon them and growing in prominence over older, localized goddesses.

When the religion of Zoroastrianism came to greater Armenia with the Persian conquest, some aspects of the indigenous goddesses (Astghik, Nané or Inanna) became syncretized and renamed Anahit, roughly analogous to the Persian Anahita, the Zoroastrian goddess of the Heavenly Waters. Anahita has some similarity to Anahit as a primary Mother goddess of the near east, but her iconography is quite distinct. She is a fertility goddess strongly associated with purity, specifically the pure waters of heaven. She granted sovereignty to kings and bestowed blessings of marriage, fertility, and childbirth to the people. Her full name, Aredvi Sura Anahita, roughly translates to "water/pure/mighty" and seems to have arisen from the earlier Sanskrit goddess Sarasvatī, also representing the heavenly river. 

Over time, Anahit absorbed some of the fertility and love aspects of Astghik and her earlier, martial protectress aspects fell to Nané (equated to the Greek Athena, a goddess of war and wisdom), although each of these goddesses retained their own worship and cultic practices.

Although no figurative images or statuary officially identified as Anahit have survived the centuries (excepting the bronze head and hand of the Satala Aphrodite), many archaeological finds in Western Armenia and Anatolia depict a majestic goddess, often seated upon a throne or chariot and flanked by lions. These are officially labeled (by Turkish academic authorities) as the Phrygian Cybele or Greek Potnia Theron, but the images are often contemporary with the height of Anahit's worship and reflect many of her divine qualities and realms of influence.

The goddess Anahit grew in stature and popularity as the Persian and Hellenic cultures gained power. At the hieght of her cult, Anahit was revered as part of the divine triad alongside the great Creator god Aramazd and Vahagn, the Warrior god, eventually becoming a prototype for Mary, Mother of Jesus (the solar son).

Anahit was worshiped widely by Armenian kings, as was noted by many classical historians. According to Agathangelos, she was called "the benefactress of the whole human race, mother of all knowledge, daughter of the great Aramazd" by King Trdat (298-330 CE), the Armenian Arsacid king who ultimately converted and proclaimed Christianity the official religion of Armenia. Her centers of worship were located in Erez, Armavir, Artashat and Ashtishat. The whole of Erez was dedicated to Anahit, called Anahtakan Gavar. A mountain in the Sophene province was known as Athor Anahta, or “Anahit’s Throne.” Her temple at Eriza was said to be the noblest and wealthiest in Armenia, and esteemed families would send their daughters to serve as priestesses at the temple before marrying. This may be the source of the notion that the temple was a center for sacred prostitution, as recounted by historian Strabo. 

The New Year festival of Navasard is dedicated to Anahit, and was once considered to be the last month of summer and the beginning of “the golden autumn.” Although Navasard was once celebrated in spring, as is the Persian New Year celebration of Nowruz, its festivities were always associated with agricultural cycles and rituals to ensure rain and bountiful harvests. In addition to feasting, dancing, and games, people would make annual pilgrimages to Anahit’s temple to ask for healing. Echoes of the spring Navasard may be found in the festival of Beauty and Motherhood celebrated by modern Armenians on April 7.

The Armenian people's love for Anahit transcended its conversion to Christianity, and the image of the head of her ancient bronze statue has become a symbol of the nation and culture of Armenia. Despite enduring centuries of conquest and colonization, genocide, forced displacement, and the intentional fracturing of their ancestral homeland, Anahit persists as a powerful, unifying, and healing goddess of the Armenian people.

*Magical and Ritual Associations are based on my own research and devotional practice.

I am a daughter of the Sun, a seeker of knowledge, and a priestess in devotion to the Mystery.

© 2023 flamingoftherose.com