Life[edit]
The
Gathas contain allusions to personal events, such as Zoroaster's triumph over obstacles imposed by competing priests and the ruling class. They also indicate he had difficulty spreading his teachings, and was even treated with ill-will in his mother's hometown. They also describe familiar events such as the marriage of his daughter, at which Zoroaster presided. In the texts of the Younger
Avesta (composed many centuries after the
Gathas), Zoroaster is depicted wrestling with the
daevas and is tempted by
Angra Mainyu to renounce his thinking (
Yasht 17.19;
Vendidad 19). The
Spend Nask, the 13th section of the Avesta, is said to have a description of the prophet's life.
[24] However, this text has been lost over the centuries, and it survives only as a summary in the seventh book of the 9th-century
Dēnkard. Other 9th- to 12th-century stories of Zoroaster, such as the
Shāhnāmeh, are also assumed to be based on earlier texts, but must be considered as primarily a collection of
legends. The historical Zoroaster, however, eludes categorization as a legendary character.
Zoroaster was born into the priestly family[
citation needed] of the
Spitamids and his ancestor
Spitāma is mentioned several times in the
Gathas. His father's name was
Pourušaspa, or "Poroschasp", a noble
Persian, and his mother's was Dughdova (
Duγδōuuā). With his wife, Huvovi (
Hvōvi), Zoroaster had three sons, Isat Vastar, Uruvat-Nara and Hvare Ciϑra; three daughters, Freni, Pourucista and Triti.
[25] His wife, children and a cousin named Maidhyoimangha were his first converts after his illumination from
Ahura Mazda at age 30. According to
Yasnas 5 & 105, Zoroaster prayed to
Anahita for the conversion of King
Vištaspa,
[26] who appears in the
Gathas as a historic personage. In legends, Vištaspa is said to have had two brothers as courtiers, Frašaōštra and Jamaspa, and to whom Zoroaster was closely related: his wife, Hvōvi, was the daughter of Frashaōštra, while Jamaspa was the husband of his daughter Pourucista. The actual role of intermediary was played by the pious queen Hutaōsa. Apart from this connection, the new prophet relied especially upon his own kindred (
hvaētuš).
