Gatha (Zoroaster)

Gatha
Gatha
Information
Religion	Zoroastrianism
Author	Zarathustra
Language	Avestan

The Gathas (/ˈɡɑːtəz, -tɑːz/)^[1] are 17 hymns in the Avestan language from the Zoroastrian oral tradition of the Avesta. The oldest surviving text fragment dates from 1323 CE,^[2] but they are believed by scholars to have been composed before 1000 BCE and passed down orally for centuries.^[3]^[4] They are traditionally believed to have been composed by the prophet Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) himself. They form the core of the Zoroastrian liturgy (the Yasna). They are arranged in five different modes or metres.

The Avestan term gāθā (𐬔𐬁𐬚𐬁 "hymn", but also "mode, metre") is cognate with Sanskrit gāthā (गाथा), both from the Proto-Indo-Iranian word *gaHtʰáH, from the root *gaH- "to sing".

^ "Gatha". Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.
^ Boyce 1984, p. 1.
^ Hale, Mark (2008). "Avestan". In Woodward, Roger D. (ed.). The Ancient Languages of Asia and the Americas. Cambridge University Press. pp. 101–122. ISBN 978-0-521-68494-1.
^ Skjaervo, P. Oktor (2012). "The Zoroastrian Oral Tradition as Reflected in the Texts". In Cantera, Alberto (ed.). The Transmission of the Avesta. Iranica. Vol. 20. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. pp. 3–48. ISBN 978-3-447-06554-2.

[1] "Gatha". Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.

[FOOTNOTEBoyce19841-2] Boyce 1984, p. 1.

[3] Hale, Mark (2008). "Avestan". In Woodward, Roger D. (ed.). The Ancient Languages of Asia and the Americas. Cambridge University Press. pp. 101–122. ISBN 978-0-521-68494-1.

[4] Skjaervo, P. Oktor (2012). "The Zoroastrian Oral Tradition as Reflected in the Texts". In Cantera, Alberto (ed.). The Transmission of the Avesta. Iranica. Vol. 20. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. pp. 3–48. ISBN 978-3-447-06554-2.

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Gatha (Zoroaster)

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