Frohar’s symbol is made up of a human figure, a king’s crown, a covenant ring, a long ruler’s robe, wings and a bird’s tail. The man who is between the two wings looks very similar to the Achaemenid men in ancient times. In addition to the royal crown, he has virtues and long hair. This appearance certainly reminds us of kings like Cyrus the Great and Darius the Great.
But there are many differences of opinion. Some archaeologists consider the Forohar symbol to be related to Zoroastrianism and religion. While some others have taken this symbol, they consider the kings sitting on the throne of ancient Iran. You have definitely seen in different images that this symbol comes with the slogan of good deeds, good thoughts and good words, which is one of the memorable legacies of Cyrus the Great. But to what extent are these explanations true and what principles are behind them? In this article, we would like to mention the history of Forohar symbol and provide detailed explanations about its main meaning.
The 5 forces that are defined for the creation of every human being in Zoroastrian religion
In Zoroastrian belief, every human being is composed of 5 different dimensions. If any of these are removed, one of the noblest attributes of creatures can no longer be attributed to humans. As you know, there are many differences between humans and other creatures that make them superior. These forces include the following, which we explain in detail:
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Aho (John)
In Zoroastrian’s concept, life is said to be a force that will cause human movement in the path of life. When the body is created, the soul will be with it. When the body is destroyed, the soul will also be destroyed. In fact, the soul is responsible for maintaining the body and creating a lifestyle, as well as regulating the instinctive or natural actions of every human being.
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Deana (conscience)
One of the basic differences between other creatures and humans is exactly this conscience. All of us humans can distinguish between good and bad actions and judge if we make a mistake. Conscience is an internal ruler and judge of every person, which can inform him of the quality of his actions and try to compensate in case of mistakes. Therefore, it shows the positive side of every human being. With this power, you can recognize the right path, and if you have a clear conscience, you will achieve excellence.
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Beauz (recognition force)
The cognitive force that constitutes the intelligence and intelligence and intellectual and mental power of a person shows. Every human brain has the power to analyze and discover hidden elements due to its structural complexity. Until today, it has been the human brain that has come to the rescue and provided conditions for humans to invent tools and equipment that make life comfortable.
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Oron (Psychic)
The soul is another dimension of a human being, which is more related to the other world. That is, every good and bad deed that a person does after his death, it is the soul that is impeached or exposed to punishment. We definitely had this experience that we are exposed to a lot of pressures that have nothing to do with the body.
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Sales
Forohar is the purest and most uncontaminated force that exists in humans. There is no evil in Forohar. In fact, this is the main difference with the soul, which is not questioned in the other world. Because Forohar is inherently pure. Forohar can cause material and spiritual perfection of man. Man can reach spiritual perfection by cultivating his soul. Man’s desire to do good and God-pleasing deeds is based on the existence of virtue in every human being, which is a part of God’s character. It is also stated in Islamic religions that when a human being is created from a flower, God breathes his spirit into it and will complete the existence of a human being. This issue is also very similar to Forohar.According to the mentioned explanations, Forohar is not defined based on a symbol. But the symbol of Forohar that we know today is specified as “Faroe Kiani” in many books. But according to verbal habit, they introduced it as a symbol of Forohar. In simpler words, this symbol, which consists of a human between two wings, is the same Fareh Kiani, which is often called the Forohar symbol. Not only in Iran, but the symbol of Forohar with its design and shape has been used in all kinds of men’s and women’s jewelry. Even famous actors of the world use such ornaments.
What is the symbol of Forohar in Zoroastrian religion?
In Zoroastrianism, Forohar is mentioned as Ahura Mazda. Ahuramazda means the creator of Gity and the force that existed before the emergence of man and was able to create this existence after that. Therefore, as a simple word, it can be called God or Lord. According to Mazdaists, Ahura Mazda is the creator of all spiritual and material things that exist in this system of existence. On the other hand, Forohar is an eternal force and is completely indestructible.
In many Zoroastrian writings, it is stated that the followers of this religion should praise or worship Forohar for reasons such as piety, steadfastness, goodness and beauty. Zoroastrians have a monotheistic religion. Because their prophet is also of the same opinion. So, in this ritual, there may be differences between the symbol of Forohar and the word Forohar. In many tombs of Zoroastrians, this symbol is engraved and sometimes it is exposed to the audience in the form of a Forohar panel.
Why can’t the symbol of Forohar be Ahura Mazda or the creator of existence?
One of the very important questions that arise in connection with the explanations related to the Frohar symbol in Zoroastrianism is that if Ahura Mazda is the creator of the universe, then why does he have a physical and physical dimension and why is he like a human being. These are examples of violations that show that some people worshiped this symbol as an idol. In fact, paganism was very common in the past.
Basically, the creator of this system does not have a specific gender, that is, he is neither male nor female. On the other hand, it cannot look like a human. In today’s era, if this symbol is attributed to Ahura Mazda or the creator of this world, it is not compatible with human common sense. Basically, scientists always disagree about this symbol. But it cannot be said for sure that it is completely related to Zoroastrian religion.
Does the symbol of Forohar represent the Prophet Zoroaster?
According to the relationship between the symbol of Forohar and Zoroastrian religion, some believe that this symbol represents the prophet Zoroastrianism. But the prophets of Zoroastrian religion did not have any royal crown and only wore a cloth. As you can see in the picture, a man in the form of a profile has a royal crown, which is more related to the Achaemenid king.
On the other hand, it has a ring or circle of peace in the left hand, which was usually held by the rulers. Even the dress or long dress he is wearing is also indicative of the same thing. Tools such as scepters, armbands, crowns, long robes, rings, which are popular today in the form of Frohar rings, were all accessories that kings carried with them.
Which philosophy and concept of Forohar is reasonable and logical?
As a lot of information has been mentioned about the Forohar symbol so far, it can be concluded that many distortions have been recorded to explain this symbol from the distant past until today. Because each person based on his mentality has left a writing as a document, based on which people cite and mention materials.
The most emphasis for this symbol was Ahura Mazda, which was completely rejected by presenting an example of the violation that Ahura Mazda is the creator of the universe without a physical dimension. But Forohar’s philosophy and logical concept is that all the evidence shows that there is a very deep connection between the kings of Iran and this symbol. Especially since on Persepolis we can also see an inscribed stone or a deep engraving of Forohar‘s symbol.
Stone writing or engraving of this symbol inside Iran
One of the stone inscriptions or engravings done on the stone is in Biston, Kermanshah. You can see a stone plate below which is King Darius standing in front of some captives. In the meantime, we can see the symbol of Forohar above the engraved design. Some believe that Darius worshiped this symbol as Ahura Mazda. But Dariush did not have a special religious bias and saw everyone with the same eye.
So this engraving also shows how much the kings of Iran recognized it. Therefore, it cannot be attributed to other non-Iranian religions. Of course, there are other tombs, such as the Far Kiani icon in Yazd Fire Temple, which was usually the place of prayer and secret and need of Zoroastrians.