| Hom Stom | |
|---|---|
 First page ofDarmesteter's French translation of the Hom Stom (called Hom Yasht)[1] | |
| Information | |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
| Language | Avestan |
| Period | Avestan period |
| Chapters | 3 |
| Verses | 64 |
TheHom Stom,[2] also known asHom Stod[3] orHom Yasht,[4] is an Avestan text dedicated to the praise ofHaoma. It consists of verses 9-11.11 of theYasna and must not be confused with theHom Yasht, which is part of theYasht collection.[4]
In the sources, the text itself has no clearly defined name. As a result, scholars use various names likeHom Stom,[2]Hom Stod,[3] orHom Yasht.[4] Here,Hom is theMiddle Persian name ofAvestanHauma, the name of the divine plant of Zoroastrianism and its associated divinity.[5] Avestan Hauma is cognate withVedicSoma, but theidentity of this plant is still unknown.
The name Hom Yasht, used by several authors for this text, draws on the connection to theHom Yasht in the Yasht collection. However, as Pirart points out, the Hom Stom lacks the typical verse structure of the Yashts, i.e., hymns of worship, which are governed by the eponymous verbyazamaide (we worship). Instead, this text is characterized by the verbstaomi (I praise). It should, therefore, not be intrepreted as aworship but as apraise of Hauma.[6] As a result, several authors use the nameHom Stod[3] orHom Stom.[7]
The Hom Stom is part of theYasna, which refers both to an important text within theAvesta and the centralZoroastrian liturgy during which this text is recited.[8] Within the Yasna, verses 9-11.11 are also known under the name Hom Stom or Hom Yasht. Verses 11.12-11.17, however, a series of blessings and curses, are not considered to be part of this text.[9] The text itself is accompanied during the liturgy by theparahoma ritual, i.e., the pressing of theHaoma plant.[10]
The first chapter (Y 9) is devoted to naming the early worshippers of Hoama, which is a structure also found in some Yashts from the Yasht collection.[11] The second chapter (Y 10) contains a long description of the Haoma plant itself, less of the associated divinity.[12] These descriptions are an important source for theidentification of the Haoma plant.[13] The third chapter (Y 11) describes the appropirate portion of the sacrifice allotted to Hauma.
Since the Hom Stom is a part of the Yasna, itsAvestan text is extant through the Yasna manuscripts. The exegetical Yasna manuscripts also contain translations intoMiddle Persian,Sanskrit andModern Persian.[14] In addition, the text of the Hom Stom can also be found in the liturgicalVisperad andVendidad manuscripts, since these liturgies are extensions of theYasna liturgy.
Modern, scholarly editions and translations of the Hom Stom are likewise often provided as part of the Yasna. Examples are the editions byWestergaard[15] andGeldner[16] and translations byMills into English[17] and byDarmesteter into French.[18] An edition dedicated specifically to the Hom Stom, including a commentary and translation into French, was produced by Pirart in 2004.[3] In 2018, Khanizadeh published an edition dedicated to the first chapter of the Hom Stom[19] and subsequently a full edition, including a commentary and translation into English (publication forthcoming), as part of the Multimedia Yasna project.[20]
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