Hom Yasht
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Hom Yasht inDarmesteter's French translation[1]
Information
Religion	Zoroastrianism
Language	Avestan
Period	Avestan period
Verses	2

TheHom Yasht is the 20thYasht of the 21 Yasht collection. It must not be confused with theHom Stom, another text which is named after and dedicated to the praise ofHaoma. With only two verses, it is the second shortest hymn in the collection.^[2]

Hom is theMiddle Persian name ofHauma, the nameAvestan of the sacred plant of Zoroastrianism and its associated divinity.^[3] Avestan𐬵𐬀𐬊𐬨𐬀 (hauma) is cognate withSanskritसोम (soma), the sacred plant of theVedas. It is, therefore, considered to derive from a commonIndo-IraniansáwHmas, with the meaningextract. However, thebotanical identity of the plant is still an open question

TheYasht collection comprises 21 hymns, each of which is dedicated to individualZoroastrian divinities and connected with a specific day of theZoroastrian calendar.^[4] The collection is extant through the E1 and F1 manuscripts, dating back to 1601 and 1591, respectively. Already in the E1 manuscript, the Hom Yasht was listed as the 20th Yasht. Most of the Yashts were originally part of theBagan yasht, one of the, now lost, volumes of theSasanian Avesta. However, according to the notes in the E1 manuscript, the Hom Yasht was not, meaning it must have been drawn from another source.^[5] Due to its shortness and perceived lack in poetic quality, the Hom Yasht is grouped into the so called minor or apotropaic Yashts.

Excluding the introductory and closing formulas, The Hom Yasht has only 2 stanzas, making it is the second shortest Yasht in the collection. Like the 21th Vanant Yasht, the overall shortest of the Yashts, it does not have a name day in theZoroastrian calendar.^[6] Instead, it is celebrated on the 29th day, which is dedicated to Manthra Spenta, the divinity personifyingmanthras.^[7]

TheHom Stom, also called Hom Yasht,^[2] is another Avestan text dedicated to the praise of Hauma. This is not a stand-alone text but comprises chapters 9-11 of theYasna. During theYasna liturgy, the consumation of theparahom, i.e., the Hauma drink, takes place. The Hom Stom is overall a much longer text and the two verses of the Hom Yasht are considered to be derived from some of its verses.^[8]

The oldest manuscripts which contain the Hom Yasht are the E1 and F1 manuscripts, dating back to 1601 and 1591, respectively.^[5] Like other minor Yashts, there is no edition specifically dedicated to it. Instead, the Hom Yasht has been edited and translated as part of the widerAvesta or Yasht collection. While it is not included inWestergaard's edition,^[9] its Avestan text can be found inGeldner's seminal edition of the Avesta.^[10] A translation into French was provided byDarmester,^[1] whereas his English translation of the Yashts does not include it.^[11]. In 1927,Lommel provided a translation into German.^[12]

• Avestan text of the Hom Yasht at Avesta.org Edited byKarl Friedrich Geldner

• Avesta
• Zoroastrian hymns
• Zoroastrian prayer

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