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| Vāyu-Vāta Avestan:𐬬𐬀𐬌𐬌𐬎-𐬬𐬁𐬙𐬀 | |
|---|---|
 The god of wind (Vāyu-Vāta) on aKushan coin | |
| Other names | Vay, Vaybe, Vaybod, Andarva, Vayu, Wind |
| Affiliation | The Thirty-Three Deities,Guardians of the Days of the Month,Four Elements |
| Symbol | Lightning, Tornado, Emptiness |
| Sacred flower | Melissa |
| Attributes | Seeker, Righteous, Overcoming, Receding, Advancing, Everlasting, Strongest, Mightiest, Defeater, Wave-Caster, Flame-Spread[1] |
| Day | 22nd of each month in theIranian calendar |
| Gender | Male |
| Festivals | Wind Day[2] |
| Associated deities | Indra,Rama |
| Equivalents | |
| Greek | Boreas |
| Sumerian | Adad |
| Indian | Vāyu |
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Vāyu-Vāta (orVāta-Vāyu;Avestan:𐬬𐬀𐬌𐬌𐬎-𐬬𐬁𐬙𐬀,romanized: Vāyu-Vāta,lit. 'air, wind, atmosphere',Avestan pronunciation:[ʋɑːju-ʋɑːt̪ə]) is theAvestan name of a dual-naturedZoroastrian deity of the wind (Vāyu) and of the atmosphere (Vāta).[3] The names are also used independently of one another, with 'Vāyu' occurring more frequently than 'Vāta', but even when used independently still representing the other aspect.[4]
The entity is simultaneously angelic and demonic, that is, depending on the circumstances, eitheryazata - "worthy of worship" - ordaeva, which in Zoroastrian tradition is a demon.Scripture frequently applies the epithet "good" when speaking of one or the other in a positive context.[4]
InZurvanism (Zurvanite Zoroastrianism, a now-extinct form of Zoroastrianism), Vāta-Vāyu represented two facets of the quaternary Zurvan. In this arrangement, Vāta-Vāyu represented "space" while the other two facets represent "time."
Vāyu-Vāta hasIndo-Iranian roots and has the same name inhistorical Vedic religion.[5]
Both the words Vāta andVāyu have almost identical meanings inSanskrit orVedic traditions. Although there is no god representing Vāta, there is the god Vāyu representing air.[6] The word Vāta is still used today in manyIndian languages to denote atmosphere. Atmosphere in manyIndian languages (such asBengali,Hindi,Marathi,Nepali,Odia,Sanskrit, etc.) is calledVātāvaraṇa (Sanskrit:वातावरण,lit. 'atmosphere, environment'); which is made of two words,Vāta (वात,lit. 'air') andĀvaraṇa (आवरण,lit. 'layer').[5]
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| Jashe/Parab days | |
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