Mystics Cave

This is a short excerpt from the 'Tir' chapter from my book Stellar Magic (Burj Nameh). www.stellarmagic.co.uk

‘We sacrifice unto the rains of Tishtrya. We sacrifice unto the first star; we sacrifice unto the rains of the first star, whose eye-sight is sound.’ - Tishtar Yasht (Zoroastrian Hymn to the Star Sirius).

The star Sirius or the Dog Star is part of the constellation Canis Major (Great Dog), in Greek myths he was seen as Orion’s hunting dog. After the death of Orion, Diana placed Orion’s dog in the sky at his heel to help with the stellar hunt. The star Sirius is part of the winter triangle; the two other points of the triangle are the star Betelgeuse in Orion and the star Procyon in Canis Minor. Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky can be located in the night sky by following an imaginary line from the three stars of Orion’s belt to the left and down. The star Sirius is one of the oldest constellations described by Man; the Fire Star is one of the stars in Babylonian `A Prayer to Gods of the Night' (circa 1700B.C.).

In Aratus’ Phaenomena Canis Major is described in its hind legs and on tip of his jaw is the flaming star Sirius. When the helical rising of Sirius occurs in July some trees will gain strength from his heat, while others wither in his heat. As Orion hunting dog he pursues the Hare constellation.

This Sirius rite focuses on the Egyptian (Sothis) and the Persian/Vedic form (Tishtrya/Tir). Tishtrya is the Persian angel (Yazad) of the star Sirius. Tishtrya also presides over the fourth month and the thirteenth day of each month. Sirius also directs the rain; in the rite here included is an abridged version of this hymn. It covers the Tir story from the: helical rising of Sirius, bringer of rain, who flies like an arrow, his manifestation as a young man, a bull and a white horse, his battle against draught, and bringing fertility and rain onto the land.

The name of the Persian god/angel Tir means an 'arrow' (modern day interpretations include bullet too). The Nordic Tyr, in runic language has the actual letter T shaped like an arrow head/spear head, hence, it could mean arrow or spear, as well as victory.

Rune T: Tyr

Both these deities have sky god connections and are also warrior gods. The Tishtrya hymn also mentions arrows being fired.

Tishtrya further more relates to Babylonian god Ninurta who is the star Sirius. Star Sirius in Babylonian and Sumerian hymns is referred to as ‘Arrow’ and ‘Arrow star’.1

The arrow link continues as there is also the Persian legend of Arash-Kamangir (the bowman) who fires an arrow to mark the borders of the ancient Persia and is still celebrated as part of Tir Persian festival (Tigran: Summer Solstice). Arash means bright and shining, and Kamangir in means one who gets the arch, Kaman means bow. Arash was the Persian hero who sacrificed his life to preserve borders of Iran. The legend of Arash-Kamangir and the arrow is still alive now, as in 1980 during the Iraq invasion of Iran, the Iranian Air Force led a mission codenamed ‘Operation Kaman 99’ where up to 140 fighter planes retaliated against Iraq ‘likes arrows to mark the borders of modern Iran’, even though nearly half died heroically in the mission, they halted Iraq gaining air superiority and stopped their advance. This is a good example of how aerial and stellar legends and myths can inspire and influence us even in this modern era. NASA’s Apollo missions and India’s Agni space programme are other examples of myths inspiring contemporary people when naming important projects and events.

It should also be noted Mithra as the bowman opens the way to Tir the arrow. The water connection of Sothis and Tir is equally interesting. The heliacal rising of Sirius hails Tir as the bringer of rain in Persia and denotes Sothis as the bringer of floods in Egypt. The Persian Tir and the Nordic Tyr seem to be linked and have some interesting similarities. Canis Major the Great Dog of the sky perhaps acts as a celestial ‘man’s best friend’; a stellar guardian deity of our solar system!

Sirius is the sun behind the sun. In the heat of the ‘dog days’ the extent of the ‘dual’ influence of this star becomes most manifest, as the bringer of extensive heat and also rain/floods to quench the heat; the ultimate double edged sword.

All of this information is just the tip of a very interesting iceberg.

(Tir) Yasht (Zoroastrian Hymn to the Star Sirius):

(Tishtar Yasht (8), Avesta: Khorda Avesta (Book of Common Prayer) Translation by James Darmesteter, From Sacred Books of the East American Edition, 1898.)

....We sacrifice unto the rains of Tishtrya. We sacrifice unto the first star; we sacrifice unto the rains of the first star, whose eye-sight is sound.

For ten nights, Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, mingles his shape with light, moving in the shape of a man of fifteen years of age, bright, with clear eyes, tall, full of strength, strong, and clever.

He is active as the first man was; he goes on with the strength of the first man; he has the virility of the first man.

Here he calls for people to assemble, here he asks, saying:

Who now will offer me the libations with the Haoma and the holy meat? To whom shall I give wealth of healthy children, a troop of healthy children, and the purification of his own soul?

The next ten nights the bright and glorious Tishtrya mingles his shape with light, moving in the shape of a golden-horned bull.

Here he calls for people to assemble, here he asks, saying:

Who now will offer me the libations with the Haoma and the holy meat? To whom shall I give wealth of oxen, a herd of oxen, and the purification of his own soul?

The next ten nights, the bright and glorious Tishtrya mingles his shape with light, moving in the shape of a white, beautiful horse, with golden ears and a golden caparison.

Here he calls for people to assemble, here he asks, saying:

Who now will offer me the libations with the Haoma and the holy meat?

To whom shall I give wealth of horses, a troop of horses, and the purification of his own soul?

Then, the bright and glorious Tishtrya goes down to the sea in the shape of a white, beautiful horse, with golden ears and a golden caparison.

But there rushes down to meet him the Daeva Apaosha (Draught), in the shape of a dark horse, black with black ears, black with a black back, black with a black tail, stamped with brands of terror.

They meet together, hoof against hoof, the bright and glorious Tishtrya and the Daeva Apaosha. They fight together for three days and three nights.

And then the Daeva Apaosha proves stronger than the bright and glorious Tishtrya, he overcomes him.

And Tishtrya flees from the sea. He cries out in woe and distress, the bright and glorious Tishtrya: "Woe is me, O Ahura Mazda! I am in distress, O Waters and Plants! O Fate

Men do not worship me with a sacrifice in which I am invoked by my own name, as they worship the other Yazatas with sacrifices in which they are invoked by their own names.

If men had worshipped me with a sacrifice in which I had been invoked by my own name, as they worship the other Yazatas with sacrifices in which they are invoked by their own names, I should have taken to me the strength of ten horses, the strength of ten camels, the strength of ten bulls, the strength of ten mountains, the strength of ten rivers.

Then I, Ahura Mazda, offer up to the bright and glorious Tishtrya a sacrifice in which he is invoked by his own name, and I bring him the strength of ten horses, the strength of ten camels, the strength of ten bulls, the strength of ten mountains, the strength of ten rivers.

Then, the bright and glorious Tishtrya goes down to the sea in the shape of a white, beautiful horse, with golden ears and golden caparison.

But there rushes down to meet him the Daeva Apaosha (Draught) in the shape of a dark horse, black with black ears, black with a black back, black with a black tail, stamped with brands of terror.

They meet together, hoof against hoof, the bright and glorious Tishtrya, and the Daeva Apaosha; they fight together, till the time of noon. Then the bright and glorious Tishtrya proves stronger than the Daeva Apaosha, he overcomes him.

Then he goes from the sea "Hail!" cries the bright and glorious Tishtrya.

Hail unto me, O Ahura Mazda! Hail unto you, O waters and plants! Hail, O Law of the worshippers! Hail will it be unto you, O lands! The life of the waters will flow down unrestrained to the big-seeded corn fields, to the small-seeded pasture-fields, and to the whole of the material world!

Then the bright and glorious Tishtrya goes back down to the sea, in the shape of a white, beautiful horse, with golden ears and a golden caparison.

He makes the sea boil up and down; he makes the sea stream this and that way; he makes the sea flow this and that way: all the shores of the sea are boiling over, all the middle

of it is boiling over.

And the bright and glorious Tishtrya rises up from the sea the bright and glorious Satavaesa rises up from the sea and vapours rise up above Mount that stands in the middle of the sea.

Then the vapours push forward, in the regular shape of clouds; they go following the wind, along the ways which Haoma traverses, the increaser of the world. Behind him travels the mighty wind, made by Mazda, and the rain, and the cloud, and the sleet, down to the several places, down to the fields, down to the seven continent of the earth.

Apam Napat, divides the waters amongst the countries in the material world, in company with the mighty wind, the Glory, made by the waters.

'We sacrifice unto Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star,

who from the shining east, moves along his long winding course, along the path made by the gods, along the way appointed for him the watery way.

We sacrifice unto Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star,

whose rising is watched by men who live on the fruits of the year....

www.stellarmagic.co.uk