A Dormant Farvahar on Top of Alborz

Farvahar (spirit) is an Avestan word that means “pre-advancer.” It had two meanings in ancient beliefs: first, the spirit of ancestors in the past; second, every human’s basic source of essence that existed in the heavens before his creation, i.e. his spiritual form. Some believe that Plato based his philosophical ideas (exemplars) on the Farvahar philosophy. Despite the fact that Farvahar is a spiritual force and does not have a physical form, Iranians have created a mysterious and meaningful symbol for it that can still be seen in ancient monuments and inscriptions. Ferdowsi’s great Shahnameh has retained mythical mysterious symbols like ever-glowing torches. The Farvahar philosophy can be seen in different places in Shahnameh, but all the mysterious concepts of this symbol seem to have been institutionalized in Varjavand. This article deals with this issue.