In Zoroastrianism, Spenta Armaiti (, "Holy Devotion") is one of the Amesha Spentas, the seven divine manifestations of Wisdom and is considered the daughter of Ahura Mazda. While older sources present the Amesha Spentas more as abstract entities, in later sources Spenta Armaiti is personified as a female divinity with connotations of harmony and devotion.Leeming, David. The Oxford Companion to World Mythology. Oxford University Press. 2005. p. 29.
Name Spenta Armaiti is known in later Iranian languages as Spandarmad (in Middle Persian) and Isfandārmaḏ (in Modern Persian).Safaee Y. (2020). "Scythian and Zoroastrian Earth Goddesses: A Comparative Study on Api and Ārmaiti". In: Niknami KA., Hozhabri A. (eds). Archaeology of Iran in the Historical Period. University of Tehran Science and Humanities Series. Springer, Cham. p. 65. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41776-5_6
Sometimes Armaiti is paired with other Zoroastrian deity, Zam ('earth'), another being associated with the Earth, thus forming a compound Zam-Armaiti or Zam-Armatay.Coulter, Charles Russell; Turner, Patricia (2012). Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities. McFarland/Routledge. p. 520.
Cultic role Just like every other member within the Heptad, Ārmaiti shares an intimate bond with Ahura Mazdā, a connection metaphorically described by Zoroaster as that of a "daughter" to him.
She is associated with the earthSkjærvø, Prods Oktor. "Ahura Mazdā and Ārmaiti, Heaven and Earth, in the Old Avesta". In: Journal of the American Oriental Society 122, no. 2 (2002): 404-409. doi:10.2307/3087636.Safaee, Yazdan (2020). "Scythian and Zoroastrian Earth Goddesses: A Comparative Study on Api and Ārmaiti". In: Niknami KA., Hozhabri A. (eds). Archaeology of Iran in the Historical Period. University of Tehran Science and Humanities Series. Springer, Cham. pp. 65-66. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41776-5_6 and sacred literature describes her as a Mother Nature figure. Thus, she is linked to fertility and farming."[Armaiti] was the cornucopia of the fruits of the land (...) the personification of the land itself, and the earth was, thus, her proper realm (...) [She was also] responsible for its growth". Dexter, Miriam Robbins. Whence the goddesses: a source book. The Athene Series. New York and London: Teachers College Press, Teachers College, Columbia University. 1990. p. 72. .
She is also associated with the dead and the underworld.Boyce, Mary. A History of Zoroastrianism. Volume One: The Early Period. Third impression with corrections. Leiden, New York, Köln: E. J. Brill. 1996. p. 206. .
Religious legacy In the Zoroastrian calendar, she is associated with the twelfth month ( ) and the fifth day of the month. The fifth day of the twelfth month is hence her holy day, Sepandārmazgān. Sepandārmazgān is an ancient festival to celebrate eternal love. Iranian lovers give each other gifts on this day.
Parallels Scholarship states that Armaiti is equivalent to a RigVedic entity named Aramati.Safaee, Yazdan (2020). "Scythian and Zoroastrian Earth Goddesses: A Comparative Study on Api and Ārmaiti". In: Niknami KA., Hozhabri A. (eds). Archaeology of Iran in the Historical Period. University of Tehran Science and Humanities Series. Springer, Cham. p. 66. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41776-5_6Pinault, Georges-Jean. "La langue des Scythes et le nom des Arimaspes". In: Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, 152e année, N. 1, 2008. pp. 133-134. [DOI: https://doi.org/10.3406/crai.2008.92104]; www.persee.fr/doc/crai_0065-0536_2008_num_152_1_92104
In Armenian mythology, her name appears as Sandaramet ().
Footnotes
References
External links Armaiti in Encyclopedia Iranica