Religion and Theology

Mithra in the ancient religious history of Iran
The origin of the name of the Indo-Iranian deity Mitra (Avestan Mithra) is the common noun mitra which means a contract. It can also refer to a covenant, a treaty, an agreement, a promise or an alliance. The connotation of mitra as a common noun was distinguished during the 19th century by C. Bartholomae. Conversely, Bartholomae coined the god Mithra as a sun god of the Aryans devoid of an explanation regarding the connection of the common noun and the name. In 1907, A. Meillet corrected the former version of the meaning of mitra. He explained that the conceptual interpretation of the mitra concurs with the personality and roles of the holy being.  Mitra is the epitome and veneration of the notion contract.  However, Schmitt compares the meaning of mithra to alliance since he thinks an alliance, though most of the time involves a contract between two or more entities, may some times make one party involved bind himself to the particular alliance. In a sense, an alliance sometimes comprises rules and regulations by which one of the entities involved does want to comply to.

Mithra is hailed as a judicial entity in the Avestan literature. He was a god who sees everything and the defender of Truth. He was also regarded as the protector of cattles, crops, and of the Waters. In the beginning of the Avestan hymn, He calls to Ahura Mazda  telling that He is, too, worthy of worshipping. Mithra is the protector of wide pasture grounds, always on the right side and challenging. According to the Yasht 10.1, Mithra possesses a thousand ears, with ten thousand eyes. He sees everything, never sleeps and is strong, But despite all these characteristics and the things that he does, people do not worship him.

Mithra is a set of contracts by which everyone who worships him is obliged to follow this. It is said that a break of contract by a clan, the tribe, or the country, their territories and domains are destroyed by Mithra. The Avestan hymn to Mithra shows the treaty among the countries. Mithra is regarded as the god who helps those who are sincere to the contract or the alliance while He punishes those who sever it.

Mithra is described to have to power to give swiftness to everyone who stays true to Him. In the event that the contract to Mithra is shattered, every individual involved will be deprived of the strength of their bodies and even the functions of his senses. Every weapon of the Mithras enemies  spears, arrows, maces  becomes useless in battles. Mithra is described as a warrior who drives a chariot, carrying a mace as his primary weapon but he also has the ability to use other types such as arrows, hatchets, knives, and spears.

On the other hand, Mithra is a good god for those who worship him. The people who are true to the treaty or alliance they have are given rain for them to have a prosperous harvest. He even gives country leaders fine-looking residences packed with women and swift chariots. It is said that a devoted worshipper of Mithra is given cattle herds and slaves. A beggar who calls Mithra will be answered and will be assisted by Mithra. These praises to Mithra is visible on the Avestan hymn dedicated to Mithra.

The Mihr Yashts
One of the vital parts of the Avesta is the Yashts. It is a collection of about 21 chants dedicated to several gods and goddesses. Some of these are Haonia, Mithra, and Veredragna who are worshipped even berfor Zoroastrianism. Aside from praise to divinities or venerated creatures, some of the Yashts are devoted to certain natural occurrences  the sun, the moon, the wind, and the stars. There are also hymns for concepts of Zoroastrianism such as guardian angel, good reward, attentiveness and obedience, insights, and judgment. Yashts one to four praises Ahura Mazda and the Amesha Spentas. Each one of the Yashts except Yashts 2 and 13 are devoted to a certain god. In a sense, each Yashts is veneration to only one god unlike the Yasna which is a praise for all the gods of the Zoroastrians.
Each Yashts functions as a ritual. Most likely, the ancient worshippers recite these Yashts in communal rituals and as a prayer or an appeal by some individuals. During these modern times, Yashts are regarded as an individual prayer for the gods. Probably, since each Yashts are created verbally and are passed on orally, they must have been a little altered from their original composition. Most of the Yashts are in verse forms while some are in prose having recurring spells. Though all equally important, some Yashts do not have much contents and are composed poorly while other Yashts are longer than the others. Regarding their structure, Yashts do have a formula. Each Yashts starts with a particular invocation formula. This blueprint is found on all the Yashts, varying only on the name of the divinity being honored. Most of the Yashts are divided into sections called Karde. Using the same formula for the Yashts makes them easier to memorize and thus deliver to others.

Each of the Yashts is dedicated to a single divinity. The 10th Yashts in particular is dedicated only to Mithra  the Mihr Yasht. The Mihr Yashts is one of the longest Yashts having 35 Kardes and is the primary Avestan passage regarding Mithra. It is evident that the Mihr Yasht is created in several periods. The text is divided into certain pieces and maybe during the 4th century BC, a single person put these pieces altogether since the Mihr Yasht is consistent on its theme and structure.

Being one of the longest, the Mihr Yasht is loaded with substance. The whole contents of the Yasht are descriptions of Mithra  what are his characteristics and the actions he does. As mentioned earlier, the Mihr Yasht tells the equivalent reactions of Mithra to any action any one regarding his covenant. The Mihr Yasht describes how Mithra rewards those who worship him and are truthful to his covenant. It also describes what Mithra will do in the event the said treaty is broken. The entirety of the Mihr Yasht is adamant on how important is the covenant and equally how essential is the worship to Mithra.
A number of the Kardes in the Mihr Yasht is regarded as the greatest illustrations of Avestan poetry. The diversion of tones and the array of voices of the hymn are remarkable. It is clear that most of the chants in the Mihr Yasht are from individuals who asks for the mercy and greatness of Mithra and from Mithra who tells his worshippers the things he can give to them and what they must do. Overall, the Mihr Yasht is the collection of praises and chants for the god Mithra.

Section Analysis of Mihr Yasht (Section five)
Section five talks about how will Mithra react in the event a leader lies to him. First, a communal worship is being chanted and then follows the rule that nobody must not lie to Mithra (Yt 10.5.17). It is the proclamation that Mithra is the highest entity that even a master f the house or heads of provinces should be truthful to. Yasht 10.18 tells that If the master of a house lies unto him, or the lord of a borough, or the lord of a town, or the lord of a province, then comes Mithra, angry and offended, and he breaks asunder the house, the borough, the town, the province and the masters of the houses, the lords of the boroughs, the lords of the towns, the lords of the provinces, and the foremost men of the provinces.. Mithra will destroy everything to a man if he lies to the god. It can be said that Mithra punishes the whole, for example, province because of the wrongdoings of its head. Even the people in there will be punished. Mithra becomes angry and wrathful to the side of those who is not truthful to him. He is not very forgiving. In a sense, it can be assumed that Mithra is a good god to those who remains loyal to him and his covenant while unmerciful and unkind to those who offend him. The weapons and swiftness of the enemies of Mithra will be eradicated because Mithra casted spells on them. And even though the spear be flung well, even though it reach the body, it makes no wound, for the number of the evil spells that the foe of Mithra works out. Here it is clear what Mithra does to his enemies during battles. He incapacitates their weapons thus making no harm to their targets.

It is clear that Mithra does not tolerate those who do not abide his covenant. Mithra controls the wind and drives away the spears thrown by his enemies. After this line, the section is ended with the formula For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard....

The main theme for section five is the things Mithra will do to anyone who opposes him. Regardless of their position in the society, Mithra will still come and punish them. In a sense, Mithra proclaims that every man should be truthful to him and his covenant or else, something bad will happen. If all of these are true, no one would want to mess with Mithra.