The Concept of ‘MiOra’ in the Ancient Iranian Mythology


  •  Mahlagha Mortezaee    
  •  Mohsen Abolqasemi    

Abstract

MiOra (male) is the name of one of the Ancient Iran’s gods. MiOra, meaning ‘contract’ and keeping it within measure, is the gist of Manichaean ethics and has mighty and theurgic forces. The myth prevalent in Mihr-Yašt is that MiOra observes all the contracts agreed upon in the society, sets people free of troubles, and brings peace and security. The myth has had important consequences for beliefs and behaviors of the people of the time. However, even though MiOra was dignified in Zoroastrianism, Ohrmazd was regarded as God of gods in this religion. Yet, MiOra is close to Soroush and Sun and has a lot in common with them. He was also highly dignified in the eras of Achaemenian, Parthian Empire, and Sasanian and could find its way to Europe in the era of Parthian Empire. The remnants and remainings of the Mithraic religion and temples can also be observed in Iran’s ancient athletics and Zurkhaneh. The purpose of the present paper is to give the readership a review of the concept of MiOra, as it was conceived in the ancient Iran and the relationship the concept has with some other significant concepts that were contemporary to MiOra.


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
  • ISSN(Print): 1916-9655
  • ISSN(Online): 1916-9663
  • Started: 2009
  • Frequency: semiannual

Journal Metrics

Google-based Impact Factor (2017): 5.42
h-index (January 2018): 11
i10-index (January 2018): 21
h5-index (January 2018): 6
h5-median (January 2018): 9

Learn More

Contact