yazatas

Yazata, from the Avestan yazad meaning “worthy of worship,” refers to a broad class of divine beings in Zoroastrianism. Yazatas are regarded as worthy of adoration and invocation, serving as guardians, patrons, and embodiments of aspects of the created order. They encompass virtues, natural forces, celestial phenomena, and other powers that sustain or illustrate the cosmic balance upheld by Ahura Mazda. They are not standalone gods in a polytheistic sense but emanations or personifications within a framework that centers on the divine order, asha, and its maintenance.

In Zoroastrian liturgy, yazatas are invoked in hymns and prayers, especially in the Yashts, the collections dedicated to individual yazatas. They are typically understood to be subordinate to Ahura Mazda and to the Amesha Spentas, the key divine emanations that embody truth, order, and righteousness. Some yazatas are closely associated with the Amesha Spentas, while others function as distinct deities presiding over particular domains, such as fire, water, or celestial phenomena. The Yashts preserve a body of ritual praise directed at a wide range of yazatas.

Well-attested yazatas include Mithra (Mitra), Anahita, Sraosha, and Tishtrya, among others. In addition to these, various yazatas are linked to natural elements and cosmic order, with some lists also counting fire (Atar) among the yazatas. The exact names and hierarchies vary across sources and periods, reflecting evolving strands in Iranian and Zoroastrian religious thought.

Today, yazatas remain a standard category in Zoroastrian practice, invoked in prayers and rituals to seek protection, guidance, or blessings, within a worldview oriented toward living in harmony with asha, the divine order. Scholarly discussions emphasize yazatas as evidence of an early Iranian religious milieu later integrated into Zoroastrian theology.