Tishtrya
Tishtrya is the yazata of the star Sirius and of the rains, whose hymn is Yasht 8 of the Avesta: as a shining white horse he fights the drought demon Apaosha, is weakened when the sacrifice is withheld and strengthened by the offering of haoma, and by his victory the waters flow and the harvest is assured.
Living tradition: Tishtrya is a yazata of the Avesta, worshipped today at Tiragan and invoked for rain, and the tradition's own account is primary. The 'Mercury' correspondence rests on a naming coincidence only - Tir is the later Persian name of Mercury and of the fourth month, while Tishtrya is the star Sirius - and it is not an ancient rulership; the planetary (Mercury/Moon), zodiacal (Cancer/Aquarius), tarot and the litha sabbat values are modern Western overlays. The Egyptian identification of Sirius with Isis (Sothis) is a different tradition's reading and is not a claim of sameness.
Correspondences
- Planetary Correspondence
- Mercury
Offerings
- Offerings
- WaterMilkHaomaBarley
Sacred timing
Symbols and forms
- Alternate Names
- TirTishtarSirius
- Gender Expression
- Masculine
- Titles
- The Rain-BringerLord of the Star SiriusThe White HorseTir
- Symbols
- StarWhite horseRain
Practice
- Invocation Approach
- ToneHopeful and rain bringingAddressTishtryaTirLord of the StarRelationshipThe star that fights droughtWarningThe rain comes on its own terms not yoursResonanceFarmers those waiting for relief and those keeping the calendar
- Modern Practice
Invoked for rain, for the relief of drought and for the keeping of the agricultural year; modern correspondence work uses him for the timing of seasons, for patience under dry conditions, and for the defeat of what starves a land.
Nature and meaning
- Domain
- RainThe star siriusThe watersSeasonsDroughtThe harvestThe calendar
- Mythology Summary
Tishtrya is the yazata of the star Sirius and of the rains, whose hymn is Yasht 8 of the Avesta: as a shining white horse he fights the drought demon Apaosha, is weakened when the sacrifice is withheld and strengthened by the offering of haoma, and by his victory the waters flow and the harvest is assured. His festival, Tiragan, is kept in early summer and is bound up with rain and with the arrow-legends of Arash, and the star's cycle is one of the tradition's markers of the year. The Persian name Tir is also the name of the planet Mercury, but Tishtrya's own identity in the Avesta is the star, not a planet.
Details
- Correspondences
- ColorsWhiteBlueSilverScentsRainSea saltMetalsSilverTinAnimalsWhite horseFishTarot
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