Zarathustra (c.1200 BCE ?) was an ancient Persian prophet who fled his homeland because his teachings were controversial. He ended up in eastern Iran under the protection of King Vishtaspa who embraced his teachings.
Zarathustra’s dialogue with the Lord, Ahura Mazda, is recorded in the Holy Book The Avesta, a set of scriptures based on an oral tradition of roughly 1000 years.
The surviving scripture we have today is somewhat fragmentary, seemingly contradictory in places and only a part of the original.
Greek writers called Zarathusra Zoroaster.
Richard Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra, used in the soundtrack for Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey, was influenced by Friedrich Nietzsche’s philosphical work, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, which itself was influenced by the prophet. » 2001: A Space Odyssey, Avesta, Ahriman, Zoroastrianism
Image Credit:
- “Thus Spoke Zarathustra” by kian Elyassi Bakhtiari at http://flickr.com/photos/kian1/1390286041/ , Creative Commons License
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Another brilliant composition, “Thus spoke Zarathustra” Neitzsche speaks to ones restless Soul…
Comment by enreal — May 1, 2008 @ 4:54 pm |