I'm working on some Achaemenid Persian HOTT army lists. I've included the option for a god in a couple of them. The two main possibilities are Mithra and the goddess Anahita. I've gone with modelling Anahita.
This post is a companion piece to:
Anahita was often depicted standing upon a lion or accompanied by one or two, which is kinda cool.
In Zorastrianism, Anahita is worthy of prayer and sacrifice and is firmly present in the primary collection of Zoroastrian texts, the Avesta. Even Ahura Mazda himself had to sacrifice to her for permission to reveal His Truths to Zoroaster.
While her initial role was the holy wellspring; all waters flowed from her as the eternal font of purity, she was the god whom every mortal hero and soldier sought blessing and help for victory and survival before battle. She also waged war in the divine world.
Anahita has been identified with many goddesses from the Celts, to India and Egypt. Ancient sources identify Anahita with Venus, Tanit, Ishtar, and Aphrodite. Importantly, she was a giant melting pot of influences from Elam and Babylon.
Both Darius II and Artaxerxes II had Babylonian mothers and spent much of their early lives in Babylon. They seem much influenced by the forms of worship that were present there.
So, while earlier Achaemenid kings from the time of Darius I venerated Ahura Mazda and claimed His divine blessings on their kingships, Artaxerxes II and Artaxerxes III invoked the trinity of Ahura Mazda, Mithras and Anahita in their inscriptions.
Anahita’s influence and importance continued through to the Sassanid Persians.
For those wanting a deeper dive, I'm working on a post that summarises Zoroastrianism.
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