Anahita
/ˌɑː.nəˈhiː.tə/noun
An ancient Iranian goddess associated with waters, fertility, healing, and purity.
Did you know?Anahita was widely venerated in the Persian world and is often linked with later Zoroastrian reverence for waters, though her exact origins may preserve older pre-Zoroastrian Iranian religious traditions.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Iranian
PIr
*Harahwatī- / *Anāhitā-
“Likely an early Iranian divine name or epithet connected with being unstained or undefiled, though the exact prehistory is debated.”
Old Persian
OP
Anāhitā
“A revered goddess or divine figure associated with purity and waters.”
Avestan
Avestan
Arədvī Sūrā Anāhitā
“The powerful, undefiled goddess of the waters.”
Middle Persian
MP
Anāhīd
“The goddess Anahita in later Iranian religious tradition.”
Modern English
English
Anahita
“The modern scholarly/transliterated form of the ancient Iranian goddess’s name.”