Vərəθraγna
/vəˌrɛθ.rəˈɡnɑː/noun
An ancient Avestan god of victory and martial power, later known in Persian tradition as Bahrām.
Did you know?In the Zoroastrian Vərəθraγna Yašt, the deity repeatedly transforms into powerful animals and human forms, making him one of the most vividly shape-shifting figures in ancient Iranian religion.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-Iranian
PII
*vr̥tragʰna-
“A reconstructed epithet meaning “smiting resistance” or “destroying obstacles.””
Vedic Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Vṛtrahan
““Slayer of Vṛtra,” a famous epithet of Indra, the warrior god who defeats the serpent-like force of obstruction.”
Avestan
Avestan
Vərəθraγna
“A divine embodiment of victory, overcoming opposition and hostile forces.”
Achaemenid Period
Old Persian
Vṛθragna
“An Iranian divine name associated with victory; the spelling is preserved in royal-era religious and personal-name traditions.”
Sasanian Period
Middle Persian
Wahrām
“The Iranian victory deity’s name in Middle Persian, also used as a royal and personal name.”
Modern Persian
Persian
Bahrām
“The modern Persian form, retained as a personal name and associated with the planet Mars in later Iranian astrology.”