The Heritage of Zarathushtra

When Gatha scholarship began in the second half of the 19th century knowledge of the grammar of the language was still rudimentary and the translations by necessity less than adequate. At best they reflected the Sasanians' understanding of the text as seen in the Pahlavi rendering, of uncertain date. Nevertheless, theories that were based on these early, mostly incorrect, translations remained the basis for subsequent translations of the Gathas, thus producing a vicious circle which was broken only in the late l950's. But even after this time Gatha translations have tended to cater to a public expecting traditional renderings and an easily readable text, although such translations can only be achieved by smoothing over numerous ditiiculties in the text or plainly disregarding the grammar.

The first to study the Gathas applying the rigorous methods of modern philology was Helmut Humbach, 'Die Gathas des Zarathustra' l-II, Heidelberg 1959, an updated English version of which is his 'The Gãthãs of Zarathushtra' I-ll, Heidelberg 1991.

While these two earlier translations to a great extent mirror the Avestan text in all its complexities, the present version is intended to be user-friendly and to be consulted by those who prefer an easier access to the Gathas as poetry and religious document. We have tried to accomplish this without departing too much from the original text, but also without encumbering the translation with stylistic features common in Avestan but alien to English. In this way we hope we have avoided creating misunderstandings at the same time as making the text readily available to those who wish to study it for its vocabulary and phraseology or for its message. For scholars this new translation does not replace the two earlier editions, which should be consulted for philological details as well as for Helmut Humbach's personal opinions regarding Zarathushtra and his Religion.