Ostara Story

THE STORY OF JAMSHYD AND HIS VARA
(adapted from the Avesta)

The story goes something like this. Zeus and Sophia (Ashura and Mazda) made a perfect world with no disease, no old age or death. Everyone was happy and there was enough food for all... The Great Devil was filled with envy. He created a cold storm that would cover the world with snow and gloom.

Seeing it coming, Zeus rushed to Jamshyd, son of Mithras, to build a Vara, an enclosure underground, and collect all people, animals, birds, and seeds of all useful plants so that they can move into the vara to save themselves from the bitter cold. Jamshyd did as he was told.

The world was enveloped with a cold wave and a thick fog which stopped the sun rays from falling on the surface. The world was gloomy and lifeless for many many years during which Zeus was all the while fighting with the evil one.

After a number of years, a rooster saw a streak of light darting into the vara and he crowed loudly. This caught Jamshyd's attention. He rushed out to see what that was. And he saw that the snow was finally melting, the sun was beaming in the sky, grass and shrubs had started growing and rivers were once again flowing. The ICE AGE had ended. ZEUS WAS VICTORIOUS AT LAST.

It was the victory of light over the darkness. The Great Devil was defeated. So Jamshyd rushed in to bring people out... Everyone was delighted to see the end of ICE AGE and they all thanked Zeus for overcoming the evil one.

This day was the day of the spring equinox. And everyone celebrated it as a day of rebirth of mother Earth. They named it Ostara as it was the day the light of the sun returned.

Jamshyd, the saviour of all life on the Earth, was crowned as a King of the new world and since then the Aryans celebrate this day every year in remembrance.

(adapted from a version by FC)