Persian (Iranian) TraditionCreature
Apaosha
- withholding the rains
- taking the shape of a black horse
- overpowering a neglected god
The daeva of drought in the Avesta, who in the shape of a black horse 'stamped with brands of terror' fights the star Tishtrya at the edge of the cosmic sea to keep the rains from falling.
About Apaosha
The black horse
The Tir Yasht (Yasht 8) describes Apaosha rushing down to meet the star Tishtrya, who has come to the sea Vouru-Kasha as a white horse with golden ears, in the shape of a dark horse, black with black ears, black back, and black tail, stamped with brands of terror. They meet hoof against hoof and fight for three days and nights, and the first time Apaosha wins, driving Tishtrya from the sea.
Defeated by right worship
The hymn makes Tishtrya's defeat a consequence of neglect: men had not worshipped him by his own name. When he receives that worship he returns with the strength of ten horses, camels, bulls, mountains, and rivers, and at noon he overcomes Apaosha and drives him away; the waters of the sea rise as clouds and spread the rain over the seven regions.
Drought as a demon
The name has been interpreted as 'the withholder of water' or similar, though its etymology is disputed. In the Middle Persian Bundahishn the battle of Tishtar and Apush is retold as part of Ahriman's assault on the waters of creation.
Sources and further reading
Source notes
These references are recorded in the catalog. Their passage wording and translation have not been checked, so quotations are not displayed here.
- Avesta, Yasht 8.21 (trans. Darmesteter)
About this entry
By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. About the author. Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.
The danger rating is an editorial shorthand for how the myths portray the creature, not a claim made by the sources.