Spand nask

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The Spand or Spend nask was one of the Gathic nasks (volumes) of the Sasanian Avesta. The work itself is lost, but according to later descriptions it contained the details of the life of Zarathustra^[1] and is considered to be the source of later biographies.^[2]

References to the Spand nask, which is lost, can be found in later Zoroastrian writings. First, the 8th book of the Denkard provides in chapter 14 a description of its content.^[3] In addition, the Rivayats, a series of exchanges from the 15th to the 17th centuries, give a short overview.^[4]

Structure

The Spand nask belonged to the Gathic nasks, one of the three divisions of the Sasanian Avesta.^[5] Both the Denkard and the Rivayats agree that it was of 13th nask and according to the Rivayats it consisted of 60 sections.^[6] Edward William West estimates that it consisted of approximately 9,900 words of Avestan text, accompanied by about 20,500 words of translation and commentary in Pahlavi.^[7]

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Citations

1 2 de Menasce 1983, p. 1172: "The life of Zoroaster, within the framework of cosmic history, was contained in its entirety in the Spand Nask".
1 2 Grenet 2015, p. 23: "[T]he lost Spand Nask which is the direct or indirect source of all the legendary biographies of Zarathustra".
↑ Gignoux 1994.
↑ Dhabhar 1932.
↑ Kellens 1987, "The Sasanian collection of the Avesta and its commentary (zand) is described in chap. 8 of the Dēnkard; it was probably composed of three books of seven chapters [...]".
↑ West 1892, p. 31.
↑ West 1892, chap. Introduction.
↑ Cereti 2015, p. 264: "The brief summaries contained in the 8th book of the Dēnkard allow us to infer that the Spand Nask was probably the main source of the writer of the 7th book of the Dēnkard".
↑ Grenet 2015, p. 23: "Wizidagiha-i Zadspram (which also drew from the Spand Nask) describe how Zarathustra had the vision of Vohu Manah".
↑ Kellens 1987, "[M]uch of the Spand was probably incorporated into [...] the description of hell in the Ardā Wirāz-nāmag".

Bibliography

Cereti, Carlo G. (2015). "Myths, Legends, Eschatologies". In Stausberg, Michael; Vevaina, Yuhan S.-D.; Tessmann, Anna (eds.). The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. ISBN 9781118785539.
Dhabhar, Bahmanji Nusserwanji (1932). The Persian Rivayats of Hormazyar Framarz and Others. Their Version with Introduction and Notes. Bombay: K. R. Cama Oriental Institute.
Gignoux, Philippe (1994). "DĒNKARD". Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. VII. New York: Routledge and Kegan Paul. pp. 284–289.
Grenet, Frantz (2015). "Zarathustra's Time and Homeland Geographical Perspectives". In Stausberg, Michael; Vevaina, Yuhan S.-D.; Tessmann, Anna (eds.). The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. ISBN 9781118785539.
Kellens, Jean (1987). "AVESTA i. Survey of the history and contents of the book". Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. III. New York: Routledge and Kegan Paul. pp. 35–44.
de Menasce, Jean (1983). "Zoroastrian Pahlavi Writings". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). The Cambridge History of Iran. Vol. 3. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-24693-4.
Shapira, Dan (1998). Studies in Zoroastrian Exegesis - Zand (PhD thesis). Jerusalem.
West, Edward William (1892). Müller, Friedrich Max (ed.). Pahlavi Texts IV: Contents of the Nasks. The Sacred Books of the East. Vol. 37. Oxford university press. ISBN 1-139-41083-0. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)

v t e Zoroastrian literature
Old Avestan	Ahuna vairya Ahunavaiti Gatha Airyaman ishya Ashem vohu Spentamainyu Gatha Ushtavaiti Gatha Vahishtoishti Gatha Vohukhshathra Gatha Yasna Haptanghaiti Yenghe hatam
Young Avestan	Afrinagan Gāh Niyayishn Sih-rozag Visperad Vendidad Vishtasp Sast Yasht Yasna Yasna i Rapithwin
Middle Persian/Pahlavi	Book of Arda Viraf Bundahishn Dadestan-i Denig Menog-i Khrad Letter of Tansar Denkard Frahang-i Pahlavig Frahang-i Oim-evak Dana-i Menog Khrat Shikand-gumanig Vizar
Other	Sad-dar Jamasp Namag Dasatir-i-Asmani The Rivayats Qissa-i Sanjan
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