The common Avestan term for the sacred is speñtá “sacred, auspicious, splendid with the life force” corresponding to svętŭ in Slavic.
Another term in the Avestan that has to do with the sacred and hallowing in particular is vahmæ from the root vah “ to hallow, honor as holy, revere, venerate.”
Vah or vahmæ is the awe, wonder and reverential respect for the life force. It is the holy feeling of experiencing the marvelous riddle and wonder of life energies. It is the sacred insight and awe into the mysteries of cosmos.
Vah or vahmæ is to passionately feel the highest beauty and honor “imagination, creativity and intuitive wisdom” as the most holy and reverential life force.
The “sacred awe” vah vahmæ and the “will” var to overcome limitations shared/share a decisive role in the original shaping of the creation and in formation of every brilliant, new beginning.
It is this sacred awe that distinguishes any cosmos from chaos. Vah or vahmæ comes 12 times in the poetic gathas.
The sacred awe vah vahmæ comes mostly in connection with the house of music/songs of ahûrá mazdá, the supreme god of inspiring creativity in the gathas. For the worlds are created through mazdá’s mind-power and his music. Various melodies in the house of songs give rise to formation of new universes. It is this house of music that god-men will enter as the co-creators of the supreme god ahûrá mazdá, (See Yasna 34.2.3rd rhymed verse line, Yasna 41.1.1st rhymed verse line and Yasna 45.8.5th rhymed verse line.)
The sacred and hallowing vah vahmæ comes in connection with listening to the songs, melodies of the universe seraôšá, (See 46.17.3rd rhymed verse line.)
The holy feeling of wonder and insight into the mysteries of the universe vah vahmæ comes in close association with cinvatö perethü the “portal/bridge to other dimensions, the selection bridge.”
The concept and idea of the bridge/portal perethü in Zoroastrianism and the sacred gathic verse is extremely similar to As-brú (Æsir’s bridge, bridge to the world of god-beings) in the ancient Norse mythology, (See Yasna 46.10.4th rhymed verse line and Yasna 50.7.2nd rhymed verse line.)
It is through the “intuitive wisdom, good energy/spirit” vôhü man.aηhá of all the god beings that holiness, sacred awe is established, (See Yasna 51.2.3rd rhymed verse line.)
Questioning, discovery through vôhü man.aηhá “the good energy/spirit, the brilliant temperament/mind of the god-powers” shall be made with a spirit awe, wonder and reverential respect, (See Yasna 45.6.4th rhymed verse line.)
The auspicious life force saváiš grows, increases, waxes vaxšat through the sacred awe vah vahmæ, (See Yasna 48.1.4th rhymed verse line.)
The sacred awe that distinguishes any cosmos from chaos vah vahmæ comes in connection with “superb artistry, celestial lights, cosmic order” and “inspiring creativity” in Yasna 50.10, 4th rhymed verse line.
The sacred awe/wonder vah vahmæ is closely connected to yasná “fervent yearning, intense passion, and heartfelt desire to become like the supreme god of inspiring creativity mazdá. Yasná or “fervent desire” is a cognate of Greek zelos, (See Yasna 35.7.1st rhymed verse line and Yasna 53.2.2nd rhymed verse line.)
The Avestan vah vahmæ is etymologically related to Hieroglyphic Luwian was(a) “to elevate, honor as holy, pay reverential respect” and wasara “favor, honor as holy.”
However the Old Norse Vé, German Weih although NO cognates, share almost the same idea and concept. For an etymology of Old Norse Vé See Didier Calin, Dictionary of Indo-European Poetic Themes:
*weik– ‘sacred’ that is attested in Avestan as vaēk in auua.vaēk-, Goth. weihs ‘holy’, ON vé ‘temple’, OE wēoh ‘holy image’, wicce (> E witch), German weihen ‘to consecrate’, Lt. uictima (> E victim) ‘sacrificial victim’, Lith. viẽkas ‘life force’, etc. (See Didier Calin)
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