VERETHRAGHNA

also called Bahran, in Zoroastrianism, the spirit of victory. Together with Mithra, the god of truth, Verethraghna shares martial characteristics that relate him to the Vedic war-god Indra. In Zoroastrian texts, Verethraghna appears as an agent of Mithra and Rashnu, the god of justice, and as the means of vengeance for Mithra in his capacity of god of war. Verethraghna was an especially popular deity in Sasanian Iran, where five kings bore his name. The 14th yasht, or hymn, of the Avesta, the sacred book of Zoroastrianism, is dedicated to Verethraghna, and the 20th day of the month is named for him.