Gods in the Geodes: A Persian Pantheon
Since the dawn of time, humans have sought healing in the sacred—reaching through the veil between worlds to touch the divine. In ancient Persia, they turned to the gods: whispering prayers to Anahita for restorative waters, leaving offerings for Haoma's healing herbs, seeking Mithra's radiant renewal. These deities did not simply rule over nature—they were nature, their power woven into the very stones beneath supplicants' knees.
Ancient Persia’s mythology is a tapestry of celestial beings—gods of wisdom, war, fertility, and fire—whose presence shaped the cosmos long before humanity walked the earth. These deities were not merely worshipped; they were forces as fundamental as the mountains, the rivers, and the stones themselves.
This collection bridges myth and mineral, reimagining the Persian pantheon through the lens of geodes—nature’s own reliquaries. Like the gods, geodes are ancient, patient, and transcendent: their rough exteriors hide universes of crystal, formed in darkness over epochs. Each piece in this series is a tribute to a deity’s enduring essence, their divine power crystallized in agate and quartz, their eternal light trapped in gemstone depths. To carve a geode is to unearth a god’s true form—proof that divinity was here first, sleeping in stone, waiting to be remembered.
Rendered as wall sculptures, these works use fractured glass to create intricate, textured surfaces—each shimmering crevice echoing the raw beauty of natural geodes. The interplay of light and broken planes transforms every piece into a living artifact, where mythology and material merge into sacred geometry.
Ahura Mazda & Ahriman: The Primordial Duality
At the foundation of Persian cosmology lies the eternal tension between Ahura Mazda, the supreme deity of wisdom and light, and Ahriman, the destructive spirit of darkness and chaos. This twin sculpture embodies one of humanity's oldest theological concepts - the fundamental duality of existence, first articulated in Zoroastrian tradition over three millennia ago.
Ahura Mazda represents the divine spark of creation - the cosmic architect who fashioned order from the void, truth from the abyss. His counterpart Ahriman embodies the necessary antithesis, the force of entropy that challenges all creation. Yet theirs is not a simple battle of good versus evil, but rather the cosmic dance of opposing principles that sustains the universe.
In ancient Persia, this duality was not abstract philosophy but lived reality. Fire temples maintained perpetual flames to honor Ahura Mazda's light, while rituals sought to repel Ahriman's influences. The Zurvanite tradition even envisioned them as twin brothers born from Infinite Time, locked in an eternal struggle that defines existence itself.
This sculpture pair gives form to that ancient worldview - not as mere representation, but as a contemporary vessel for one of humanity's most profound spiritual concepts. The materials and craftsmanship continue a tradition that began when the first Persian artisans carved their gods into mountain faces, transforming raw stone into sacred presence.
Display Note: The pieces should be installed in dialogue with each other, maintaining visual connection while allowing space for contemplation of their relationship - just as the ancients contemplated these forces in their rituals and philosophies.
Mithra: Keeper of the Eternal Flame
This sculptural interpretation distills the essence of Mithra - the radiant Persian deity who first sanctified vows between mortals and gods. More than just a solar figure, Mithra represented the unbreakable covenant of existence itself.
Ancient artisans depicted Mithra emerging from stone, and this work continues that tradition through modern materials. The interplay of light and fractured surfaces captures Mithra's dual nature:
• The glow of divine truth
• The sharp edges of justice
• The warmth of sacred bonds
Each angle reveals new dimensions - just as Mithra revealed himself differently to kings, warriors, and lovers. The materials transform sunlight into tangible divinity, much like ancient Persian jewelers transformed precious metals into sacred oath-rings.
This is not merely an artwork, but a contemporary vessel for one of humanity's oldest spiritual concepts: that light itself can bear witness to our most sacred promises.
Display note: For full effect, position where dawn light will activate the piece's inner luminosity - recreating the ancient experience of morning devotion.
Zurvan: The Infinite That Birthed Time
This sculpture materializes Zurvan—the primordial void from which both light and darkness emerged in Zoroastrian mysticism. Not quite god nor force, but the *container of all possibility* that existed before the twin flames of Ahura Mazda and Ahriman sparked into being.
Key aspects captured:
- The *absence of form* (smooth planes dissolving into texture)
- The *illusion of duality* (mirrored surfaces that fracture at certain angles)
- The *weight of eternity* (dense stone base supporting fragile glass elements)
Zurvanite priests taught that all existence unfolds within this deity's boundless body—making the sculpture not an object, but a *threshold*. Its shadows move differently at dawn/midday/dusk, echoing ancient time rituals performed in underground temples.
*Display note:* Install where shifting light can recreate the "eternal hour" - that suspended moment before creation began.
Anahita: The Uncontained
This sculpture channels Anahita—Persia’s cosmic river goddess, whose liquid light birthed stars, nourished kings, and purified the faithful. More than water, she was *divinity in motion*:
Manifestations captured:
- Fertility’s pulse (undulating glass strata mimicking her sacred waterfalls)
- Celestial armor (scales of lapis and silver recalling her warrior aspect)
- The immortal womb (a hollow core lined with gold leaf, glowing when backlit)
Her worshipers knew what we’ve forgotten: that rivers are not just water, but the veins of a goddess. This piece revives that vision—its refractive surfaces alive with the same “*aresho*” (holy flow) that once consecrated Persian coronations.
Display note: For full power, orient toward the nearest body of water (even pipes in walls), as her priests did with temple alignment.
Atar: The God That Is Fire
This sculpture distills the most paradoxical Persian deity—Atar, not merely the god *of* fire, but the living incarnation of flame itself. Zoroastrians didn't worship *through* fire; they bowed to what burned *as a divine being*.
Essential truths captured:
- His dual nature as both weapon (Yasht 17.11: *"Atar who smashes skulls"*) and purifier (Vendidad 8: *"The flames that judge souls"*)
- The ancient horror/ecstasy of tending his eternal temple flames
- His manifestation as the "unmade" god—neither born nor created, simply *existing*
Display Note: Never place near actual flames—Atar needs no imitation, only witness.
Vayu: The Breath Between Worlds
This sculpture captures the untamable paradox of Vayu—the Persian deity who was never depicted, because how does one draw *the act of movement itself*?
Essential dualities manifested:
- Breath of life (Vayu-vāta, the gentle morning zephyr)
- Soul-stealer (the midnight gust that parts spirit from body)
- The space between (his body is literally the air separating all things)
Ancient Persians heard his voice in:
• The whistling gaps of arrow volleys
• The silence before a storm
• The last exhale of the dying
Display Note: Install where drafts will animate it—Vayu refuses static worship. This piece should unsettle. True Vayu worship was never safe.
Zamyad: The Mountain That Walks
This sculpture incarnates Zamyad—Persia’s deified embodiment of the earth’s bones. Not merely a god *of* mountains, but the living tectonic will that:
- Thrust the Alborz range from Ahriman’s shoulders
- Swallows armies whole when provoked
- Holds the *khvarenah* (divine glory) beneath its roots
Material theology:
- Glass strata mimicking the 7 metallic layers of Persian cosmography
- Embedded iron filings from Mount Damavand’s soil
- A hidden pulse of light (the imprisoned royal glory)
Display Note: Install on the lowest possible wall—this is a deity that must be *looked up to. For true impact, Display with a mirror beneath so viewers stand between real and reflected stone—just as Zamyad exists between physical and divine realms.