*Ø* Blogmanac November 18 | Day of Ardvi Sura, Mother of the Stars, ancient Persia

Approximately today was a festival in honour of the Persian and Armenian goddess Ardvi Sura (‘undefiled, immaculate, or mighty, blameless’), one of the names of Anahita, known as the Mother of the Stars, goddess of heavenly waters; Iranian version of Astarte. In the Christian tradition she is a cognate of Mary, Stella Maris.

The element sura of the name of Ardvi Sura Anahita might be connected with Old Indian surya 'the sun'. She is also connected with snakes and bulls.

An ancient hymn to Ardvi Sura says:


Source

She was apparently hungry for the sacrifice of animals, as it is written:

To her did Haoshyangha, the Paradhata, offer up a sacrifice on the enclosure of the Hara, with a hundred male horses, I will praise the water Ardvi Sura Anahita, the efficacious against the Daevas, devoted to Ahura's lore, and to be worshipped with sacrifice within the corporeal world, furthering all living things (?) and holy, helping on the increase and improvement of our herds and settlements, holy, and increasing our wealth, holy, and helping on the progress of the Province, holy (as she is)? . (Ardvi Sura Anahita) who purifies the seed of all male beings, who sanctifies the wombs of all women to the birth, who makes all women fortunate in labour, who brings all women a regular and timely flow of milk. a thousand oxen and ten thousand lambs.
Aban Yasht, verse 21 Source