The Symbol of “Center” in Mythical Persian Cosmology and its Comparison with the Jewish Cosmology

An important theme in mythology and comparative religious studies, which can be observed in all nations and peoples, is that of center. The center is in fact a numinous and sacred pivot in virtue of which one arrives at rebirth and visitation—a transcendent entity. The center can be a person, body, thought, a religious place, or even a legendary mountain. In Mythical Persian and Jewish cosmology, the main symbol of the center is mountain—Mount Alborz in Persian myths, and Mounts Gerizim, Zion, Sinai, Hor, and so on in Jewish myths. Mountains are considered as being rife with sacred and numinous powers in virtue of their power to connect the earth to the sky, which is the place of gods. It is in virtue of mountains that many kings, heroes, and legendary religious leaders arrived at rebirth and visitation. Since Persian and Jewish legendary mountains are sacred centers, they are considered as places of some gods and īzads, and are indeed reminders of the original heaven. In this paper, we compare Persian and Jewish myths to show the importance of these mythical mountains as cosmological centers through which the ritual of visitation takes place.