Carsten Colpe

Ostanes, also known as Hostanes, is a legendary figure from ancient Persia, recognized as a magus and alchemist. He was not a single historical individual but rather a pen name adopted by various authors writing in Greek and Latin from the Hellenistic period onward. These writers created pseudonymous works attributed to Ostanes, placing him among a group of "Hellenistic Magians" like Pseudo-Zoroaster and Pseudo-Hystaspes. While Pseudo-Zoroaster was associated with astrology and Pseudo-Hystaspes with prophecy, Ostanes was specifically imagined as a master sorcerer.

Unlike figures like Zoroaster and Hystaspes, for whom Iranian linguistic counterparts exist, there is no clear evidence of a historical Ostanes in Iranian tradition. While some ancient references suggest possible historical individuals with similar names, it remains uncertain which, if any, might have inspired the legend of the magus. The figure of Ostanes emerged from the Greek fascination with "alien wisdom," attributing mystical knowledge to famous foreign figures. Ostanes became particularly associated with the introduction of magic and alchemy to the Greek and Roman worlds, with many medieval alchemical texts circulated under his name.

Ostanes is primarily known as a legendary Persian magus and alchemist, whose name was adopted by numerous pseudonymous authors. These writers produced Greek and Latin works from the Hellenistic period onwards, contributing to a tradition of "Hellenistic Magians." Ostanes belonged to this group, alongside figures like Pseudo-Zoroaster and Pseudo-Hystaspes, who wrote under the names of famous "Magians." While others in this group were associated with astrology or prophecy, Ostanes was specifically portrayed as an expert sorcerer. The Greeks and Romans often ascribed "alien wisdom" to well-known foreign figures, and Ostanes became a prominent name for such attributed occult knowledge.

The existence of a historical Ostanes is uncertain, unlike "Zoroaster" and "Hystaspes," which have clear Iranian linguistic connections. While ancient sources mention individuals with similar names, such as sons of Darius Nothus or a figure captured by Alexander's general Krateros, no definitive link exists to the legendary magus. Scholars have reconstructed a potential Old Iranian name, *(H)uštāna, but its connection to the pseudonymous author remains speculative. The figure of Ostanes likely arose from the Greek tendency to attribute mystical and magical knowledge to foreign authorities, with his name becoming a vessel for a significant body of pseudepigraphic literature.

Pliny the Elder, writing in the 1st century CE, identified "Zoroaster" as the inventor of magic but attributed the introduction of "dark arts" to the Greek and Roman worlds primarily to Ostanes. Pliny described Ostanes as a Persian magus who accompanied Xerxes to Greece and subsequently introduced "magicis," which he termed "the most fraudulent of the arts." The legend of Ostanes was flexible, portraying him as a contemporary of both Xerxes in the 5th century BCE and Alexander the Great in the 4th century BCE. Pliny noted that Ostanes's influence led to a "lust" and "madness" for magic among the Greeks, inspiring philosophers to seek knowledge abroad.

By the end of the 1st century CE, Ostanes was recognized as an authority on various occult practices, including alchemy, necromancy, and divination, as well as the mystical properties of plants and stones. His reputation and the volume of literature attributed to him grew over time. By the 4th century, he was considered a major figure in alchemy, and a substantial amount of medieval alchemical material circulated under his name. This influence extended into Arabic and Persian alchemical traditions, with treatises such as "The Book of the Twelve Chapters on the Honourable Stone" referencing his authority.

“As Ostanes said, there are several different kinds of it; he professes to divine (divina promittit) from water, globes, air, stars, lamps, basins and axes, and by many other methods, and besides to converse with ghosts and those in the underworld”