Thraetaona

The name "Thraetaona" originates from Old Iranian, likely derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *trey- meaning "to cross" or "to pass over," suggesting a figure who overcomes obstacles. It is the Old Persian form of the Middle Persian Frēdun and Modern Persian Fereydun.

The Persian Michael, who contended with Zorak <ii' Azhi-Daliaka. the destroj'ing serpent. In the Armta Azhi-Dahaka is a three-headed monster, one of whose heads is human and the two others Ophidian. Dahaka. who is shown in the Zoroa.strian Scriptures as coming from Babylonia, stands as the allegorical symbol of the Assyrian ilynasty of King Dahaka (A/-Daliaka) which ruled Asia with an iron iiand. and whose banne7\s boi'e the j)ur])le sign of the dragon, purpurcuui sir/uum draconis. MetaphysicallN', however, the human iu-ad denotes the j)hysical man, and the two serpent heads the dual manasic principles — the dragon and serpent lM»tli standing as symbols of wisdcmi and occult powers. Thread Soul. Tln' same ;is S)iir,'it,nn i<i.v.). OLOSSARV 309 Three Degrees 'of Initiatiou >. Evtry nation had its exoteric and esoteric reli^rion. the one for tlie masses, the other for the learned and ek'ct. For examph', the Ilindns had three deprrees with several suh(k'frrees. The Efryi>tians liad also three preliminary defrrees. personified under tlie "tliree pruardians of the fire" in the .Mysteries. The Chinese had their most ancient Tri/id Society : and the Tihetans have to this day their ''triple step"; which wls symholized in the Vcdas hy the three strides of Vishnu. Everywhere antiquity shows an unbounded reverence for the Triad and Triangle — the first jreometrical hpnre. The old Babylonians liad their three stages of initiation into the priesthood (which was then esoteric knowledge) ; the Jews .tlie Kabbalists aud mystics borrowed them from the Chaldees. and the Christian ("Church from the Jews. "There are Two", says Kabbi Simon ben Jochai. "in conjunction with One; hence they are Three, and if they are Three, then they are One." Three Faces. The Trimurti of the Indian Pantheon ; tiie tliree persons of the one godhead. Says the Book of Precepts: "There are two Faces, one in Tushita (Dcvdchan) and one in Myalba (earth) ; and the Highest Holy unites them and finally absorb.s bo

Blavatsky’s inclusion of Thraetaona, a central figure in Zoroastrian lore, speaks to a broader ancient impulse to personify the cosmic struggle between good and evil. Thraetaona, known in later Persian as Fereydun, is the archetypal hero who confronts Azhi Dahaka, a monstrous serpent embodying chaos and tyranny. This serpentine antagonist, often depicted with three heads, one human and two ophidian, is more than a mere beast; it is a complex symbol. As Mircea Eliade observed in his studies of archaic religions, such primordial monsters often represent the undifferentiated, chaotic state that precedes creation or the forces that threaten to unravel established order.

The human head on the serpent, as Blavatsky notes, points to the internal struggle, the dualistic nature of consciousness where destructive impulses can manifest even within the human psyche. The serpent, a potent symbol across cultures, frequently denotes primal energies, hidden knowledge, or temptation. In Thraetaona's victory, we see not just the vanquishing of an external foe but the triumph of divine wisdom and order over the seductive allure of chaos and ignorance. This narrative echoes the Gnostic myth of the Demiurge or the struggle of the soul against the lower aspects of the self, a theme explored by scholars like Henry Corbin in his work on Iranian Islam. The act of slaying the serpent is an act of liberation, a reclaiming of the cosmic balance.

The esoteric interpretation, as hinted by Blavatsky’s reference to "Thread Soul," suggests that Thraetaona’s victory is also a spiritual one, an initiation. It is the soul, or the higher self, asserting its dominance over the lower, serpentine impulses that bind it to the material world or to destructive patterns of thought and action. The battle is a metaphor for the arduous path of spiritual development, where the aspirant must confront and overcome the multifaceted manifestations of their own inner darkness and the external forces that seek to impede spiritual progress. It reminds us that the most profound battles are often waged within.