Hitfun
River in Mandaean cosmology
In Mandaean cosmology, Hiṭfun (written Mandaic: Hiṭpun) or Hiṭfon (Hiṭpon) (Classical Mandaic: ࡄࡉࡈࡐࡅࡍ) is a great dividing river separating the World of Darkness from the World of Light. It is mentioned in Hymn 25 of the third book of the Left Ginza. The river of Hiṭfun is analogous to the river Styx in Greek mythology and Hubur in Mesopotamian mythology.
It is also known as hapiqia mia or hafiqia mia (Classical Mandaic: ࡄࡐࡉࡒࡉࡀ ࡌࡉࡀ), which means "streams/springs of water" or "outflowing water." The water is fresh, and is located in a realm that is situated between Abatur's and Yushamin's realms.
01In Mandaean scriptures
The Scroll of Abatur has many illustrations of boats ferrying souls across this river.
According to the 1012 Questions, masiqta rituals are needed to guide departed souls across the river and into the World of Light.
In chapters 36, 51, and 55 of the Mandaean Book of John, the river Kšaš is the river that the souls of the dead must cross in order to reach the World of Light.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Hitfun”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Mandaean Scroll of Abathur.jpg by Ethan Doyle White, CC BY-SA 4.0
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