[Mehrbod]

Zam
aka:Zamyad, Zamyat, Zam Yazad

Zam (Zām) is the Avestan language term for the Zoroastrian concept of "earth"(prototyped as a chemical element in ancient philosophy, and as a minor Yazata in Zoroastrianism and later Persian mythology.), in both the sense of land and soil and in the sense of the world. The earth is prototyped as a primordial element in Zoroastrian tradition, and represented by a
minor divinity Zam who is the hypostasis of the "earth". The word itself is cognate to the Baltic 'Zemes' and Slavic 'Zem', both meaning the planet earth as well as soil.

The term 'Zam' exists with the same meaning in both Avestan and middle Persian languages. Zam is occasionally paired with the Amesha Spenta Armaiti, with whom Zam shares some attributes. According to Xenophon(Greek historian), Cyrus sacrificed animals to the earth as the Magians directed.

The element zam exists with the same meaning in Middle Persian, which is the language of the texts of Zoroastrian tradition. The divinity Zam however appears in the later language as Zamyad, which is a contraction of "Zam Yazad", i.e. the yazata Zam.

The last hymn recited in the procedure for the establishment of a Fire temple is the Zamyad Yasht. This is done because to achieve the required 91 recitals in honor of the Yazatas, would in principle require each of the 30 hymns associated with the divinites of the 30 days to be recited thrice with one additional one.

notwithstanding the dedication of the 28th day of the month and the manifestation as one of the primordial elements, Zam is not a particularly significant divinity.

From among the flowers associated with the yazatas, Zam's is the Basil.