Introduction
Atar is the Yazata who personifies fire, particularly sacred fire as maintained in Zoroastrian temples and rituals. Fire holds a uniquely central place in Zoroastrian worship as a symbol of Ahura Mazda's truth, purity and light, and Atar is sometimes described as his son.
Fire in Zoroastrian worship
Zoroastrians maintain sacred fires in temples (often called, inaccurately by outside observers, "fire temples", since the fire itself is a symbol of worship rather than an object of worship), tended continuously and treated with great reverence as a visible representation of Ahura Mazda's truth and light.
Battle with the dragon
In the Avesta, Atar is described in a mythic contest with the dragon Azhi Dahaka (a figure closely related to the Zahhak of the later Shahnameh) over possession of the khvarenah, the divine glory or fortune associated with legitimate kingship, a story that reflects fire's role as a defender of rightful order against chaos and usurpation.
Household and ritual fires
Beyond the great sacred fires of temples, Atar is also present, in Zoroastrian belief, in the ordinary hearth fire of every household, connecting the grandest cosmic principle of truth to the most everyday domestic life.