Zarathustra is who? Philosophical novel of Friedrich Nietzsche "So said Zarathustra"

Culture is often overlapping one another and not everyone understands what happened before, and what happens later. Those who are passionate about the work of Friedrich Nietzsche do not particularly know about the prophet, whose name he used to write his story about Zarathustra.

The real person

Zarathustra, despite the meager number of evidence of its existence, is considered a real person. Zarathustra is the founder of Zoroastrianism. It is to this man that the authorship of the 17 hymns of the "Songs" ("Ghats") is attributed.

The meaning of the very name of the prophet is still the subject of many disputes. So, there is a version according to which the name translates as "he who drives the camels". However A.Dyperron offers his own version of the translation. For him, Zarathustra is the "golden Sirius".

Just as with the translation of the name, scientists have many discrepancies about the place and time of the prophet's life. Some consider him the son of a merchant, others associate his origins with a poor East-Iranian clan. There is even a bold assumption that he was born in the territory of the modern Russian Federation. Although there is no evidence of this hypothesis.

The Legend of Zarathustra

According to one of the famous legends the prophet was born as the third child in a family with five children. From the age of 15 he became a clergyman, and five years later he left his house in order to find the truth.

In 30 years he met with the main deity from the triad of Iranian gods. Ahura Mazde asked Zarathustra several questions, then took to his heaven. There the prophet passed three tests, after which he revealed the truth.

Going back, he did not get support among close people, except his brother. He had to leave his native places, but thanks to the local king, Zoroastrianism spread throughout Iran.

Zarathustra is a prophet. By age 42 he became an adviser to this king. All his sayings were written in ox hides. His creations, including poems, were damaged by the burning of the library during the time of Alexander the Great.

The sage lived 77 years and 40 days. Knowing that he would die a violent death, he spent the last 40 days in prayer. Being married to life twice, he left six children behind him.

About Friedrich Nietzsche

"Thus spake Zarathustra" is the most significant work of the philosopher, who invested in him all his judgments about life and man.

It is quite difficult to talk about the work of Friedrich Nietzsche. This is due to the fact that not everyone has enough time and energy to read his confusing texts completely. Therefore, many rely on the judgments of others about the meaning of his works.

It is because of this that the myth emerged that F. Nietzsche's philosophical views are associated with fascism and Nazism. This was also facilitated by his sister, a bright adherent of Hitler.

On this occasion, the Strugatskys spoke very well: "Nietzsche. He was a great poet. However, he was very unlucky with the fans. "

A German philosopher and poet was born in 1844 in the family of a third-generation Lutheran priest. He was named Friedrich Wilhelm in honor of the Prussian king, who ruled at that time.

At universities he went deep into the classical classics. In 1869 he occupied the chair of classical philosophy at the University of Switzerland. However, during the Franco-Prussian War he enlisted as an ordinary orderly in the Prussian army (1870). After undermining his health, Friedrich returned to the Swiss university.

Among the friends of the philosopher were many famous personalities, among whom was R. Wagner. He had a great influence on his work. The philosopher devoted to him a fourth of the "Incomplete Reflections."

The poet died in 1900 in the family one year after a violent mental fit. So Friedrich Nietzsche has left. Zarathustra continues to live as his hero and image.

"Thus spake Zarathustra"

One of the most famous works of Friedrich Nietzsche "Told Zarathustra" was written in 1883-1885. This specific narrative can not be stated or briefly summarized. Paradoxically, even the subtitle - "The book for all and for no one" sounds.

The book does not apply to treatises. This is more a philosophical poem, although written in prose. In order to understand this, it is necessary to read the work in German. In the original, he has a certain rhythm that confirms that Nietzsche is more a poet than a philosopher, much less a scientist.

The plot of the work is that the thirty-year-old Zarathustra (Nietzsche) leaves his homeland and leaves for the mountains. He enjoys loneliness. Ten years later he was fed up with his wisdom and decides to go down to the people. Along the way, he meets an old man who persuades a sage to stay in the forest. But he hears in response the words that Zarathustra loves people. However, the more significant phrase of the young man is that "God died."

In the work "So said Zarathustra," the hero communicates with different people. The parables, which he tells, are related to content in different directions:

• Moral;
• Psychological;
• Philosophical.

Nietzsche knew that many of his theory of the superman would not be understood, so following this work, he released two more: "On the other side of good and evil," "To the genealogy of morality." Their goal was to protect the idea from misunderstanding, to clarify its meaning.

About the "three transformations of the spirit"

The most significant in the work is the story of the transformations of the spirit.

According to the sage, a person's spirit must go through three transformations. At first the spirit becomes a camel, because he wants to experience the heaviness of his own burden. Then he aspires to become a lion in order to be free and become master. But realizing that he can not enjoy freedom, the spirit to strive for complete renewal. This is possible when turning into a child.

About women

Having met with the old woman, Zarathustra speaks to her about women. He attributes to them an important role, namely, to bring into the world a superman. Their only happiness is to understand what a man wants. Only then will the world be perfect.

In order to remain desirable, a woman must be a dangerous game for a man. Because they want in life only two things - the danger and the game. For the hero, women remain a mystery, but "there is only one solution to all this: it is called pregnancy".

The idea of a superman (Ubermensch)

Throughout the whole work the thought passes that man is only an intermediate link from the monkey to the superman. "A man is a rope torn between an animal and a superman".

The superman differs from ordinary people in an indestructible will. However, the meaning of his life is not in the management of other people, he is a genius and a rebel, capable of destroying old rules and values while creating new ones. So spoke Zarathustra.

Nietzsche prescribed this romantic image on an intuitive level. The concept of the superman is not over. The author prescribed it apophatically. He pointed out who his hero should not be, namely a man of the crowd, an average inhabitant. He must be above the shredded humanity. Zarathustra is one who is above the crowd and lives in spite of her.

Today the work written by Friedrich Nietzsche, "So Spoke Zarathustra", refers to the world classics. The work is studied both in philosophy and in literature.