Vishtaspa

Vishtaspa (Avestan: Vištaspa) was an ancient Iranian ruler and the first patron of Zoroaster, as primarily described in the Gathas, the oldest hymns of Zoroastrianism and believed to have been composed by the prophet Zoroaster himself.

Legends say that Vistaph's best horse's leg was broken and Zarathustra said a simple prayer called Yatha Ahu Vairyo and the horse's leg was fixed. Zarathustra got into a intensive debate with the King's priests over the previous religion, and Zarathustra won.

Later legend and tradition about the monarch are based on the Gathic account. Both scripture and tradition speak of Vishtaspa as having been a kavi or kay, that is, a member of the semi-mythological Kayanian dynasty.

In the past, Vishtaspa has been identified with Hystaspes, the father of the Persian King Darius I, but recently scholars usually dispute that identification.

If the identification is rejected, Vishtaspa is not epigraphically attested. Also, the region which he ruled remains uncertain, but as for Zoroaster's homeland also, generally believed to lie somewhere in Central Asia or in the eastern regions of Greater Iran (see Zoroaster for details).

Sanskrit texts such as the Purānas and the Jain šāstrass refer to one Kalpasūtra, who is occasionally and speculatively identified with Vishtaspa.