Aryan

The Aryans or Airya (Sanskrit: आर्य, Persian آریا ārya- "noble", derived from Proto-Indo-European *ar-yo-, roughly "well-fitted") were a prehistoric nomadic people who, according to Rudolf Steiner, descended from the most highly developed subrace[1] of Atlantis, the acient Semites. At the time when Atlantis perished, they lived in an area to the west of present-day Ireland, from where the great solar initiate, the Manu, led them eastwards to the region of the Tarim Basin. From here they became the real founders of the post-Atlantean culture, splitting into an Indian (Indo-Aryan) and Iranian (Irano-Aryan) branch.

„Our root race, the Aryan, descended from the most highly developed subrace of the Atlantians, the Ur-Semitic, which last dwelt approximately in the region of present-day Ireland. The island of Poseidonis, mentioned by Plato, can be regarded as the last remnant of the declining Atlantis. Manu, a leading figure of the Atlantians, led the most mature people to the East.“ (Lit.:GA 94, p. 168)

With the racial theories that blossomed in the 19th and 20th centuries, the term "Aryan" was increasingly misused in the sense of an alleged master race in order to justify colonialism, racism and antisemitism.

Literature

• Hermann Kulke/Dietmar Rothermund: Geschichte Indiens. Von der Induskultur bis heute, München 2006
• Rudolf Steiner: Kosmogonie, GA 94 (2001) English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
• Rudolf Steiner: Die tieferen Geheimnisse des Menschheitswerdens im Lichte der Evangelien, GA 117 (1986) English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
• Rudolf Steiner: Weltsilvester und Neujahrsgedanken, GA 195 (1986) English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org

References to the work of Rudolf Steiner follow Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works (CW or GA), Rudolf Steiner Verlag, Dornach/Switzerland, unless otherwise stated. Email: verlag@steinerverlag.com URL: www.steinerverlag.com. Index to the Complete Works of Rudolf Steiner - Aelzina Books A complete list by Volume Number and a full list of known English translations you may also find at Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works Rudolf Steiner Archive - The largest online collection of Rudolf Steiner's books, lectures and articles in English. Rudolf Steiner Audio - Recorded and Read by Dale Brunsvold steinerbooks.org - Anthroposophic Press Inc. (USA) Rudolf Steiner Handbook - Christian Karl's proven standard work for orientation in Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works for free download as PDF.