into existence the visible world, by the agency of Ormuzd.
It was predestined to last for a definite space of time, and to
go through à séries of changes ;f its%hple duration was to be
twelve thousand years. In the. first age of three thousand
years, Ormuzd was tube sole ruler ; in the.second> Ahriman
was to make attempts, whieh were to be, -at first,* unsuccess**
ful ; in the third their power-was tojbe nearly i£qual ; and in
the^fourth, Ahriman was to be predominant till the énd.
Ormuzd, prescient of his future wars against, the powers
of Darkness, began, in order to strengthen his party"}-by"
creating the Ferouefs, or guardian Spirits, or Genii of all
earthly brings. Thus the visible and mater Tab uni verse was
preceded by the invisible world of thé Ferouers*, which
were living archetypes of all corporeal beings - -
In creating the visible world, which -is-,- properly, an embodying,
or rendering cognisable to,sense, the pre-existing-
spiritual creation, Ormuzd made, first,.the arch of.-hçôrtjras*
-and the earth on which it rests. Omthe earth h^-|feeed the
and 8t»rs.” .These are tl^VIumina sine-princjpio ex-se Greata,”i«o termed:in,|
the Vendidad Sadé., l^ e Persian religion, he observes, is a (roUc ()f .the ancient
worship of the heavenly bodies, which Zoroaster modified and embellished
without suppressing it—
M.- Burnonf compares vHth this worship of material light .hy_the Persian s|'
the famous Gâyatrî of the .Brahmans, an invocation which appears in- seyer alsof
y«d^,;;and. is, doubtless, a relic ofÆe most ancient worship çfçthe Hindoos.
It has been translated by M. Colcbrooke as follows ^
"This neWand excellent praise of thee, O splendid, plàyfdi §uf>j,is Offered
by us to thee. Be gratified by this, my speech; approach this craving mind
as a fond man seeks the object of his love. May that Sun who looks into all
worlds “be our protector.”-^—“ Let us meditate on the adorable light ,of the
divine Savilnj may it guidé our inteUec^; VeneraMe men, guided by iSe
understanding, salute the divine Savitri with oblations and praise.”- Bavitfi is
represented by the commentator, followed by 'Sfï. Colebröoke, as expressing
" the divine creator, constituting the light of the universe.”. But Savitri is
merely the i Sun.—See Wilson’s Lexicon, and Colebröoke on the Vedas
Asiat. Res. vol. 8.. p. 400. octavo ed.j also M. E. Burnouf, " Extrait d’un
commentaire et d’une traduction nouvelle du Vendidad Sadé, l’un des livres
de Zoroastte^Nouv. Journ. Asiat., No. 3.
It seems that the conception of “ uncreated light/’«till more, that of the
creation of light, elementary light, was too refined and metaphysical for the
rude minds of men in the first ages, the Shemite nations alone excepted. It is
probable that the notion really attached to the term Ferouers, was not that of
ah immaterial nature, but of a light, attenuated, luminous essence.
lofty mountain; of Albordj,* reaching up through all the
spheres oft,heaven, to the supernal region of light; and on
its summit he fixed his dwelling. The bridge Tschinevad
leads from the summit of Albordj to the solid vault of
heaven,4 Gorodman, the abode of Ferouers and blessed
spirits; underneath it is* the great gulph of Duzahk, a
darkïabyökjïtke abédj^f Ahrimap.
Ormuzd, whose *war with Ahriman was to commence
with the secoftcUvtsyelre- of £ three thousand years, prepared
hiW^ê'for ■'the ■ contest by ereaÖngi the- luminous host of
heaven; the:Stfn, -Möon, and Stars, animated beings devoted
& his.serviced- The>*Sun, immortal king of the whole material
universe, issues^ forth from Albordj in, the morning, and,
haying gone round the> world in the highest sphere of
heaven, returns in the eventide rfco Alhordj'a^ihif/? He made
the Moon.to traverse a ldwer'sphe&e-r/ the-PlanetS and the
fixed Stars in the lowest spheté -Af all. Thus the whol.e.
, spaee- from theearth to' the highest firmament, is divided
into three*spheres? that of the Shn, Moon, and the Stars.
The whole army of EixedStarsf soldiers in the ranks for
the wRr^agamst Ahriman; Wé-divided into twelve bands,
which arethe -twelve zodiacal-constellations^ y The stars of
the fouR great quarters- • of heaven, are fiirther| marshalled
inte:>,greafrftropp#,**each having its own watcher or commander.
Taschter, Jupiter^a q)ririée;/^the stars, governs
the eastern quarter; Satevis,^.pr Saturn, tho^e. qf the .west;
Venant, who* is Mercury, rute^fehe southern; and Hafto-
rangi^r Mats', the northern hand. Besides these, Mishgah,
or Mithra, the planet Venus, was king of all l^e stars, and
protector bf all,1; principally giving aid.in the^|outhern
quarter, which was Under Venant, the smallest and weakest
of all planets.’ Under* all these, the greathfog^f heaven,
Sura, or Sirius, keeps ‘ watch at thé bridge Tschinevad,
* Thié mountain Albordj appeals möst 'öbridusly'torbe the lofty Elburz, in
the north of Média, which tó ohè.lóf the great geographical features of that
country. Elburz is merely Albordj sdmewhat differently pronounced or
spelled., But those who argue for the Bactrian ctrigin of the Zpndish mythology,
contend that the primitive Albordj was another mountain of the same name,
unknown as it must be1 observed, in the remote' regions beyond Balkh;