where Ahriman is to break in. He is fixed, and not, like the
planets, capable of changing his position.
At the end of the first age, Ahriman, having created a
horrible army of evil beings, commenced his warfare; but,
terrified by the splendour of Ormuzd, and chiefly by the
sight of the pure Ferouers of holy men, sunk back into the
dark abyss, and lay again supine during another three
thousand years. Ormuzd completed his- creation, made
Sapandomad the protecting spirit of the earth, who$ is the
same as Iiethro,—mother of all living. Khordad, the
Moon, became king of limes, years, months, and days;
and protecting spirit of the water which gushes < out of; the
fountain Arduisur, from the side of Albordj. The various
processes of nature, in heaven and earth, became itiip care ©f
other sidereal gods. All terrestial things had t^par .protecting
genii in suhjeeti<m to Qrmnid*r They were all subordiy
nate to seven chieftains, who were theleven Am schaspands.
These seven are Ormuzd himself^and the six others, who
stand round his throne,—Bahman, Ardibeheshtj,- Schariver,
Sapandomad, Khordad, and Amerdad. Thus .passed ijfclio
second period of three thousand years.
In the mean time, Ormuzd. had formed the primitive Hull,
the first-made of the animal creation. , Aliriman, the
commencement of the fourth age,- began the battle in earnest,
at the head of the Devs, or powers of .darkfiess^led by
six other Arch-devs;^7rAkuman, Ander, Sav-el, Nakaet,
Farik, and Zaretsh. Ahriman sprang upon-earth in. the
form of a serpent, and penetrated every created bodyA eveu
the primeval hull, and the very element of fire, which he
polluted into smoke and vapour. He struggled against
heaven and overcame a part of the fixed stars.;•• hut was
met by Ormuzd, and defeated by the aid of the Ferouers of
holy men. Though thrown down again to Duzakh, he
remained not there ; but, with his associates, forced a way
through the midst of the earth, where he still prevails,„in
common with Ormuzd ,-accordmg to the will of the infinite
Being.
The inroad of Ahriman caused great devastation upon
earth, and destroyed, among other creatures, the primitive
Bull, from whose right shoulder, as he expired, came forth
Kayomórts, the primitive human being ; and from his left
issued the soul of the Bull Gosherun, who became the protecting
genius of animated nature: from his body the
vegetable world was developed. Ahriman made noxious,
unclean, and fierce antagonists to all the pure animals of
Ormuzd; 'the baneful wolf against the useful dog, and
noxib'us* plants of all sérts.- He slew Kayomorts, the first
human^being, who was both.man and woman; from his
juices grew up a plant, which bore, instead-of fruit, Meshia,
•and S Meshiane, the real ancestors of the 'human family.
Both were,-" in thé beginning, innocent, and formed for
iifeatên, and honoured Ormuzd as their creator; but they
Vrerte seduced by Ahriman, who brought them fruit, which
1%%'at#and lost;'by transgression-'their happiness* The
woman-was. the first who sacrificed?ito the Devs. After
fifty years .they had children, -Sikhmak and Veshak, and
« died, one hundred years old ; for their sins ’they were doomed
fto suffer hell-tormentsi till the resurrection.
The-human race, inortal and unhappi-through the sin. of
their*first parents,.yet, plaèed -in the midst-between.the
world of Ormuzd and that ofAhriman^areire© to'follow
their choice-of "good and evil. As the creation of Ormuzd,
man Oah,"and ought to he, good and holy, and to support his
maker in the contest against the powers:-of darkness; hut
Ahriman and his“ Devs tempt him day and night to evil.
Man would’ be too weak to resist seducti'bn had not j the
divinity further assisted him by an extraordinary revelation
, Of -his Will, and of the W o f i lig h ts Man, in obeying the
principle of this law, rises above the power of the Devs, and
eömes'under the immediate protection of Ormuzd, and the
spirits of light. The sum of this law |g to think, to speak,
and to act with purity. All that is pure .comes from Ormuzd,
all impurity from Ahriman ; and purity of body is of
equal value with moral purity. Hence the particularities of
the ceremonial law, of which purification is the great object.
The souls of men, or their Ferouers, when first, created,
dwelt in Gorodman, in the vault of heaven, the realm of
Ormuzd and of light. By necessity, descending to he