CONTENTS
xi
CHAPTER
PAGE
of falsehood—Mithra, the guardian of contracts—Mithra as a war divinity—Mithra's chariot—Mithra's wrath—Sacrifices to Mithra—Mithra's boons—Rashnu—Personification of truth—Rashnu presides at the ordeal court—Arshtat—Divinity of rectitude—Erethe and Rasanstat—Minor divinities of truth—Verethraghna—The angel of victory—The patron angel of the Iranian countries—Verethraghna's work—His metamorphoses—Raman—He causes the joy of life—Rata—Physical and mental inequality leads to economic inequality—Charity personified—Akhshti—The angel of peace—Manthra Spenta—The Spirit of the spells—The potency of the spells—The chief spells—Ahuna Vairya—The number of times that the spells are recited—Those privileged to recite the spells—Dahma Afriti—She personifies the power of benediction—Damoish Upamana—He personifies the power of anathema—Airyaman—The genius of health—Haoma—The divinity of joint Indo-Iranian fame—Haoma pleads the greatness of his cult—Haoma's titles—His gifts—Haoma implored to rout the wicked—Haoma's due—Haoma's curse—Haoma, king of plants—Ashi Vanghuhi—Physically she stands for plenty, morally for piety—Ashi's attributes—Her supplicants—Her work—What offends Ashi most—Parendi—Ashi's associate—Drvaspa—The female genius of cattle—Her sacrificers—Geush Tashan and Geush Urvan—Drvaspa's associates—Hvarekhshaeta—The sun deified—Maonghah—The moon personified—Anaghra Raochah—Deification of the endless light—Asman—Firmament deified—Ushah—The female divinity of dawn—Tishtrya—The star genius directs the rain—Tishtrya's attributes—The sacrificial offerings enable Tishtria to work with added vigour and strength—His fight with the demon of drought—Vanant—A star-Yazata—Satavaesa—An acolyte of Tishtrya—Haptoiringa—Another acolyte of Tishtrya—Vayu—The deification of the wind—Vayu's attributes—Those who offer sacrifices unto Vayu—Atar—The fire cult in Iran—Atar is both the genius of fire and the element fire itself—Atar's boons—His work—What causes grief to Atar—Nairyosangha—Mazda's celestial herald—Ardvi Sura Anahita—The angel of waters—Her image in words found in the texts, corresponds with her statue in stone—Ahura Mazda heads the list of the sacrificers who entreat her for various boons—She refuses to concede the wicked persons their wishes—The offerings of libations—Animal sacrifices to Anahita—Any defilement of the waters evokes Ardvi Sura's displeasure—Ardvi Sura's chariot—Apam Napat—His nature and work—Ahurani—Another water genius—Zam—The earth deified.
232 The divine double in man—What are the Fravashis—Everything that bears the hall-mark of belonging to the good creation has its Fravashi—During the lifetime of the individual, his Fravashi accompanies him to this earth— Qualities of the Fravashis—Their work—Fravashis help the living—Fravashis of the dead long for sacrifices—Fravashis bless if satisfied, but curse when offended—Fravashis of the righteous ones of one's family, clan, town, or country invoked individually—Fravashis of the righteous ones of all ages and all places invoked collectively—Dual nature of the Zoroastrian ancestor-worship.
