Angra Mainyu
Sign in to saveAngra Mainyu (; ) is the Avestan name of Zoroastrianism's hypostasis of the "destructive/evil spirit" and the main adversary in Zoroastrianism either of the Spenta Mainyu, the "holy/creative spirits/mentality", or directly of Ahura Mazda, the highest deity of Zoroastrianism. The Middle Persian equivalent is Ahriman (; ). The name can appear in English-language works as Ahreman and Ahrimanes.
AI overview
Angra Mainyu is Zoroastrianism's name for the destructive evil spirit that opposes both the holy creative spirit and Ahura Mazda, the religion's supreme god. The concept matters as a central element of Zoroastrian theology, representing the cosmic force of evil in one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions.
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Key facts
- Deity.type
- Zoroastrian
- Deity.name
- Angra Mainyu
- Deity.deity_of
- Spirit of evil, chaos, destruction, daevas
- Deity.other_names
- Ahriman
- Deity.script_name
- Avestan
- Deity.script
- 𐬀𐬢𐬭𐬀⸱ 𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬎
- Deity.affiliation
- Zoroastrianism
- Deity.weapon
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- Deity.weapons
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- Deity.artifacts
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- Deity.artefacts
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- Deity.adherents
- Daevas
- Deity.color
Article
14 sectionsContents
- In the Avesta
- In Zoroaster's revelation
- In the Younger Avesta
- In Zurvanite Zoroastrianism
- In Zoroastrian tradition
- Ahriman after the influence of Islam
- In present-day Zoroastrianism
- The worship of Ahriman
- Islam
- Anthroposophy
- ''Opus Sanctorum Angelorum''
- Footnotes
- Citations
- External links
Angra Mainyu (; ) is the Avestan name of Zoroastrianism's hypostasis of the "destructive/evil spirit" and the main adversary in Zoroastrianism either of the Spenta Mainyu, the "holy/creative spirits/mentality", or directly of Ahura Mazda, the highest deity of Zoroastrianism. The Middle Persian equivalent is Ahriman (; ). The name can appear in English-language works as Ahreman and Ahrimanes.
==In the Avesta== ===In Zoroaster's revelation=== Avestan angra mainyu "seems to have been an original conception of Zoroaster's." In the Gathas, which are the oldest texts of Zoroastrianism and are attributed to Zoroaster, angra mainyu is not yet a proper name. In the one instance in these hymns where the two words appear together, the concept spoken of is that of a mainyu ("mind", "spirit" or otherwise an abstract energy etc.) that is angra ("destructive", "chaotic", "disorderly", "inhibitive", "malign" etc., of which a manifestation can be anger). In this single instance – in Yasna 45.2 – the "more bounteous of the spirits twain" declares angra mainyu to be its "absolute antithesis".