Angra Mainyu

"Ahriman" redirects here. For other uses, see Ahriman (disambiguation).

Angra Mainyu (Avestan) or Ahriman (Middle Persian اهريمن) is the Evil equivalent of the deity Ahura Mazda in Zoroastrianism.

The name does not occur in the Old Persian inscriptions. In the Avesta he is called the twin-brother of the Holy Spirit, and contrasted with Spenta Mainyu. He is the all-destroying Satan, the source of all evil in the world and like Ahura Mazda, existed since the beginning of the world. Ahriman chose evil consciously, and by this act he created death. On Judgment Day he will be defeated by Spenta Mainyu and will disappear from the present world forever. The later sect of the Zurvanites held that both were visible manifestations of the primeval principle zruvan akarana (infinite time).

Some scholars believe the Zoroastrian belief in Angra Mainyu was passed onto Judeo-Christian beliefs through the concept of Satan, the chief agent of evil. According to this view, prior to Babylonian captivity (586-538 BC), Judaism held the belief that Satan was an agent of God and that he tested man's loyalty to God. After Cyrus the Great permitted the Jews to return to Jerusalem, some Jewish groups came to regard Satan as God's rival and the lord of evil.

The dualism of Zoroastrianism was a seminal influence on the Book of Revelation and on Apocalyptic literature. Neoplatonism also references Ahriman.

Angra Mainyu is not equivalent to the Christian Satan. By contrasting Angra Mainyu with Spenta Mainyu, Zoroaster distinguished the two poles of a particular dynamic, that of creation and destruction, which was whole within Ahura Mazda. One can see similar sentiments in the Dravidian and later Hindu conception of Shiva.

Angra Mainyu also appears in Final Fantasy X-2 in Bikanel Island as one of the most difficult boss in the game.

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Encyclopedia Mythica

Zoroastrianism | Persian mythology

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