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we pronounce the respect or reverence originally paid him to 
have been idolatrous. As the Homeric poems contain nume- 
rous personifications of ideas, such as rumour, terror, panic, 
discord, sleep, death, and the like; so, in the Avesta, we find 
disease, decay, poverty, deceit, dwarfishness, sloth, dark- 
ness, poison, represented or spoken of as personal demons; 
and other concepts more august such as Sraosha, the personifi- 
cation of the divine service ; Rashnu, the personification of 
justice; Asha, order, physical, moral, and religious; and the 
Amesliaspentas equally resolve themselves, so far as actual 
objective existence is concerned, into thin air. But Mithra, 
“ the mightiest, strongest, most famous, most victorious, 
most brilliant of the Yazatas,” * or “ beings worthy of 
honour,” cannot be so resolved. He is neither the sun, nor 
the light, but the spirit of brightness and the sentient friend 
of man. 
17. Ahuramazda as the Creator. 
It remains to notice the statement in the Ga th as respecting 
Ahuramazda as the creator of all things. I have already f 
quoted a passage which declares that the material world was 
created by his two spirits, and in another place we read ; — 
“ Armaiti came with wealth, the good and true mind ; 
She the everlasting one, created the material world.” 
Now Armaiti, the Vedic Aramati, is the personification of 
Prayer or Divine Wish ; and, as noticed, is “ in Ahuramazda,” 
and hence the meaning is that divine yearning tender and 
benevolent occasioned creation. So, again, we read : — 
“ That I shall ask thee, tell it me right, 0 Aliura ! 
Who was in the beginning the father and creator of 
righteousness ? 
Who created the path of the sun and stars ? 
Who causes the moon to increase and wane but thou ? 
Who is holding the earth and the skies above it? 
Who made the waters and the trees of the field ? 
Who created the lights of good effect and the darkness ? 
Who created the sleep of good effect and the activity ? 
Who (created) morning, noon, and night? 
Who has prepared the Bactrian home ? 
To become acquainted with these things, I approach 
thee, 0 Mazda, 
Beneficent spirit ! creator of all beings ! 
That I shall ask thee, tell it mo right, 0 Aliura ! 
* The Vedic “ Yajata ” and the Parsi Izad or “ angel." 
t Sec. 9. 
