Ahuramazda's son, leads such men on the straightest way, the Frohars (Fravashis) give them children of superior qualities."

Near the end of the first section there is a short hymn. by which Ahuramazda is said to call him. It consists of verses, each of about eight syllables, and commences as follows:

deserving

deserving praise,

not to be belied,

the life supplied with bodies (i.e., in the creation),

"

Mithra

'Mithra, who always speaks the truth, has a thousand ears, ten thousand eyes, and is always watching, without falling asleep, over the welfare of the creation" (ver. 7).

"He, first of the celestial spirits, crosses the mountain Harô-berezaiti (Alborz, the supposed centre of the world) on its eastern side, where the immortal sun with his swift horses is stationed; he first, covered with gold, reaches the summits of that mountain, and thence overlooks the whole of Iran. Through him the rulers build their high fortresses, through him the high mountains, with their many pasturages, produce food for the animals, through him the deep wells have abundance of waters, through him the large navigable rivers run swiftly through Aishkata,1 Pouruta (Parthia, Parthava in the cuneiform inscriptions), Mouru (Marv), Harôyû (Herat), Gau Sughdha (Sogdiana, Samarkand), and Qâirizem (Khowaresmia). He brings light to all the seven regions (the whole earth); victory resounds in the ears of those who, by their know

1 A locality not yet identified.

ledge of the appropriate prayers and rites, continuously worship him with sacrifices." (Yt. x. 13-16).

He protects those who do not break their promises when in distress and misery; but inflicts severe punishments upon those who sin against him by lying and promise-breaking; he makes their arms and feet lame, their eyes blind, their ears deaf (ver. 23). The same idea is embodied in the short hymn which forms the 11th section. (vers. 47-49). The verses consist of eight syllables, as in the following specimen :

i.e., at the time of a battle taking place between two hostile armies, and both being arrayed in battle lines against each other, in order to fight for a country, Mithra drives in his chariot to the battlefield, and punishes all those who were formerly sinning against him by breaking promises; he causes some to be made prisoners, and dooms others to lose their eyes, or their feet, or their ears.

The residence of this mighty angel, the punisher of rascals and scoundrels, is on the mountain Harô-berezaiti (Alborz), where Ahuramazda himself has built a palace for him, where is "no night, no darkness, no cold wind, nor hot, no smoke, no putrifaction, no fogs," which is the model of an Iranian paradise (ver. 50).

All the demons (devas) flee from him when he, as the ruler of the whole earth, drives in his chariot on her right side. On his right side he is followed by Sraosha, the angel ruling over the whole of the divine service, and by Rashnu razishta (Rashnu râst), the angel of justice, and the spirits of the waters, trees, &c. (vers. 100, 101).

In verse 104 mention is made of the eastern and western Hindus (hiñdvô = sindhavas, i.e., the (seven) rivers in the Vedas, the ancient name of India).

Ahuramazda paid his respects to him. He drives out from paradise (garôdemâna) in a splendid chariot, drawn by four white horses. He carries with him weapons of all kinds for the destruction of the Devas; among them is the vazra,1 the most powerful.

7. SROSH HÂDÔKHT AND RASHNU YASHTS.

The former Yasht, which is now particularly used at the time of initiating priests (chiefly of the lower grade, the Herbads) into their office, is dedicated to the angel Sraosha, of whom we have already given an account (see p. 189). An analysis of this Yasht would, therefore, afford no particular interest.

In the Rashnu Yasht the angel Rashnu razishta, “ the rightest righteousness," who is believed to preside over the eternal laws of nature, as well as morality (corresponding to the idea of Themis among the ancient Greeks), is invoked and worshipped. He is everywhere, and represents, to a certain extent, the omnipresence of the divine being. He is particularly distinguished by firmness and the greatest hatred of disorder and immorality of every kind. His devotee, in paying reverence to him, by placing various sweet fruits and oil before the sacred fire, invokes and praises him wherever he may be, whether in one of the seven regions (karshvare), or in different parts of the sea Vouru-kasha (the ocean surrounding the earth), either on the large tree, bearing all kinds of fruits at the same time, which is planted in its middle, or on its shores, or in its depths. He is further praised whether he be on the ends of the earth, or on the celestial mountain Harô-berezaiti (Alborz), or in one of the stars, such as

1 Gurz, "a club, battleaxe," in "thunderbolt," in the Vedas, where Persian is identical with vajra, it is Indra's weapon.

Churl's Wain (Ursa major) called Haptôiring,1 or in the water stars, or vegetation stars, or in the moon, or sun, or in the luminaries which were from the beginning (anaghra raocháo), or in paradise.

8. FRAVARDİN YASHT.

This Yasht, comprising thirty-one chapters, which are divided into 158 verses, is the longest of all. It is dedicated to the praise of the Frohars, Fravashi in the Avesta (preserved in the name Phraortes, which is Fravartish in the ancient Persian of the cuneiform inscriptions), which means "protector." These Frohars or protectors, who are numberless, are believed to be angels, stationed everywhere by Ahuramazda for keeping the good creation in order, preserving it, and guarding it against the constant attacks of fiendish powers. Every being of the good creation, whether living, or deceased, or still unborn, has its own Fravashi or guardian angel who has existed from the beginning. Hence they are a kind of prototypes, and may be best compared to the "ideas" of Plato who supposed everything to have a double existence, first in idea, secondly in reality. Originally the Fravashis represented

1 In modern Persian haftwarang. This word is highly interesting from its identity with the ancient Vedic and Greek names of the same constellation. The original form in the Vedas is riksha, "a bear" (which is found only once in the hymns of the Rigveda, i. 24, 10) Greek arktos. According to an account in the Shatapatha Brahmana, ii. 1, 2, 4 (second part of the white Yajurveda) this name was changed afterwards into that of Sapta risḥayaḥ, "the seven Rishis," by which name the stars of Ursa major are called in the later Vedic hymns (see Rigveda x. 82, 2, Atharvaveda vi. 40, 1) and in the classical Sanskrit writings. The sounds of riksha, "bear," and rishi, seer, prophet," were so near to one another, that at the time when they

commenced to deify those great founders of Brahmanism, nothing was more natural than to assign to them a place in the sky, and make them one of the brightest and most beautiful constellations. In the Iranian languages, however, the old name "the seven bears" was faithfully preserved.

2 The ideas are the models (paradeigmata) of everything existing; the realities (or, according to Plato, non-realities, because only the ideas have a real existence according to his doctrine) being only imitations thereof. The ideas are unborn, eternal, invisible, imperishable, but their imitations, the substances, are subject to all changes. See Parmenides, p. 132, d. Steph. Timous., 48, c. 52 a. According to Aristotle (Metaphysics, i.

only the departed souls of ancestors, comparable to the pitaras, "fathers," of the Brahmans, and the Manes of the Romans. The following extracts are translated from the Fravardin Yasht:

1-7. Ahuramazda spoke to Spitama Zarathushtra: To thee alone I shall tell the power and strength, glory, usefulness, and happiness of the holy guardian-angels, the strong and victorious, O righteous Spitama Zarathushtra ! how they come to help me, [(Zend) how they give me assistance]. By means of their splendour and glory I uphold the sky which is shining so beautifully, and which touches and surrounds this earth; 1 it resembles a bird which is ordered by God to stand still there; it is high as a tree, wide-stretched, iron-bodied, having its own light in the three worlds (thrishva); on which (the sky) Ahuramazda, together with Mithra, Rashnu, and Spenta Armaiti, puts a garment decked with stars, and made by God in such a way that nobody can see the ends of its parts.

By means of their splendour and glory, I uphold the high, strong Anâhita (the celestial water) with bridges, the salutary, who drives away the demons, who has the true faith, and is to be worshipped in the world, and to be praised in the world; the righteous who furthers life, the righteous who increases wealth, the righteous who increases property, the righteous who makes the fields thrive, the righteous who makes the countries thrive; who purifies the seed of all males, who purifies the wombs of all females to make them fit for conception, who makes all pregnant females bear fine offspring, who provides females at the right time with milk; the praised, the far-renowned, who is as large as all the waters which flow over the earth, who runs with might from the celestial heights into the sea

9, 2), Plato imagined as many "ideas" as there are things really existing. Such celestial, or invisible, prototypes of terrestrial things are mentioned also in the Bible; see Heb. ix. 23; Exod. xxv. 9, 40.

1 Baváva would be according to Sanskrit the first person dual, but this meaning does not agree with the structure of the sentence; it is evidently put for bavaiti va, "it is for both."