Ahriman

Ahriman

See also: Ahrimán

English

Alternative forms

• Ariman, Ahirman, Ahrimen, Ahrimanes

Etymology

From Persian اهریمن‎ (ahriman), from Middle Persian 𐭠𐭧𐭫𐭬𐭭𐭩‎ (ʾḥlmny /ahreman/), from Avestan 𐬀𐬢𐬭𐬀⸱𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬎‎ (aŋra.maⁱniiu), compound of 𐬀𐬢𐬭𐬀‎ (aŋra, “destruction, destructive”) and 𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬎‎ (maⁱniiu, “spirit, mind, essence, emanation etc.”). Definable through the antithetical 𐬀𐬨𐬆𐬱𐬀⸱𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬎‎ (aməša.maⁱniiu, “bounteous spirit”). Doublet of Angra Mainyu.

Proper noun

Ahriman

1. The hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism.
   • 1879, Viktor Rydberg, “The Magic of the People and the Struggle of the Church against It”, in August Hjalmar Edgren, transl., The Magic of the Middle Ages: Translated from the Swedish, New York, N.Y.: Henry Holt and Company, OCLC 3814209, page 201:

     [A]midst Ahriman and his hosts who had now established themselves in the Occident, and as heirs to the horns and tails of Pans and fauns, a crowd of native spirits moved; imps, giants, trolls, forest-spirits, elves and hobgoblins in and on the earth; nicks, river-sprites in the water, fiends in the air, and salamanders in the fire.

Derived terms

• Ahrimanic

Related terms

• Angra Mainyu
• Arimanius

Translations

the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism

Armenian: Ահրիման (hy) (Ahriman), Արհմն (Arhmn) Old Armenian: Արհմն (Arhmn) Chinese: Mandarin: 安格拉·曼纽 (āngélā mànniǔ) Georgian: აჰრიმანი (ahrimani), არიმანი (arimani) Hebrew: אנגרה מניו‎ (An'g'rá Mein'yú) Japanese: アンラ・マンユ (ja) (Anra Manyu) Korean: 앙그라 마이뉴 (Anggeura Mainyu) Middle Persian: 𐭠𐭧𐭫𐭬𐭭𐭩‎ (ʾḥlmny /ahreman/), [script needed] (ʾhlmn' /ahreman/) Persian: اهریمن‎ (fa) (Ahriman) Polish: Aryman m Portuguese: Arimã, Arimane Russian: Арима́н (ru) m (Arimán) Spanish: Ahrimán m Turkish: Ehrimen Urdu: اہرمان‎ (ahrimān), اہرمن‎ (ahriman)

Anagrams

• Hariman, Rahmani, Rainham, manhair