Demons & Divs: Forces of Chaos

The Nature of Evil

In Persian cosmology, evil is not merely the absence of good but an active, destructive force. The demons (daeva in Avestan, div in Persian) are the soldiers and manifestations of Angra Mainyu (Ahriman), the spirit of destruction who opposes all creation.

Angra Mainyu (اهریمن / Ahriman)

The Destructive Spirit

Titles: Ahriman, Angra Mainyu, The Lie, The Destroyer
Nature: The supreme evil entity, eternal opponent of Ahura Mazda
Domain: Destruction, lies, death, chaos, suffering

Angra Mainyu is not a creation but a fundamental reality of evil—existing in opposition to all good. Where Ahura Mazda creates, Ahriman destroys. Where truth builds, the Lie corrupts. He is blind, ignorant, and motivated purely by spite and negation.

His Nature:

• Not omnipotent, but immensely powerful
• Cannot create, only pervert and destroy
• Opposed by his own limitations (ignorance, lack of wisdom)
• Will be defeated at the Final Renovation (Frashokereti)

His Acts of Counter-Creation:

• When Ahura Mazda created the world, Ahriman created winter
• Against helpful animals, he made pests and predators
• Against health, he created disease
• Against truth, he created the Lie (Druj)
• Against each good principle, a corresponding demon

The Major Demons (Arch-Demons)

The Six Arch-Demons (Against the Amesha Spentas)

Ako Manah (Bad Mind)

Opposes: Vohu Manah (Good Mind)
Nature: The demon of evil thoughts, wickedness in planning, and destructive intent. He turns the mind toward cruelty and selfishness.

Druj (The Lie)

Opposes: Asha (Truth)
Also Known As: Drug, Druj Nasu
Nature: The personification of lies, chaos, and disorder. Druj corrupts truth, breaks cosmic order, and spreads pollution. Often appears as female demons who embody specific lies or corruptions. The corpse-demon Nasu is a manifestation of Druj.

Dushhshathra (Evil Dominion)

Opposes: Khshathra Vairya (Good Dominion)
Nature: The demon of tyranny, oppression, and abuse of power. He corrupts rulers and turns authority into cruelty.

Taromaiti (False Devotion)

Opposes: Spenta Armaiti (Holy Devotion)
Also Known As: Naonghaithya
Nature: The demon of pride, scorn, and false religious devotion. She makes people arrogant and contemptuous of the divine.

Taurvi (Thirst) & Zairicha (Poison)

Oppose: Haurvatat (Wholeness) and Ameretat (Immortality)
Nature: Twin demons. Taurvi brings disease, drought, and dehydration. Zairicha brings poison, aging, and death. Together they oppose health and life itself.

Major Named Demons

Aeshma (اَیَشمَه)

Domain: Wrath, rage, violence
Nature: The demon of fury and murderous rage. Aeshma drives people to violence, incites wars, and delights in bloodshed. He is one of the most dangerous demons, as he possesses warriors and turns them into berserkers. He opposes Sraosha (obedience and peace).

Az (آز)

Domain: Greed, avarice, insatiable hunger
Nature: The demon of greed and voracity. Az is never satisfied—she drives people to gluttony, hoarding, and consuming beyond need. She fed Zahhak's serpents and represents the endless hunger that corrupts souls.

Apaosha (آپوش دیو)

Domain: Drought, famine
Nature: The demon of drought. Appears as a black horse opposing Tishtrya (the rain-bringer, who appears as a white horse). Their annual battle determines whether rain will come. When Apaosha wins, drought and famine follow.

Azi Dahaka (Zahhak)

Also Known As: Zahhak, Zohak, Dahak
Form: Three-headed dragon or man with serpents from shoulders
Nature: One of the most famous demons. Originally a human king (Zahhak) who was corrupted by Ahriman's kiss, causing two serpents to grow from his shoulders. These serpents demanded human brains as food. Zahhak ruled with tyranny for a thousand years until defeated by Fereydun. He is chained in Mount Damavand, waiting to break free at the end of times.

Bushyasta (بوشیاست / Bushasb)

Domain: Sloth, laziness, oversleeping
Nature: The long-handed demon of lethargy. Bushyasta causes people to oversleep, miss prayers, and neglect their duties. She is especially active in the morning, trying to prevent people from rising for dawn prayers. Her long arms reach across the world to induce laziness.

Vizarsh (ویزرش دیو)

Domain: Unnatural death, body corruption
Nature: A demon associated with death, particularly unnatural or violent death. Works to corrupt and defile corpses.

Ashmoogh (آشموغ)

Domain: Stone-like paralysis, hardening
Nature: A demon that causes things to become rigid, hard, and immobile. Associated with physical and spiritual paralysis.

The Epic Divs (From Shahnameh)

These demons appear in the Persian epic, the Shahnameh, as formidable opponents of heroes:

Div-e Sepid (دیو سپید / White Demon)

Story: Dwelt in Mazandaran, chief of demons there. Blinded King Kavus and his army. Defeated by Rostam in his Seven Labors.
Nature: Immensely powerful, mountain-sized. His liver was the only cure for the king's blindness. Represents the seemingly impossible challenge that tests heroic virtue.

Akvan Div (اکوان دیو)

Also Known As: Akvan the Onager
Story: Plagued King Kavus's land, appearing as a wild onager (donkey). Rostam hunted him but was tricked—Akvan lifted sleeping Rostam on a rock and asked whether he preferred to be thrown to the sky or the sea. Rostam (knowing the demon would do the opposite) said the sky, so Akvan threw him into the sea—where Rostam survived and later defeated the demon.
Nature: Clever and powerful. Shapeshifter. Teaches that even demons can be outwitted.

Arzhang Div (ارژنگ دیو)

Story: One of the powerful divs defeated by Persian heroes. Known for his size and strength.
Nature: Represents brute force that must be overcome by heroic courage.

Fulad-zereh (فولاد زره / Steel Armor)

Story: A demon knight with impenetrable armor of steel. Only vulnerable in the eyes. Defeated by Esfandiyar.
Nature: Represents the enemy that seems invulnerable but has a hidden weakness.

Lesser Demons & Specialized Daevas

Druj Nasu (Corpse Demon)

A female demon who rushes to corpses the moment death occurs. She brings corruption and pollution. To prevent her influence, corpses must be protected and disposed of properly (traditionally by exposure to scavenger birds).

Jahi (جهی)

The demon-harlot, representing lust and sexual corruption. She seduced righteous men and spread defilement. Associated with menstrual pollution in later tradition.

Pairaka (پریکا / Peri)

Originally evil female demons who caused misfortune, later evolving into the more neutral "peri" (fairies) of Persian folklore. In earlier tradition, they were shooting stars—demons falling from heaven.

Demon Categories & Types

By Function

• Deceivers: Druj and her manifestations
• Destroyers: Dragons, storm demons, demons of violence
• Corruptors: Demons that seduce, tempt, and gradually corrupt
• Disease-Bringers: Demons of specific illnesses and plagues
• Obstacles: Demons that block prayers, prevent good deeds, hinder righteousness

By Form

• Humanoid: Appear roughly human but wrong in subtle or obvious ways
• Bestial: Animal-like demons (black horses, serpents, wolves)
• Draconic: Dragon and serpent forms, especially Azi
• Composite: Mixed forms (human body, animal head, etc.)
• Formless: Influences, curses, abstract evils without physical form

How Demons Operate

Corruption Methods

• Direct Assault: Physical attacks on righteous people
• Temptation: Offering power, wealth, forbidden knowledge
• Deception: Appearing helpful, disguising evil as good
• Gradual Erosion: Small sins leading to greater ones
• Despair: Making virtue seem hopeless, evil seem inevitable

Demon Vulnerabilities

• Truth: Speaking Asha weakens them
• Fire: Sacred fire repels demons
• Prayer: Proper prayers, especially at prescribed times
• Dawn: Demons fear the coming light
• Righteous Action: Good deeds directly oppose their power
• Divine Names: Invoking yazatas and Ahura Mazda
• Community: Demons fear the righteous gathered together

The Demon Army

Persian texts describe Ahriman's forces as vast armies. Some accounts number them at:

• Countless lesser demons for every named arch-demon
• Specific demons for specific sins and corruptions
• Regional demons attached to particular places
• Demons opposing each good quality (a demon for each virtue)

The Ultimate Fate

According to Zoroastrian eschatology, demons are not eternal:

• The Final Battle: At the end of time, Saoshyant (the savior) leads forces of good
• The Renovation: All evil is purged in molten metal
• Destruction of Ahriman: The Destructive Spirit is finally destroyed
• Purification: Even some demons may be purified and redeemed
• Paradise Restored: Creation returns to perfect original state