The Persian system was further tainted with idolatry in respect of the worship of Mithra, and possibly of Vohu-mano (Batman), and of Amerdat; but on the whole, and especially as compared with other Oriental cults, the religion, even of the later Zoroastrians, must be regarded as retaining a non-materialistic and anti-idolatrous character, which elevated it above other neighboring religions, above Brahminism on the one hand and Syro-Chaldaean nature-worship on the other.

In the kingdom of Darkness, the principal powers, besides Ahriman, were Ako-mano, Indra, Qaurva, Naonhaitya, Taric, and Zaric.  These six together formed the Council of the Evil One, as the six Amshashpands formed the council of Ormazd.  Ako-mano, “the bad mind,” or (literally) “the naught mind,” was set over against Vohu-mano, “the good mind,” and was Ahriman’s Grand Vizier.  His special sphere was the mind of man, where he suggested evil thoughts, and prompted to bad words and wicked deeds.  Indra, identical with the Vedic deity, but made a demon by the Zoroastrians, presided over storm and tempest, and governed the issues of war and battle.  Qaurva and Naonhaitya were also Vedic deities turned into devils.  It is difficult to assign them any distinct sphere.  Taric and Zaric, “Darkness” and “Poison,” had no doubt occupations corresponding with their names.  Besides these chief demons, a countless host of evil genii (divs) and fairies (pairicas) awaited the orders and executed the behests of Ahriman.

Placed between the two contending worlds of good and evil, man’s position was one of extreme danger and difficulty.  Originally set upon the earth by Ormazd in order to maintain the good creation, he was liable to the continual temptations and seductions of the divs or devas, who were “wicked, bad, false, untrue, the originators of mischief, most baneful, destructive, the basest of all things.”  A single act of sin gave them a hold upon him, and each subsequent act increased their power, until ultimately he became their mere tool and slave.  It was however possible to resist temptation, to cling to the side of right, to defy and overcome the deltas.  Man might maintain his uprightness, walk in the path of duty, and by the help of the asuras, or “good spirits,” attain to a blissful paradise.

To arrive at this result, man had carefully to observe three principal duties.  These were worship, agriculture, and purity.  Worship consisted in the acknowledgment of the One True God, Ormazd, and of his Holy Angels, the Amesha Spentas or Amshashpands, in the frequent offering of prayers, praises, and thanksgivings, in the recitation of set hymns, the performance of a certain ceremony called the Homa, and in the occasional sacrifice of animals.  The set hymns form a large portion of the Zendavesta, where they occur in the shape of Gathas, or Yashts, sometimes possessing considerable beauty.  They are sometimes general, addressed to Ormazd and the Amesha Spentas in common, sometimes