The adversary of the Ordered cosmos is the cosmic Deception, or Lie (Avestan drug, Old Persian drauga). Descriptions of various aspects or manifestations of the Lie found in the texts help define it. The origin of the Lie is not stated explicitly, but it must have come into “existence” the first time somebody thought or uttered the proposition that Ahura Mazdâ’s Order is not the true Order. It must therefore “logically” have happened after the establishment of the first Ordered cosmos, that is, during the first state, causing its “sickening” and “destruction.” It is tempting to identify this first Lie with the choice of the daêwas described in 1.30.6. The domain of the Evil Spirit was ruled by the principle of Deception (druj), by which one may be confused as to the true nature of the world and fail to make the right choices about whom to ally oneself with: the forces of good or those of evil. According to the Old Avesta, this is what happened to the old gods, the daêwas, who were confused and made the wrong choices (1.30.6), and, according to Darius’s inscriptions, this was also what happened to his political adversaries (e.g., DB 4.33-36). Zoroastrianism shares with the Old Indic religion this concept of cosmic Order, which regularly has to be re-established with the help of sacrifices performed by humans (Source: Introduction to Zoroastrianism).
Ancient Culture of Iran: Cultural Grounding
