| Ahriman | |
|---|---|
Spirit of evil, chaos, destruction, daevas | |
 The Middle Persian word ʾhlmn' (Ahreman) in Book Pahlavi script. The word is traditionally always written upside-down. | |
| Affiliation | Zoroastrianism |
| Region | Greater Iran |
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Angra Mainyu (/ˈæŋrə ˈmaɪnjuː/; Avestan: 𐬀𐬢𐬭𐬀⸱𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬎, romanized: Aŋra Mainiiu) or Ahriman (Persian: اهريمن) is the Avestan name of Zoroastrianism's hypostasis of the "destructive/evil spirit" and the main adversary in Zoroastrianism either of the Spenta Mainyu, the "holy/creative spirits/mentality", or directly of Ahura Mazda, the highest deity of Zoroastrianism. The Middle Persian equivalent is Ahriman 𐭠𐭧𐭫𐭬𐭭𐭩 (anglicised pronunciation: /ˈɑːrɪmən/). The name can appear in English-language works as Ahrimanes.[1]
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For example:
Cobbe, Frances Power (1865). "The Sacred Books of the Zoroastrians". Studies New and Old of Ethical and Social Subjects. London: Trubner & Company. p. 131. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
That the old Zoroastrian could daily say, 'May Ahura Mazda increase ! Broken be the power of Ahrimanes!' is no small evidence how far on the right way his faith had led him.