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Mythos Atlas · Printable worksheet

Persian (Iranian) Tradition

Ancient Iranian: Avestan and Zoroastrian religion, the Achaemenid and Sasanian empires, and the Persian epic tradition

Name Date

1. Who's who

Write the letter of each figure's role next to their name.

  1. 1.Ahura Mazda
  2. 2.Angra Mainyu
  3. 3.Anahita
  4. 4.Mithra
  5. 5.Atar
  6. 6.Tishtrya
  7. 7.Verethragna
  8. 8.Yima
  • A.rain, the star Sirius, fertility of the land
  • B.contracts and oaths, truth, the light of dawn
  • C.the waters, fertility and birth, purity
  • D.victory, strength, protection in battle
  • E.destruction, the lie (druj), death
  • F.fire, truth, ritual purity
  • G.kingship, the golden age, preservation of life
  • H.creation, wisdom, truth (asha)

2. Family and relationships

Fill in each blank with a name from the word bank.

Word bank: Ahura Mazda · Zurvan

  1. 1. is a parent of Spenta Armaiti.
  2. 2. is a parent of Atar.
  3. 3. is a parent of Ahura Mazda.
  4. 4. is a sibling of Angra Mainyu.
  5. 5. is a parent of Angra Mainyu.

3. Short answers

  1. 1. What was Ahura Mazda associated with, and which symbols help you recognise Ahura Mazda?

  2. 2. What was Angra Mainyu associated with, and which symbols help you recognise Angra Mainyu?

  3. 3. Retell “Ohrmazd and Ahriman: The Two Spirits and the Assault on Creation” in two or three sentences. Who is involved, and what changes by the end?

  4. 4. Retell “Tishtrya and the Demon of Drought” in two or three sentences. Who is involved, and what changes by the end?

Answer key: Persian (Iranian) Tradition

1. Who's who

  1. 1. Ahura Mazda: H
  2. 2. Angra Mainyu: E
  3. 3. Anahita: C
  4. 4. Mithra: B
  5. 5. Atar: F
  6. 6. Tishtrya: A
  7. 7. Verethragna: D
  8. 8. Yima: G

2. Family and relationships

  1. 1. Ahura Mazda
  2. 2. Ahura Mazda
  3. 3. Zurvan
  4. 4. Ahura Mazda
  5. 5. Zurvan

3. Short answers (guidance)

  1. 1. creation, wisdom, truth (asha). Symbols: fire, light, the sky. (mythosatlas.com/deities/ahura-mazda)
  2. 2. destruction, the lie (druj), death. Symbols: darkness, noxious creatures (khrafstra), winter. (mythosatlas.com/deities/angra-mainyu)
  3. 3. From the Gathas' two primal spirits and the choice between truth and the lie to the Bundahishn's cosmic drama: Ohrmazd in light and Ahriman in darkness, a created world attacked and corrupted, and the promise of its final renewal. (mythosatlas.com/stories/ohrmazd-and-ahriman)
  4. 4. The star Sirius descends to the cosmic sea as a white horse to release the rains, but the black horse of drought, Apaosha, defeats him; only when he is worshipped by his own name does Tishtrya return in strength, drive Apaosha away, and send the rain across the world. (mythosatlas.com/stories/tishtrya-and-apaosha)

Generated from the Mythos Atlas catalog. Traditions vary between sources; accept well-supported alternatives.