inertia the spirit of destruction and of pain, Angrô-mainyus. The heaven
was not yet in existence, nor the waters, nor the earth, nor ox, nor
fire, nor man, nor demons, nor brute beasts, nor any living thing, when
the evil spirit hurled himself upon the light to quench it for ever,
but Ahura-mazdâ had already called forth the ministers of his
will--Amêsha-spentas, Yazatas, Fravashis--and he recited the prayer of
twenty-one words in which all the elements of morality are summed up,
the Ahuna-vairya: "The will of the Lord is the rule of good. Let the
gifts of Vohu-manô be bestowed on the works accomplished, at this
moment, for Mazda. He makes Ahura to reign, he who protects the poor."
The effect of this prayer was irresistible: "When Ahura had pronounced
the first part of the formula, Zânak Mînoî, the spirit of destruction,
bowed himself with terror; at the second part he fell upon his knees;
and at the third and last he felt himself powerless to hurt the
creatures of Ahura-mazdâ."*

* Theopompus was already aware of this alternation of good
and bad periods. According to the tradition enshrined in the
first chapter of the Bundehesh, it was the result of a sort
of compact agreed upon at the beginning by Ahura-mazdâ and
Angrô-mainyus. Ahura-mazdâ, rearing to be overcome if he
entered upon the struggle immediately, but sure of final
victory if he could gain time, proposed to his adversary a
truce of nine thousand years, at the expiration of which the
battle should begin. As soon as the compact was made, Angrô-
mainyus realised that he had been tricked into taking a
false step, but it was not till after three thousand years
that he decided to break the truce and open the conflict.

The strife, kindled at the beginning of time between the two gods, has