Persia · Bundahishn, chapters 3–4

Ahriman breaks through the sky

EvidenceDocumentedThe text exists and is quoted from a published translation. What it describes is a separate question.What this means

ReferenceBundahishn, chapters 3–4

Writtenc. 800–900 CE from older Zoroastrian tradition

SetThe first attack on creation

The evil spirit Ahriman attacks creation from outside. He pierces the sky, leaps in like a snake, and spreads darkness and poison. The first man, Gayomard, and the first ox die, and from their seed come humans and animals.

Summary by the editors. Translation: Summary (West, 1880, is the public-domain translation)

Read it literally

An invader breaching the sky from outside, and humans grown from the remains of the first man.

What scholars say

Middle Persian text preserving older ideas.

From the sky Council of gods

Quick answers about Bundahishn, chapters 3–4

Where is Bundahishn, chapters 3–4 found?

Bundahishn, chapters 3–4 (Persia). Translation quoted: E. W. West, Pahlavi Texts Part I (Bundahishn), SBE 5 (1880).

When was Bundahishn, chapters 3–4 written?

c. 800–900 CE from older Zoroastrian tradition.

What do scholars say about Bundahishn, chapters 3–4?