Ahriman

See also: Ahrimán

English

Alternative forms

• Ariman, Ahirman, Ahrimen, Ahrimanes

Etymology

From Persian اهریمن (ahriman), from Middle Persian 𐭠𐭧𐭫𐭬𐭭𐭩 (ʾḥlmny /⁠ahreman⁠/), from Avestan 𐬀𐬢𐬭𐬀⸱𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬎 (aŋra.maⁱniiu), compound of 𐬀𐬢𐬭𐬀 (aŋra, “destruction, destructive”) and 𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬎 (maⁱniiu, “spirit, mind, essence, emanation etc.”). Definable through the antithetical 𐬀𐬨𐬆𐬱𐬀⸱𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬎 (aməša.maⁱniiu, “bounteous spirit”). Doublet of Angra Mainyu.

Proper noun

Ahriman

1. The hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism.
   • 1879, Viktor Rydberg, “The Magic of the People and the Struggle of the Church against It”, in August Hjalmar Edgren, transl., The Magic of the Middle Ages: Translated from the Swedish, New York, N.Y.: Henry Holt and Company, →OCLC, page 201:

     [A]midst Ahriman and his hosts who had now established themselves in the Occident, and as heirs to the horns and tails of Pans and fauns, a crowd of native spirits moved; imps, giants, trolls, forest-spirits, elves and hobgoblins in and on the earth; nicks, river-sprites in the water, fiends in the air, and salamanders in the fire.

Derived terms

• Ahrimanic

Related terms

• Angra Mainyu
• Arimanius

Translations

the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism

• Armenian: Ահրիման (hy) (Ahriman), Արհմն (Arhmn)

  Old Armenian: Արհմն (Arhmn)

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 安格拉·曼纽 (āngélā mànniǔ)

• Georgian: აჰრიმანი (ahrimani), არიმანი (arimani)
• Hebrew: אנגרה מניו (An'g'rá Mein'yú)
• Japanese: アンラ・マンユ (ja) (Anra Manyu)
• Korean: 앙그라 마이뉴 (Anggeura Mainyu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Middle Persian: 𐭠𐭧𐭫𐭬𐭭𐭩 (ʾḥlmny /⁠ahreman⁠/), [script needed] (ʾhlmn' /⁠ahreman⁠/)
• Persian: اهریمن (fa) (Ahriman)
• Polish: Aryman m
• Portuguese: Arimã, Arimane
• Russian: Арима́н (ru) m (Arimán)
• Spanish: Ahrimán m
• Turkish: Ehrimen
• Urdu: اہرمان (ahrimān), اہرمن (ahriman)

Anagrams

• Hariman, Rahmani, Rainham, manhair