AESMA DAEVA. - Among the Persians he is the spirit of wrath and strife, and has as his constant epithet "of the bloody club." He is given over to drunkenness, from which he draws part of his strength. Most of the evils that torment creatures are to be attributed to him, and the death and misfortunes of the mythical

Iranian kings are likewise due to his work (Bundahišn, 28, 17). Against his dreadful incursions men turn for help to Sraoša, who is his most fearsome enemy and knows how to subdue his rage (Yasna, 57, 25). His name already appears in the ancient hymns, the Gāthā: the devas (devils) appeal for his help to destroy the life of men (Yasna, 30, 6); and domestic animals too, especially the cow, have much to suffer from his activity (Yasna, 44, 20). At the end of the world he will be defeated and struck down by the Saushyant (Bundahišn, 30, 28).

Bibliography2 works

BIBL.: J. H. Moulton, Early Zoroastrianism, London 1913; R. Pettazzoni, La religione di Zarathustra, Bologna 1920.

Giuseppe Messina

@incollection{ec1_aesma_daeva, author = {Messina, Giuseppe}, title = {Aesma Daeva}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {I}, pages = {358--359}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1948}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/aesma-daeva} }

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