AESMA DAEVA

AESMA DAEVA. — Among the Persians, Aesma Daeva is the spirit of wrath and contention, and his constant epithet is "of the bloodstained club." He is given to drunkenness, from which he draws part of his strength. Most of the evils that afflict creatures are to be attributed to him, and the death and misfortunes of the mythical Iranian kings are likewise the work of his hand (Bundahišn, 28, 17). Against his terrifying incursions, men turn for help to Sraoša, who is his most formidable enemy and knows how to curb his rage (Yasna, 57, 25). His name already appears in the ancient hymns, the Gāthās: the daevas (demons) invoke his aid to destroy human life (Yasna, 30, 6), and even domestic animals, especially the cow, suffer greatly from his activity (Yasna, 44, 20). At the end of the world, he will be defeated and overthrown by the Saoshyant (Bundahišn, 30, 28).