The Orion, or Researches into the Antiquity of the Vedas c10.60

c10.60

point, would come to be regarded as the supreme ruler of the gods, while Aryaman would be the king of the evil spirits. Therefore we may suppose that the names Ahura Mazda and Ahriman, if not actually derived from these words, were, at least modelled after them. Amongst the names of the Vedic deities Ahir Budhnya is the only word, both the component members of which, are declined as in Ahura Mazda. Spent Mainyus and Anghra-Mainyus is a distinct pair by itself; and besides the difficulty of deriving Ahriman from Anghra Mainyus, there seems to be no reason why Ahriman, if so derived, should be contrasted with Ahura Mazda. (*See* I Hil. Mazd. Relig. by Casartelli, trans. by F. J. Dastur Jamasp Asa, §§ 71, 72, pp. 54-6.) Parsi mythology has another deity named Airyaman, and as this word is derived from Sanskrit Aryaman, it may be objected that same word cannot be said to have also given the name for the evil spirit. I do not think that the objection is well founded. Cf. Andra (Sk. Indra and Verethraghna (Sk. Vritrahan) both of which are the names of the same deity in Sanskrit, but one of which has become an evil spirit in the Avesta. But I cannot fully discuss the subject in a note, and not being pertinent to my case, I cannot also do more than merely record here an explanation that may possibly be suggested.