Ahriman

See also: Ahrimán

English

Alternative forms

• Ariman, Ahirman, Ahrimen, Ahrimanes

Etymology

Derived from Classical Persian اَهْریمَن (ahrēman) or Iranian Persian اَهْریمَن (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
• Arimanes
• Arimanius

Translations

the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism

• Arabic: أَهْرِيمَان m (ʔahrīmān)
• Armenian: Ահրիման (hy) (Ahriman), Արհմն (Arhmn)

  Old Armenian: Արհմն (Arhmn)

• Azerbaijani: Əhrimən, Anqra Manyu
• Bulgarian: Арима́н m (Arimán), Ахрима́н m (Ahrimán)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 安哥拉·曼紐／安哥拉·曼纽 (āngélā mànniǔ), 阿里曼 (Ālǐmàn)

• Georgian: აჰრიმანი (ahrimani), არიმანი (arimani)
• Hebrew: אנגרה מניו (an'g'rá mein'yú)
• Japanese: アンラ・マンユ (ja) (Anra Manyu), アフリマン (Afuriman), アーリマン (Āriman)
• Korean: 앙그라 마이뉴 (Anggeura Mainyu), 아흐리만 (Aheuriman)
• Middle Persian: 𐭠𐭧𐭫𐭬𐭭𐭩 (ʾḥlmny /⁠ahreman⁠/), [script needed] (ʾhlmn' /⁠ahreman⁠/)
• Persian:

  Classical Persian: اَهْریمَن (fa) (ahrēman)

  Iranian Persian: اَهْریمَن (fa) (ahriman)

• Polish: Aryman m
• Portuguese: Arimã m, Arimane m
• Russian: Арима́н (ru) m (Arimán), А́нгра-Ма́йнью m (Ángra-Májnʹju)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: А̏хриман m

  Roman: Ȁhriman (sh) m

• Spanish: Ahrimán m
• Tajik: Аҳриман (Ahriman)
• Turkish: Ehrimen
• Urdu: اَہْرِمان m (ahrimān), اَہْرِمَن m (ahriman), اَہْرِیمَن m (ahrīman)

Anagrams

• Hariman, Rahmani, Rainham, manhair