1 A corruption of the Av. gaokerena of Vend. XX, 17, Afthar- mazd Yt. 30, Haptén Yt. 3, Sir6éz. 7. In the old MSS. of the Bundahis the form gdékard occurs thrice, gOkarn once, and gogrv once.
* Reading gil, ‘mud. Windischmann and Justi prefer gar, ‘mountain,’ and have ‘ depth of the mountain.’
$ That the writer of the Bundahis applies the term vazagh toa lizard, rather than a frog, appears from the ‘log-like lizard’s body’ of Chap. ILI, 9.
* That is, the Gdkard tree, which is the white Hom (see Chap. XXVII, 4).
5 The Av. karé masy6 of Vend. XIX, 140, Bahram Yt. 29, Din Yt. 7; see also Chap. XXIV, 13.
6 Windischmann and Justi prefer translating thus: ‘ Moreover, the lizard is the spiritual food of those fish ;’ but this can hardly be reconciled with the Pahlavi text.
66 BUNDAIIIS.
written of as ‘the Ariz! of the water;’ as it says
that the greatest of the creatures of Atharmazd
is that fish, and the greatest of those procecding
from the evil spirit is that lizard; with the jaws
of their bodies, moreover, they snap in two what-
ever of the creatures of both sfzrzts Aas entered
between them, except that one fish which is the
Vas of Pansdsadvaran?. 6. This, too, is said, that
those fish are so serpent-like* in that deep water,
they know the scratch (m4lisn) of a needle’s point
by which the water shall increase, or by which it
is diminishing.
7. Regarding the Vas of Panfdsadvaran it is
declared that it moves within the wide-formed
ocean, and its length is as much as what a man,
while in a swift race, will walk /fvom dawn till
when the sun goes down; so much that it does
not itself move* the length of the whole of its
great body. 8. This, too, is said, that the crea-
tures of the waters live also specially wzder its
guardianship.
9. The tree of many seeds has grown amid the
wide-formed ocean, and in its seed are all plants ;
some say ?/ 7s the proper-curing, some the energetic-
curing, some the all-curing °.
* See Chaps. XIV, 26, and XXIV, 13. The Av. vasim yiin pavksdsadvarim of Yas. XLI, 27.
* Transcribing the Piz. maraidu into Pahlavi we have mar dyin, ‘snake’s manner.’ Compare the text with Bahrém Yt. 29.
* K2o omits the words from ‘walk’ to ‘ move.’
* This is the tree of the saéna or Simurgh, as described ‘in Rashinu Yt. 17, and these three epithets are translations of its three titles, hubis, credhw6-bis, and visp6-bis. Seevalso Chap.
? ’ A Se ane
Chapter Xviii, 6—Xix, I. 67
10. Between’ these trees of such kinds? is formed
the mountain with cavities, 9999 thousand myriads
wz number, each myriad being ten thousand.
11. Unto that mountain is given the protection
of the waters, so that water streams forth from
there, in the rivulet channels, to the land of the
seven regions, as the source of all the sea-water in
the land of the seven regions is from there’,
CHAPTER XIX.
r. Regarding the three-legged ass* they say, that
it stands amid the wide-formed ocean, and its feet
are three, eyes six, mouths® nine, ears two, and horn
* This must have been the original meaning of the Huz. dén (bén in the Sasanian inscriptions) before it was used as a synonym of Piz. andar, ‘ within.” The mountain is between the white-Hém tree and the tree of many seeds.
* Transcribing the Paz. ofnoh into Pahlavi we have 4n-gfinak, ‘that kind ;’ or the word may be a miswriting of Paz. n6, ‘there.’
* This description of the mountain seems to identify it with the Afisindém mountain of Chaps. XII, 6, and XIII, 5.
* The Av. khara, ‘which is righteous amd which stands in the middle of the wide-shored ocean’ (Yas. XLI, 28). Darmesteter. in his Ormazd et Ahriman (pp. 148-151), considers this mytho- logical monster as a meteorological myth, a personification of clouds and storm; and, no doubt, a vivid imagination may trace a striking resemblance between some of the monster's attributes and certain fanciful ideas regarding the phenomena of nature; the difficulty is to account for the remaining attributes, and to be sure that these fanciful ideas were really held by Mazdayasnians of old. Another plausible view is to consider such mythological beings as foreign gods tolerated by the priesthood, from politic motives, as objects worthy of reverence; even as the goddess Anéhita was iolerated in the form of the angel of water.
5 This is the traditional meaning of the word, which (if this
68 BUNDAIILIS.
one, body white, food spiritual, axd it is righteous.
2. And two of its six eyes are in the position of
eyes, two on the top of the head, and two in the
position of the hump'; with the sharpness of those
six eyes it overcomes avd destroys. 3. Of the nine
mouths three are in the head, three in the hump,
and three in the inner part of the flanks; and each
mouth is about the size of a cottage, and 2¢ zs itself
as large as Mount Alvand*. 4. Each one of the
three feet, when it is placed on the ground, is as
much as a flock (gird) of a thousand sheep comes
under when they repose together; asd each pas-
tern® is so great in its circuit that a thousand men
with a thousand horses may pass inside. 5. As for
the two ears z¢ zs Mazendaran which they will en-
compass. 6. The one horn is as it were of gold
and hollow, and a thousand érvanch horns* have
grown upon it, some befitting > a camel, some be-
fitting a horse, some befitting an ox, some befitting
an ass, both great and small. 7. With that horn it
will vanquish axd dissipate all the vile corruption
due to the efforts of noxious creatures.
meaning be correct) ought probably to be read yéng, and be traced to Av. eeaungh (Yas. XXVIII, 11). In the MSS. the word is marked as if it were pronounced gfind, which means ‘a testicle.’
' The hump is probably supposed to be over the shoulders, as in the Indian ox, and not like that of the camel.
* Near Hamadan, rising 11,000 feet above the sea, or 6000 above Hamadin. It may be one of the Av. Aurvamtdé of Zamyad Yt. 3. The Pazand MSS. read Hunavand.
* Literally, ‘ the small of the foot,’ khfirdak-i ragelman.
* Or, ‘a thousand cavities (sribé, Pers. surub, ‘cavern’) have grown in it,’
* Reading ziyak; compare Pers. ziyfdan, ‘to suit, befit.’
Chapter Xix, 2-13. 69
8. When that ass shall hold ¢/s neck in the ocean
zts ears will terrify (asahméd), and all the water
of the wide-formed ocean will shake with agitation,
and the side of Ganavad' will tremble (shivanéd).
9. When it utters a cry all female water-creatures,
of the creatures of Adharmazd, will become preg-
nant; and all pregnant noxious water-creatures,
when they hear that cry, will cast ¢heir young.
10. When it stales in the ocean all the sea-water
will become purified, which is in the seven regions
of the earth—z¢ zs even on that account when all
asses which come into water stale in the water—as
it says thus: ‘If, O three-legged ass! you were not
created for the water, all the water in the sea would
have perished from the contamination which the
poison of the evil spirit has brought into its water,
through the death of the creatures of Adharmazd.’
11. Tistar seizes the water® more completely from
the ocean with the assistance of the three-legged
ass. 12. Of ambergris also (ambar-i4) 7 is de-
clared, that it is the dung of the three-legged ass;
for if it has much spirit food, then also the moisture
of the liquid nourishment goes through the veins
pertaining to the body into the urine, avd the dung
is cast away.
13. Of the ox Hadhayés*, which they call Sar-
saok‘, it says, that in the original creation men
passed from region to region upon zt, and in the
1 A mountain (see Chap. XII, 29, 34).
2 See Chap. VII, rr.
$ Written Hadaydvs in the MSS. in Chap. XXX, 25, and Ha-
dhayais in the D&distén-i Dinik, Part II, reply 89; it is a Pazand
reading in all three places.
* See Chaps. XV, 27, XVII, 4.
70 BUNDAHIS.
renovation of the universe they prepare Hfash (the
beverage producing immortality) from it. 14. It is
said, that life is in the hand of that foremost man, at
the end of Azs years, who has constructed the most
defences around this earth, until the renovation of
the universe is requisite.
15. Regarding the bird Aamrés?* it says, that 2
7s on the summit of Mount Albfirz; and every three
years many come from the non-Iranian districts for
booty (gird) *, by going to bring damage (ziyaa) on
the Iranian districts, and to effect the devastation of
the world; then the angel Barg*, Aavzng come up
from the low country of Lake Arag*®, arouses that
very bird Aamroés, and it flies upon the loftiest of
all the lofty mountains, azd picks up all those non-
Iranian districts as a bird does corn.
16. Regarding Karsipt* they say, that it knew
how to speak words, avd brought the religion to
the enclosure which Yim made, and circulated 7¢ ;
there they utter the Avesta in the language of
birds.
' Transcribing the Paz. svadyi into Pahlavi we have snatth, ‘term of years.’ The whole sentence is very obscure.
* Written Xamrés in Chap. XXIV, 29. It is the Av. Xamraos (gen. of Xamru) of Fravardin Yt. rog. See also Chap. XXVII, 3.
* Or, ‘to an assembly.’
* The Av. Beregya of Yas. I, 21, II, 27, ITI, 35, ‘a spirit co- operating with the Ushahina Gah, who causes the increase of herds and corn.’
* Or, ‘of the district of Arag’ (see the note on Chap. XII, 23). Although no Lake Arag is described in Chap. XXII, some of the epithets referring to its Avesta equivalent Rangha are more appli- cable to a lake than to a river, as in Bahrém Yt. 29. Possibly the low lands between the Caspian and Aral, or on the shores of the Caspian, are meant.
* The Av. vis karsipta of Vend. II, 139, where, however, vis
Chapter Xix, 14-23. 7?
oe ee ee
17. Regarding the ox-fish they say, that it exists
in all seas; when it utters a cry all fish become
pregnant, and all noxious water-creatures cast (herr
young,
18. The griffon bird’, which is a bat, is noticed (kard) twice in another chapter (baba).
19. Regarding the bird Ashézust *, which is the
bird Zobara*-vahman and also the bird Sdk +, they
say that it has given an Avesta with 7¢s tongue; when
it speaks the demons tremble at it avd take nothing
away there; a nail-far/xg, when it is not prayed
over (afsid), the demons and wizards seize, and
like an arrow it shoots at avd kills that bird.
20. On this account the bird seizes and devours
a nail-paving when it is prayed over, so that the
demons may not control 7/s use; when it is not
prayed over it does not devour 74, axd the demons
are able to commit an offence with it.
21. Also other beasts and birds are created all in
opposition to noxious creatures, as it says, that when
the birds axd beasts are all in opposition to noxious
creatures and wizards, Grc.5 22. This, too, it says,
that of all precious’ birds the crow (valagh) is the
most precious. 23. Regarding the white falcon it
does not mean ‘bird, and the Pahlavi translator calls it ‘a quadruped.’ In the Pahl. Visp. I, 1, ‘the Karsipt is the chief of flying creatures,’ and the Bundahis also takes it as a bird (see Chaps. XIV, 23, XXIV, 11).
1 See Chaps. XIV, 15, 23. 24, ANIV, 11,
2 The Av. Ashé-zusta of Vend. NVIT, 26,
§ Compare Pers. siilah, ‘a sparrow or lark.’
* Compare Pers. sak, ‘a magpie.’
* This quotation is evidently left incomplete.
* The Pahlavi word is ambiguous; it may be read ztl, ‘cheap, common,’ or it may be zagar = yakar, ‘dear, precious,’ but the
ts ° _
72 BUNDAHIS.
says, that it kills the serpent with wings. 24. The
magpie (kaskinak) bird kills the locust, ad 1s
created in opposition to it. 25. The Kahrkas',
dwelling in decay, which is the vulture, is created
for devouring dead matter (nasai); so also are the
crow (valak)? and the mountain kite.
26. The mountain ox, the mountain goat, the
deer, the wild ass, azd other beasts devour all
snakes. 27. So also, of other anzma/s, dogs are
created in opposition to the wolf species, ad for
securing the protection of sheep; the fox is created
in opposition to the demon Khava ; the ichneumon
is created in opposition to the venomous snake
(garzak) avd other noxious creatures in burrows ;
so also the great musk-azzmal is created in opposi-
tion® to ravenous intestinal worms (kadtk-danak
garzak). 28. The hedgehog is created in opposi-
tion to the ant which carries off grain‘, as it says,
that the hedgehog, every time that it voids urine
into an ant’s nest, will destroy a thousand ants;
when the grain-carrier travels over the earth it pro-
