Angra Mainyu, the evil, destructive spirit in thedualistic doctrine ofZoroastrianism. According to the earliest version of themyth, he is the twin brother ofSpenta Mainyu, theHoly Spirit, and both were the sons ofAhura Mazdā (Ormizd or Ormazd), the Wise Lord and supreme deity of Zoroastrianism.

Angra Mainyu’s essential nature is expressed in his principal epithet—Druj, “the Lie,” which expresses itself as greed, wrath, and envy. To aid him in attacking the light (Spenta Mainyu, the good creation of Ahura Mazdā), Angra Mainyu created a horde of demons embodying envy and similar qualities. Despite thechaos and suffering effected in the world by his onslaught, believers expect Angra Mainyu to be defeated in the end of time by Ahura Mazdā. Confined to their own realm, his demons will devour each other, and his own existence will be quenched. In a later dualism, Ahura Mazdā, still the creator god, is himself the force of good, Angra Mainyu is his evil, destructive counterpart, and both exist from eternity.

The modern Zoroastrians ofIndia, theParsis, tend to diminish the importance of Angra Mainyu by explaining him away as anallegory of humanity’s evil tendencies. Ahura Mazdā is thus restored to omnipotence.

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