Imagining the End: Visions of

yasna

.

Then the mountains will be razed, and 

Frashegerd

 will begin.

24

The millennia

An important subsidiary theme in Middle Persian and later

accounts of  the history of  the universe is formed by speculations on the

time-frame within which this history is expected to take place. The significant

units of  time in these speculations are periods of  



,



 and 



,



 years.

25

 The

figure most often given in the Pahlavi Books is that of  



,



 years. Elsewhere,

including in early non-Iranian sources, the figure of  



,



 years is found,

which may indicate that the 



,



-year period of  ideal spiritual existence did

not play a role in earlier speculations.

26

 According to this millenary scheme,

the history of  the world proceeds as follows:

Pre-eternity: Orhmazd is aware of  the potential threat of  Ahriman, and of

the need to create the world in order to render him powerless.

---

37

Millennialism in the Zoroastrian Tradition



–



,



: First there are 



,



 years of  spiritual creation, in which the creations

remained in a non-material, motionless state.

27

 This period ends with a first

aborted attempt by Ahriman to enter the creation of  Ohrmazd. Ohrmazd

first offers Ahriman peace on condition that the evil one will subject himself

to him, but this is refused. A pact is then agreed upon, whereby the two

forces will do battle for the next 



,



 years.

28

 Ohrmazd chants the Ahunawar

prayer, the holiest of  all sacred utterances of  Zoroastrianism. When Ahriman

hears those sacred words he falls back into the darkness, where he remains

inactive for 



,



 years.



,



–



,



: This marks the beginning of  the second 



,



 years, in which

Ohrmazd – unhampered by the antagonism of  Ahriman – first creates time,

29

then the Amesha Spentas,

30

 and subsequently fashions the rest of  his creation

in material form.

31

 Although Ahriman is generally said to have been inactive,

it is also stated that he created his own evil creatures during this period.

32

 At

the end of  this period, Ormazd performs a ‘spiritual 

yasna

’,

33

 and invites the

fravashis 

(‘souls’, see above) to come to the world of  Mixture.



,



–



,



: The next 



,



 years begin with a successful attack by Ahriman,

and end with the appearance of  Zarathustra. Time begins to progress and

eventually the world becomes as we know it. The rest of  this period, from a

Zoroastrian point of  view, is quintessentially pre-history, a time when legend-

ary heroes had their being. It is, somewhat vaguely, subdivided into three

millennia:

34



,



–



,



: The first 



,



 years witnessed the effects of  Ahriman’s attack

and some legendary exploits.



,



–



,



: During the second 



,



 years the wicked Azhdahak ruled

until he was finally imprisoned by the hero Fredon.



,



–



,



: The following millennium saw many of  the deeds and battles

which are described in the Iranian heroic legends.

35



,



–



,



: The third period of  



,



 years then follows, beginning with

Zarathustra and destined to end with