Div- Persian RaceRace"Demons of Ahriman"
Also known as: Daeva, Dev, Dew, and دیو
Titles & Epithets
Domains
Description
In Sanskrit, deva means god. In Avestan, daeva means demon — the same word inverted, reflecting Zoroaster's demonization of the old Indo-Iranian deities. The divs are the fallen gods who chose Angra Mainyu's falsehood and wage cosmic war against everything Ahura Mazda created.
Mythology & Lore
Gods Made Demons
The divs' name reveals their origin. Avestan daeva is cognate with Sanskrit deva, "god" in Hindu tradition. This inversion, where gods become demons, reflects Zoroaster's reformation of ancient Indo-Iranian religion. The Gathas (Yasna 32) contain fierce polemics against daeva-worship, condemning those who continued to venerate these beings and placing them firmly on the side of falsehood.
Each major div opposes a specific divine being. Aeshma, the demon of wrath, fights Sraosha, the guardian of obedience. Aka Manah corrupts the mind that Vohu Manah tries to keep clear. Nasu seizes corpses in the form of a fly. The Vendidad, whose very name means "Law Against Demons," catalogs their activities and prescribes countermeasures. Killing the noxious creatures associated with them, venomous snakes, scorpions, and flies, is meritorious. A practical participation in cosmic warfare.
The White Div
In Ferdowsi's Shahnameh, the divs take physical form as monstrous beings inhabiting wild regions beyond civilization. The White Div (Div-e Sepid), ruler of Mazandaran, commands an army of demons who capture Kay Kavus and his warriors and strike them blind. Rostam fights through the Seven Labors to reach Mazandaran, tears out the White Div's liver, and uses its blood to restore the captives' sight.
Beyond Redemption
At the Frashokereti, all divs will be destroyed alongside Angra Mainyu. Human sinners can be purified through the river of molten metal. The divs cannot. They made their choice at the beginning, and when good triumphs permanently, they will simply cease to exist.