Zurvan- Persian PrimordialPrimordial"Infinite Time"
Also known as: Zarvan, Zrvan, and Zervan
Titles & Epithets
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Description
Zurvan sacrificed for a thousand years to obtain a son who would create the world. From his ritual came Ahura Mazda; from his moment of doubt came Angra Mainyu, twin gods of light and darkness born from a single father who was Time itself.
Mythology & Lore
The Sacrifice and the Doubt
Before the world existed, Zurvan stood alone, Infinite Time with nothing to mark, performing sacrifices for a thousand years to produce a son who would create the heavens and the earth. The ritual almost worked perfectly. But near its end, Zurvan faltered. He doubted whether the sacrifice would succeed, and from that single moment of uncertainty, catastrophe entered the cosmos.
Two sons emerged. Ahura Mazda was born of the sacrifice itself: radiant and creative. Angra Mainyu was born of the doubt: dark, destructive, and cunning enough to burst from the womb first. Having promised sovereignty to his firstborn, Zurvan granted Angra Mainyu dominion over the world, but set a limit of nine thousand years. After that, Ahura Mazda would reign and evil would be undone. Eznik of Kolb, writing in the fifth century, preserves this account most fully.
The Lion-Headed God
Across Mithraic monuments in the Roman world, a figure recurs: lion-headed, winged, wrapped in the coils of a serpent. The mouth is open. The wings are spread. Whatever it is, it does not move; it waits, and everything else moves through it.
Relationships
- Family