CHAPTER XXII.

Chapter 445,532 wordsPublic domain

CONCLUSION.

SUMMARY—PRIESTLY RULE—RUSSIAN OPPRESSION.

We have now passed in review the principal features of a great literature from its early mythology to the time when the rule of priestcraft, combined with political tyranny, seems to have quenched the fire of Persian genius.

The empire gathered to herself the culture of ancient Nineveh and the poetic dreams of Chaldea, but, not content with the heritage which she received from more ancient kingdoms, she developed, from resources peculiarly her own, a literature which is rich in all that pertains to Oriental fancy. Her mythology, like that of other Āryan races, is traceable to the system of sensual idolatry which flourished in the valley of the Euphrates; the origin of her myths was found in the “sacred groves of Baal,” and around the altars of Ashtaroth.

Merodach and Nebo, Moloch and Chemosh reappeared in later times in other lands, and under different names, but still with the same characteristics which they had in the land of their birth.

We have seen the gradual growth of her Zend-Avesta with the inauguration of her system of worship, and noted the fact there was originally a close connection between the Veda and the Zend-Avesta, although the Persian work was of later origin.

Some of the Hindū gods bear the same names in the Avesta that were applied to them in the Sanskṛit poems, although in the later books they may appear as evil spirits, and the same god is sometimes represented as an angel, and again as a fiend.

Indra, the storm-king of the Veda, was the god of war, for whom the Ṛishis made and drank the intoxicating Soma, while in the Vendīdad[288] he is expressly mentioned in the list of evil spirits, and is second only to Ahriman, the arch-fiend of the Avesta. But another name for Indra in the Vedic songs is Vṛitrahā, and this name is recognized as that of the angel Verethragna; hence it follows that under one name the god is cursed and feared as a fiend, while under another he is worshipped as an angel.

The name of Deva in the Vedas, and in all Brāhmanical literature, is applied to divine beings who are still worshipped by the Hindūs, while in the Avesta, from the earliest to the latest texts, and even in modern Persian literature, Deva is a name applied to a fiend. The word Asura, although used in a good sense in the early songs of the Rig-veda, becomes, in the later portions of that literature, as well as in the Brāhmaṇas and Purāṇas, a term which is applied only to evil spirits; they are represented as the constant enemies of the Hindū gods, always making attacks upon the sacrifices offered by devotees. In the Avesta, Asura, in the form of Ahura, becomes a component part of Ahura Mazda, which is the name of God among the Pārsīs, whose faith is called “the Ahura religion”[289] in order to distinctively indicate its opposition to the Deva religion.

The Vedic god, Vāyu (the wind), is readily recognized in the spirit Vāyu in the Avesta, who is supposed to be roaming everywhere.

Another instance of a deity who is scarcely changed in any way is Mithra, the Sanskṛit form of which is Mitra. In the Ṛig-veda “Mitra calls men to their work; Mitra is preserving earth and heaven; Mitra looks upon the nations always without shutting his eyes.” In the Avesta he is also the lord of the morning, the god of day, and the object of profound adoration.

These are but a few out of many similarities, and the careful student of the Veda and the Avesta will also notice the identity of many terms referring to priestly functions. The very name of “priest” in the Zend- Avesta is _atharva_, and it is merely another form of _atharvan_, which is the term applied to the priest of fire and Soma, in the Vedas.[290]

These and many other similarities do not necessarily prove that the Zend-Avesta was partially copied from the Veda, but they do prove that “the Veda and the Zend-Avesta are two rivers flowing from one fountain head; the stream of the Veda is the fuller and purer, and has remained truer to its original character; that of the Zend-Avesta has been in various ways polluted, has altered its course, and cannot, with certainty, be traced back to its source.”[291] Nevertheless, their common origin must be assigned to the early Indo-Īraniān traditions.

Besides the official copy of the sacred books, which was burned by Alexander with the palace of the Persian king at Persepolis, there were other copies, or at least portions of them, and these the first Sassanian kings collected, and compiled from them, as far as possible, their sacred literature. For more than five centuries after Alexander, the empire of Persia suffered from foreign despotism and internal dissensions, but during this long period of political unrest, the Sassanian kings were able to collect a large proportion of the old writings, even though the literature which was thus restored consisted chiefly of fragments; it appears, however, that some portion of nearly every book was recovered by the zeal of these monarchs, and therefore the total disappearance of some of them must be assigned to more recent times.

A still greater disaster awaited the books of the Persians at the hand of the Moslem invader, when the Arabian horde swept over the hills and valleys of Persia like a simoon from the desert. Every tree and flower seemed to feel the withering touch of the barbarian, and the authority of the Korān was enforced with the logic of the sword. “Ye know your option, ye Christian dogs; the Korān, tribute, or the sword,” was the dictum of the conqueror wherever the Moslem flag was triumphant, and at last the Star and Crescent floated over the land of “the Lion and the Sun”—her nationality was humiliated and crushed, while her treasures of literature were again destroyed by a foreign foe. The kingdom of Persia now entered upon the long night of Mohammedan rule. Her sacred books were swept from the land, the Korān became the successor of the Zend- Avesta, and many of the Pārsīs went into voluntary exile, finding upon the shores of India that freedom which was denied them upon their native soil. Even the Persian tongue was placed under a ban, and Arabic became the legal language of court and council hall.

The Persians were conquered, but not subdued; the national spirit still lived in their hearts, and in more than one instance the conquest was repeated—for, in the defence of their nationality and their faith, they rebelled in different portions of the country and fought desperately against the hated Arab. They were subjugated at last, and, to a certain extent, accepted even the religion of the invader, but the vitality of the Persian character was not destroyed.

After a time, a few of the subordinate rulers, who were natives, rebelled against the tyranny of the Arabic tongue, and succeeded in establishing the Persian language to a great extent in its rightful domain. The national spirit again rallied, Persian poets were encouraged, traditions of the empire were once more collected, and the composition of a great national epic became possible. The Shāh Nāmah, which was written under royal patronage, has lived through the vicissitudes of more than eight hundred years, and is still the most popular Persian classic. Other centuries followed, bearing the names of distinguished poets and scholars, the cities of Bokhāra, Samarcānd and Bagdad became great literary centers, their colleges and libraries being celebrated throughout the East.

But again the power of brute force was destined to sweep away the bulwarks of civilization, and Genghis Khān, the Tartar chief, came down like a mountain storm upon the fairest provinces of the Orient. The principal cities were pillaged and burned by the Tartar horde, colleges were destroyed, and the most valuable books in the libraries were thrown into the Tigris.

These were times which tried the hearts of men, for more than two hundred thousand lives were sacrificed to the cruelty of the invading host. Scholars were driven to various places of refuge, and the science of letters received an almost fatal blow.

There are, however, a few illustrious names upon the records of the Persian literati, even after the close of the thirteenth century, and such was the intellectual vitality of the people that lyric poetry and rhetoric were well developed during these stormy times in the political and military world, for the empire had still many men of culture, and also boasted of one literary king.

PRIESTLY RULE.

Nations, as well as individuals, have their periods of growth, prosperity and decay. It is seldom that they arise from an age of great prostration and regain their former strength and brilliancy.

History, however, furnishes bright exceptions to this general rule, and Persia has repeatedly recovered herself from the ravages of foreign conquest. Three times her territory has been invaded when the design of the conqueror has apparently been the extermination of the science of letters, and three times she has rallied bravely from the shock and rebuilded her institutions of learning, founding a new national literature upon the ruins of the old.

Her literature of to-day is profuse in quantity, consisting largely of the various forms of romance,[292] but the best works of Persian authors belong to the centuries past. Perhaps she might rally even the fourth time, and resume her old position in the world of letters, but she is held in a state of lethargy by the benumbing influence of a Mohammedan priesthood. Even the Shāh rules only by the permission of this power, being looked upon as the vicegerent of the prophet, and the laws of the nation are subject to the dictation of the priests.

They stand in the way of all progress, as even a railway cannot be laid without their permission, much less can institutions of learning be carried on outside of their control. Official corruption, which seems to threaten the very existence of some of the Eastern nations, gathers new power from the influence of these Mohammedan mollāhs, and a large share of the money which is appropriated for public improvement eventually finds its way into the coffers of the king’s ministers.

There is little hope of intellectual growth under this baneful influence. At the beginning of the present century Īrānian poetry assumed a dramatic form, but, like the Greek drama, and the “Mysteries” of the Middle ages, it is the offspring of a religious ceremony, and the great attraction of the Persian stage is a Moslem passion play,[293] even the drama of the empire being under the control of her conquerors.

RUSSIAN OPPRESSION.

Not only is the nation firmly held in the chains of priestly rule, but her political position is far from enviable. Upon her northern border stands the most unscrupulous power among the nations of the East. The black eagles of the Czar are ever watching for an opportunity to invade her dominions, ever looking for some unusual sign of internal weakness which may throw her completely into their power. Russia has justly earned a reputation which, for political treachery, is unequaled among the children of men. She makes treaties and signs the most solemn pledges of national co-operation, apparently with the utmost sincerity, and then breaks them, without even a word of apology, whenever she can gain a point or a province by so doing.

For centuries Russia has coveted Constantinople as the key of the East. For centuries she has looked with envious eyes upon the wealth of India, and she has hesitated at no policy which might advance her interests by extending her boundary line.

Great Britain stands as the strongest bulwark in the world of nations against the insidious diplomacy of the Muscovite, which seems to be the enemy of all civilization, and therefore in every move that is made in the political world of either Europe or Asia, Russia is ever on the alert to defeat the plans of England, and the coming conflict in the Old World will doubtless be led by these two great powers. Intending some day to wrest India from the hand of Great Britain, she finds Persia standing in the way of her design, and it must therefore be conquered or absorbed. By the most unscrupulous methods known to nations, she has already acquired much of Persian territory, and the process of absorption is renewed whenever the opportunity offers.

She hesitates at no oppression, and has already ruined Persian commerce, as far as lay in her power, by permitting the transportation of goods across her territory, only under restrictions which are practically prohibitory. Flattering promises are carefully combined with threats in order to promote her designs, and the emissaries of Russia are abundant in Persia, and even in Northern India, where their mission is to educate a public sentiment by constantly instilling into the minds of the people false ideas of the magnificence and generosity of Russia. These men are not Russians, for they would attract attention and arouse public apprehension, but they are Asiatics, who are kept at work by Russian gold, making lavish promises of Muscovite benevolence when northern barbarism shall succeed English civilization.

While engaged in thus duping the Asiatic tribes, she is pushing her railway as rapidly as possible toward India, and preparing for war on a greater scale than ever before in her history.

The record of her political policy proves that she will fasten her iron hand upon the vitals of a nation, and crush out, as far as possible, every effort toward progress, until the crippled empire falls into her fatal embrace. Persia has little hope of escaping the Russian policy of oppression and absorption, unless either English or German troops are allied with her native forces against the common foe. There is no longer, therefore, a hope that Persian literature may be revived, and the intellectual resources of the empire again developed, unless the civilized nations of Europe come to her rescue. The yoke of Mohammedan rule must be broken, and the tyranny of the northern barbarian removed, before the Persian mind and heart can be stimulated to intellectual and moral activity.

Footnote 288:

Ven., XIX, 43.

Footnote 289:

Yasna, XII, 9, p. 174.

Footnote 290:

Dr. Haug, Essays, p. 2. 67

Footnote 291:

Prof. Roth, Tubingen. Chips, p. 85.

Footnote 292:

There are also many so-called historical works, which, although deficient in sound criticism, and to a greater or less extent unreliable, still furnish some curious and noteworthy data. They have translations of the Maha-bharata, the Ramaya_n_a and other standard works of Sanskrit literature, but the original fire of Persian genius appears to be hopelessly crushed.

Footnote 293:

The Tazieh is the outgrowth of a ceremony which, for centuries, the Persians have annually performed in the holy month Moharrem. At this time they celebrate the tragic death of Hossein, the grandson of the Prophet who perished with all his house at the hands of a rival for the honors of a caliphate. The month of mourning is largely occupied with the recitals and ceremonies pertaining to the event; halls being especially constructed for these rhapsodies, as after more than seven hundred years, the terrible scenes of the tragedy were dramatized and placed upon the Persian stage. In the royal Takieh, or theatre, the great drama is unfolded for ten successive days, during the month of mourning, while in all other portions of the empire it is reproduced with more or less power, at the same time.

INDEX.

Abbas, Shah, 335. Accad, 1, 2, 3, 4, 33, 51. Accadian, 66. Accadian Tongue, 6, 31, 55. Achæmenes, n 46. Achæmenian, 44, 46, 48. Achæmenidæ, 50. Adarbad, 114. Adonis, 68, 77. Adonis Phrygian, 42. Afrasiyab, the Tartar Chief, 244, 245, 247. Age, Babylonian, 7. Agathokles, 10. Agni, 66, 107. Ahasuerus, 49. Ahriman, 48, 54, 99, 106, 129. Ahura Mazda, 86, 94, 99, 108, 128, 161. Akbar, Shah, 334, 335. Akhuni, 59. Alborz, Mount, 91, 98, 103. Alexander, 13, 14, 20, 21, 52, 112, 113, 406; book of, 333. Allah-il-Allah, 23. Al-Fateh, 333. Almokaffa, 190. Alp Arslan, 27. Amicable Instruction, 189, 203. Anāhid, 69. Anat, 56. Anderson, n 96. Angra Mainyu, 127, 129. Annatu, 70. Antelope and Crow, 189, 205. Anthon, 76. Anu, 56, 69, 70. Anwāri, 284. Anwār-i-Suhali, 189, 215; history of, 190; preface of, 192. Apaosha, 101, 105. Aphrodite, 76. Apis Egyptian, 87. Arabs, 166, 176, 183, 188. Arabia, 7, 46, 48, 166. Arabian Conquest, 1, 22, 25. Arabian Nights, 28. Arbela, 40. Architecture of Persepolis, 18. Ardvi Sura Anāhita, 93, 94. Arjasp, 272; defeated by Isfendiyār, 276. Armenia, 15, 48, 69. Arrianus, n 36. Art, Asiatic, 17. Art, Greek, 5. Art, Persian, 1, 16, 17, 18. Artaxerxes, 13, 30, 44, 49, 50. Aryan, 23. Arzang, the Demon Chief, 259. Asia, 1, 8, 23, 39, 48. Ashtaroth, 8, n 10, n 54, 67, 68, 77, 108. Assur, 53, 58, 59. Assur-banipal, 6, 36, n 37, 55, 69. Assyria, 6, 15, 33, 34, 35, 39, 46, 48. Assyriologists, 34. Astarte, n 10, 68. Asura, 404. Asteria, 68, 70. Atar, 86, 100. Augustus, 7. Aulād, 252; capture of, 257. Avesta, 23, 54, 104, 107, 114, 115, 116, 404.

Baal, 8, 53, 66, 76, 107, 108. Baal Moloch, 10. Babylon, 1, 6, 7, 10, 17; fall of, 30, 36, 39, 41, 43. Babylonia, 3, 6, 15, 33, 55, 61; North, 3, 40, 65. Babylonians, 9, 41. Bāhram Gor, 214. Bagdad, 311, 321, 407. Balder, 77. Bardes, 47. Bāzindah, 195; misfortunes of, 198; return of, 201. Beer, 44 Bees and their Habits, 189, 193. Behistun Inscriptions, 17, 30, 45, 114. Behistun Rock, n 20. Bel, 10, 36, 40, 42, 52. Bel Merodach, 56, 61, 62. Bellona, 69. Belshazzar, 35, 40, 42, 43. Benfey, 44. Berosus, 69. Beth-anath, 56. Bi-frost, (Rainbow Bridge), 103. Birds, Mythical, 86, 95. Bird, My, 321, 329. Birs, Nimrud, 37. Blackstone, Sir Wm., 156. Blind Man and his Whip, 189, 201. Bokhāra, 309, 323, 407. Bombay, 161. Bores, 309, 320. Boscawen, W. St. Chad, 40, n 43. Bosphorus, 13. Bournouf, 31, 44, 116. Brāhman and Ichneumon, 208. Brockhaus, 116. Buddha, 227. Budge, E.A., n 5, n 37. Bundehesh, 112. Bustān, 25, 225, 309; extracts from, 313.

Calligraphy, 19, 335. Cambyses, 44, 45, 87. Canaan, 63. Canopus, lights of, 190. Captives, The, 383. Capua, John of, 190. Capture, the, 351, 352, 362. Cappadocia, 48, 69. Carthage, 48. Carthaginians, 10. Caucasus, 7. Cerberus, 102. Chaldea, 4, 64, 65, 103. Chaos, wife of Hea, 59, 60. Chemosh, 53, 60, 63, 64, 65, 108. Chinvat Bridge, 86, 103, 141, 153, 157, 158. Chips from a German Workshop, n 109, n 126. Christians persecuted, 104, 121. Christianity, 125, 167. Citagriva, 204. Circe, 74. Commentary, 127, 140. Comrades, the two, 338, 340. Conquest, Mohammedan, 165. Constellations, King of, 67. Coptic Girl, 174, 184, 185. Creation, legend of, 54. Cuneiform inscriptions, 3, 6, 30. Curtius, n 36, n 113. Cutha, 54, 61. Cyprus, 6. Cyrus, 12, 15, 20, 28, 30, 40, 44, 47, 52, 118; decree of, 20.

Dagon, 63. Daniel, n 36, 40, 41. Damascus, 311. Darius, 9, 13, 20, 29, 45, 47, 49, 50, 52; and his Horsekeeper, 309, 316. Darmesteter, Prof., 20, n 110, n 150, n 156. Dastur, 125. Datilla, River of Death, 107. Dead, Disposition of, 146, 153. Delos, 68. Devas, 105. Demon, White, 248, 252, 257, 260; slain, 260. Desert, the, 351, 353. Diana, 75, 108. Dihkans, 22. Diodorus, 5, n 113. Diocletian, 114. Domitian, 50. Dogs, importance of, 147, 152, 153, 156; of Yama, 153. Druj, 152. Dungi, 3. Duza, 42. Dynasty, Achæmenian, 25; Gaznevides, 24, 25; Sassanian, 20, 21, 22.

Eastwick, Prof., xiii, 191. Ecbatana, 20, n 43. Ecclesiastes, book of, 310. Egebi, 9. Egypt, 6, 7, 15, 39, 46, 48, 49, 61. Elam, 7, 11, 69. Elamites, 3. Elephant and Jackal, 189, 209. England, 16, 411. Epic, Persian, 24, 25, 214. Ephesus, 76, 108. Ephesians, 76. Eridu, 56, 67. Esar-haddon, 9, n 37. Euphrates, 3, 5, 16, 35, 37. Evil Spirits, seven, 56, 57. Exiles, the, 351. Exodus, 3.

Features, physical, 1, 15. Fimbul Eddic, 130. Fire god, 56, 57, 66, 107, 124. Fire, sacred, 100, 124, 154, 155. Fire worshippers, 124. Firdusi, 22, 25, 26, 118. Firdusi, life of, 216; invective of, 214, 219; death of, 214, 223. Flattery, wiles of, 206, 209, 210, 212. Flood, 33. Formulas, 140. Fravishas, 140, 160. France, 16. Frey, 77. Freyja, 76. Fugitives, the, 365.

Ganges, 92, 96, 107. Garuda, 96. Garden scene, 365, 377, 381. Gāthas, 20, 111, 113, 119, 127, 130, 144. Gātha, Last, 135. Gaznevides, dynasty of, 24, 25. Genesis, 33. Genghis Khān, 309, 323. Gold, chain of, 333. Gobyras, 43. Greece, 4, 17, 27, 75. Griffin of Chivalry, 96. Grotofend, 31, 44. Gulf, Persian, 3, 15, 51. Gulistān, 25, 309; stories from, 317. Gushtasp, 272, 277. Gyöll, 93, 107.

Hades, 78; queen of, 60. Hāfiz, 26, 321, 323, 331, 337; songs of, 313, 326, 327. Halicarnassus, 49. Haoma, 142. Hara Berezaita, 93, 99, 107, 158. Haug, Dr., 116. Hea, 53, 59, 60, 82. Hea-bani, 53, 60, 61. Heaven, 165, 180. Hecate, 70, 74, 75. Helbon, 14. Hel, 77. Hell, 165, 181. Herodotus, 20, n 36, 45, n 87, 129. Hercules, 63. Hermöd, 77. Hezekiah, King, 35. Higrah, the, 165, 172. Hindus, 9, 58, 65, 92, 95; mythology of, 89, 104. Hincks, Dr., 32. Hitopadesa, 22, 189, 191, 310; gems from, 189, 210. Holtzman, 44. Homer, 225; of Iran, 215. Hyde, Dr., 118.

Iliad, 97. Ifing, 93. Im, 53, 57, 66. Incantations, 53, 65. India, 4, 6, 15, 27, 48, 78. India House, 62. Indra, 66, 87, 95, 99, 404. Indus, 15. Inscriptions of Artaxerxes, 30, 49. Inscriptions, Bavian, 36; Cuneiform, 3, 30; Darius, 17, 30, 45, 114; Western Asia, n 34, n 41, n 67; of Nebuchadnezzar, 30, 38; of Xerxes, 30, 49. Invasion, Turānian, 228, 245. Ionians, 48. Irān, 1, 11, 52; laws of, 12. Irānian romance, 27. Isaiah, 21. Isfendiyār, 226, 272, 274; conflict with Rustem, 276; death of, 272, 282. Israel, prophets of, 39. Israelites, 35. Ishtar, 10, 42, 53, 60, 68, 69, 74, 75; of Arbela, 53, 69; of Erech, 53, 70; descent of, 53, 78. Ishtar and Izdubar, 53, 71. Isis, 95. Ithaca, 74. Iyar, month of, 50. Ixion, wheel of, 77.

Jalal-uddin Rumi, 309, 310, 331. Jāmi, 26, 321, 330, 332; works of, 321, 332, 333; grave of, 332. Jehān, Shāh, 332. Jericho, 38. Jeremiah, n 11, 39, n 41, n 62. Jerusalem, 38, 42; siege of, 35. Joel, Rabbi, 190. Jones, Sir Wm., 191. Joshua, book of, 56.

Kaābah, 173, 175, 184. Kabul, 234, 245. Kai-kaus, 248, 257, 258. Karsipta (mythical bird), 97, 120, 151. Khorassān, 216, 285, 331. Kindness to the unworthy, 309, 314. Kine, soul of, 141. Kine, wail of, 127, 131. Kings, Achæmenian, 20. Kings, Assyrian, 5, 36, 58, 88. Kings, book of, 67. Kings, Babylonian, 88; of Judah, n 62; literary, 321; Moslem, 27; Persian, 35, 43, 54, 78; Samanian, 214; Sassanian, 23, 24, 189, 336. Korān, 19, 23, 103, 165; arrangement of, 168; author of, 165, 168; extracts from, 180, 182, 183; literary style of, 165, 188; teaching of, 165, 178, 179, 185. Krishna, 67.

Lady of battles, 69; of kingdoms, 10, 41; of Tiggaba City, 80. Laili, description of, 287; wedding of, 284, 296, 297; deliverance of, 299; death of, 304; and Majnun, 233, 284, 286. Land, fairest, 310. Lassen, 31, 44. Layard, 31. Law, Mosaic, 64, n 156. Leopard, torn by dogs, 73, 75. Leviticus, n 82. Literature, Assyrian, 76; Babylonian, 4, 6; early, 1, 19; modern Persian, 1, 24; of Nineveh, 1, 5; Persian, 1, 28, 54, 409; Oriental, 17. Loftus, 44, 50. Loki, 66. Lydia, 6, 7, 15.

Mahā-bhārata, 90, 106, 225, 334. Majnun, 284, 286; temptation of, 302; victory of, 303; death of, 306. Manuscripts, 1, 19, 35, 109, 115. Manuscripts, Persian, 19, 20, 224, 331, 339. Manuscript, Yasna, xvii, 117. Marathon, 52, 121. Marchesvan, month of, n 43. Mardtmann, 44. Marriage song, 127, 135. Mazdeism, 118, 121, 129. Mazinderān, 248, 251, 261. Medea, 74. Medes, 20, 40, n 43. Media, 7, 11, 15, 48, 49. Medians, 12, 47. Meher and Mushteri, 338. Merodach, 8, n 36, 53, 61. Mesapotamia, 30. Metamorphoses, Ovid’s, n 75, 76. Mir Amar, 19. Moabite stone, 64. Mobeds, 20. Mohammed, 165; birth of, 168; family of, 168, 169, 171, 175, 184; death of, 165, 175. Mohammedanism, see Koran. Molech, 8, 10, 63, 64, 108. Mountains, Alborz, 91, 103, 229; Ausindom, 28; Elvend, 18, 44, 49; Median, 13; Meru, 90, 107; mother of, 91; mythical, 88, 88; Nida, 90, 107; Nubian, 7; Oāf, 90, 180, 322; twin, 89; world, 107. Müller, Prof. F. Max, xiii, 109, 117, 191. Museum, British, n 5, 33, 35, 37, 49, 67, n 84. Muhteshim, 214, 221. Mythology, Asiatic, 108; Assyrian, 53, 55, 61, 65, 76; Chaldean, 54, 107; early, 1, 53; Greek, 5, 54, 63, 66, 68, 70, 75, 77; Hindu, 99, 128; Indo-European, 105; of Mazdeism, 105; Norse, 66, 76, 77, 90, 96, 103; Persian, 53, 54, 93, 98, 403; of tablets, 53.

Nabonidas, 40, 41. Nadir Shāh, 336. Nawāzindah. 195. Naram Sin, 33. Nebo, 8, 36, 40, 52, 53, 62, 69. Nebuchadnezzar, 7, 8, 9, 31, 36, 40, 62. Neptune, 59, 63, 227. Nergal, 53, 61. Nile, 3, 92. Nineveh, 5, 6, 14, 51, 54, 60, 76; arts of, 17, 18. Ninip, 53, 60, 63. Nin-ci-gal, 53, 60, 79, 82, 83. Nimrod, n 2, 43. Nisan, month of, 40. Nizāmi, 25, 285, 307, 331. Norris, 44, 45. Noufal, 292. Nushirvan, 22, 190.

Odin, 77. Odyssey, 74. Olympus, 107, 108. Olympians, 77. Omar, 22, 216. Omar Khayyām, 215. Oppert, Dr., 31, 32, 44, 49, 61, 66, 68, 114. Oppression, priestly, 403, 410. Ormazd, 12, 48, 106, 112, 121, 161; symbol of, 17. Osirus, 77. Ovid, 74. Outline, Historic, 1.

Pacorus, 50, 51. Pahlavi, 22, 109, 112, 117. Palestine, 7, 39. Pancatantra, 22, 189. Pārsis Early, 109, 121. Pārsis Modern, 109, 123, 161; teachings of, 146, 161; laws of, 146; anglicized, 163. Pearl, the, 309, 313. Periods, Seven, 214. Period, First, 214; second, 284; third, 309; fourth, 321; fifth, 321, 330; sixth, 321, 334; seventh, 321, 335; later, 321. Persia, 1, 46, 49; government of, 14; modern, 15, 24; physical features of, 1, 15, 87. Persian corruption, 14; magnificence, 14; romance, 1, 27, 338; scholars, 27, 191, 216, 284, 309, 323, 330, 334; texts, 44, 45. Persians, 12, 14, 40, 50. Persepolis, 13, 18, 20, 30, 44, 47, 49, 113, 340. Pigeons, the two, 189, 195. Pigeons and the Rat, 189, 204. Pir-i-sebz, 321, 325. Pinches, Theo. G., xiii, n 3. Pleiades Persian, 332. Pliny, n 36, n 69. Pluto, 60, 102. Polygamy, 165, 184. Prophets, Hebrew, 11, 41, 163. Proserpine, 60, 77. Prosperity, dangers of, 309, 319. Proverbs, Book of, 310. Punishment, 146, 156. Purification, laws of, 146, 154. Pyramus and Thisbe, 76.

Qāf Mount, 90, 180, 332. Queen, the, 338, 345. Quāris, 170, 172.

Rakush, 226, 252, 278. Rāmayāna, 96, 225, 334. Rassam, 31. Rask, Dr., 116, 117. Rawlinson, Sir Henry, 32, n 35, 44. Records of the Past, n 34, n 38, n 84. Rivers, mythical, 86, 91. Rig Veda, 114. Rule, priestly, 403, 408. Rudabeh, 228, 234, 243, 244. Russian influence, 16, 403, 410. Rustem, birth of, 244; labors of, 226, 252, 254, 259; marriage of, 252, 262; conflict with Isfendiyār, 276; battle with his son, 269; death of, 283.

Sacred Books of the East, n 20, n 115, n 150, n 156. Sa’di, 25, 286, 311, 331; works of, 309; death of, 312. Sag-did, 152, 153. Samanians, dynasty of, 24. Samarcānd, 309, 323, 371, 373, 407. Sam Suwār, 228, 261, 279. Sardanapalus, 6. Sargon, 3, 33, 51, 60. Sayce, Prof. A.H. xiii, 2, n 4, n 9, n 10, 31, n 34, 55, 64, n 95. Sea, Ægean, 6, 107; Arabian, 15; Caspian, 15. Sennacherib, 31, 34, 85, 36, n 37. Serpent King, 235, 241. Seven Eras, 214. Shapur, 114, 121, 397, 400. Shāh Mahmud, 216, 218, 222. Shāh Nāmah, 19, 22, 25, 214, 228; extracts from, 228, 232, 234, 241, 287. Shinar, 2, 4. Shirāz, 11, 14, 311, 321, 326. Sidon, 67, 108. Silver, value of, n 9. Silence the Safety of Ignorance, 309, 315. Silence, towers of, 155. Simurgh, 91, 200, 279, 322; nest of, 98, 228, 229. Sin, the Moon God, 53, 60, 65, 76. Siva, 67, 161. Sleipner, 77, 227. Society, Royal Asiatic, 32, 45. Sohrab, 252, 266, 269. Spiegel, 44, 110, 116, 117. Spenta Armaita, n 150, 153, 155. Storm Spirits, Seven, 56. Styx, 107. Sumer, 1, 2, 3. Suez, 44, 49. Susa, 44, 49, 50, 69.

Tablets, 1, 3, 30, 53; historic, 5, 30, 33; Persian, 50. Talbot Fox, 31, 32, 56, n 84. Tamineh (wife of Rustem), 266; death of, 271. Tammuz (the sun god), 42, 53, 63, 67, 68, 108; month of, 42, 43. Tantalus, 77. Tazieh, the (Persian Drama), n 410. Tiamat, 55, 56. Tigris, 5, 16, 40. Tiglath-Pileser, 32, n 36, 67. Timur, 322, 330, 332, 334. Tistrya (storm god), 98, 100, 102. Transactions Vic. Institute, n 37, n 40, n 43. Tukulti-Ninip, n 36. Tyre, 2, 38, 66.

Ur of the Chaldees, 3, 40. Ugbaru, n 43. Ulysses, 74, 75.

Valhal, 90. Var or Vara of Yima, 97, 146, 147, 150, 151. Vārengana (the raven), 97. Varuna, 99, 128. Vedas, 58, 110. Vedic deities, 25. Vedfolner (hawk), 96. Vendidad, 95, 111, 126, 146, 151, 159 Venus, 69, 76; Babylonian, 87. Vishnu, 92, 96, 161. Visparad, 111, 146, 158. Vouru Kasha, 94, 95. Vulcan, 63.

Water, sacred, 154. Water Dog, 157. Westergaard, 44, 110, 116. Williams, Sir M. Monier, xiii, 161, n 164. Women, penalties upon, n 157. Women, unprincipled, 123. Wrestler, the Wise, 309, 317.

Xerxes, 44, 52; inscriptions of, 30, 49.

Yasna, 111, 126, 127, 137, 142; concluding, 127, 144. Yasts, 112, 119, 127, 142. Yasna Haptang-haita, 127, 141. Yast Sraosha, 127, 142. Yazatas or Angels, 100, 112. Yemen, 2, 23. Yezdejird, 22, 215, 216, 225. Ygdrasil, 96. Yima, 86, 97, 98, 102, 148; Vara of, 146, 147, 150, 151. Yusuf and Zulaikhā, 26, 333.

Zal (the white-haired child), 18, 228, 234, 245, 261; banishment of, 229; sheltered in Simurgh’s nest, 230; restoration of, 233. Zedekiah, king, 38. Zend, 110, 117. Zend Avesta, 20, 109, 111: age of, 109, 113; divisions of, 109, 111; derivation and language of, 109; extracts from, 135, 140, 142, 148, 152, 159; teaching of, 127, 146. Zoroaster, or Zarathustra, 109, 112, 118, 127, 141, 144, 148; life of, 118. Zoroastrianism, 124, 162. Zoroastrian Period, 25. Zyd, vision of, 284, 306.

Footnotes:

Transcriber’s Note

Footnote 172, the first on p. 123, has no referent in text, and refers to a topic that is not obviously apparent in the text.

Small lapses of punctuation in the Index have been regularized with no further comment.

Errors deemed most likely to be the printer’s have been corrected, and are noted here. The references are to the page and line in the original. For index entries, the middle reference is to the column. Corrections in footnotes are referred to solely by the number as it appears, re- sequenced, in this version.

10.21 to Baal-Moloch[.]” Added.

17.6 tropical in its luxuriance and gorgeous in its Removed. decor[r]ations.

37.18 from the river of Egypt unto the river Added. Euphrates.[”]

48.19 and the Maka.[”] Added.

59.16 Hea was the god of ch[oa/ao]s or the deep Transposed.

45.22 The casts of the S[c]ythic version Inserted.

65.9 the[,] god of day, Removed.

76.n105 which fell down from Jupiter?[”] Added.

99.9 the As[u/ū]ra is represented as a black demon Replaced.

102.5 We sacrifice unto Tiśt[yr/ry]a Transposed.

113.20 are writ[t]en in the old Āryan metre Inserted.

116.19 were also enthus[i]astic students Inserted.

120.10 which Ah[u/ū]ra gave him Replaced.

147.28 the seed of all animal and vegetable life[./,] Replaced. and

158.14 [“]She makes the soul of the righteous one Added.

192.26 [“]With a view to the universal diffusion Added.

201.14 With home and friends perpetual pleasures Removed. reign.[”]

205.18 And gnawing dil[l]igently away Removed.

249.12 against their mon[o/a]rch’s insane idea Replaced.

249.28 the columns came near to Mazinder[a/ā]n Replaced.

278.7 Rustem sat [n/u]pon Rakush Inverted.

293.11 The generous No[n/u]fal was not content Inverted.

341.21 even during their early chi[l]dhood Inserted.

345.15 in the richest mos[ia/ai]cs Transposed.

358.23 she could the coming peril[,/.] Replaced.

377.7 she knew so well[.] Added.

384.28 what portion of Persia [t]he new comers Added.

408.21 boasted of one literary king[,/.] Replaced.

416.2.39 Ba[b]ylonian, Inserted.