* All these inferior deities, heroes, and genii who presided over Persia, the royal family, and the different parts of the empire, are often mentioned in the most ancient classical authors that have come down to us.

** The six Amesha-spentas, with their several characteristics, are enumerated in a passage of the De Iside.  This exposition of Persian doctrine is usually attributed to Theopompus, from which we may deduce the existence of a belief in the Amesha-spentas in the Achsemenian period.  J. Darmesteter affirms, on the contrary, that “the author describes the Zoro-astrianism of his own times (the second century A.D.), and quotes Theopompus for a special doctrine, that of the periods of the world’s life.”  Although this last point is correct, the first part of Darmesteter’s theory does not seem to me justified by investigation.  The whole passage of Plutarch is a well- arranged composition of uniform style, which may be regarded as an exposition of the system described by Theopompus, probably in the eighth of his Philippics.

[Illustration:  016a.jpg THE MOON-GOD]

[Illustration:  016b.jpg GOD OF THE WIND]

     Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a coin of King Kanishka,
     published by Percy Gardner.

These benevolent and immortal beings—­Amesha-spentas—­were, in the order of precedence, Vohu-mano (good thought), Asha-vahista (perfect holiness), Khshathra-vairya (good government), Spenta-armaiti (meek piety), Haurvatat (health), Ameretat (immortality).  Each of them had a special domain assigned to him in which to display his energy untrammelled:  Vohu-mano had charge of cattle, Asha-vahista of fire, Khshathra-vairya of metals, Spenta-armaiti of the earth, Haurvatat and Ameretat of vegetation and of water.  They were represented in human form, either masculine as Vohu-mano and Asha-vahista,* or feminine as Spenta-armaiti, the daughter and spouse of Ahura-mazda, who became the mother of the first man, Gayomaretan, and, through Gayomaretan, ancestress of the whole human race.

     * The image of Asha-vahista is known to us from coins of the
     Indo-Scythian kings of Bactriana.  Vohu-mano is described as
     a young man.

[Illustration:  017a.jpg ATAR THE GOD OF FIRE]

     Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a coin of King Kanishka,
     published by Percy Gardner.

[Illustration:  017b.jpg AURVATASPA]

     Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from coin published by Percy
     Gardner.

[Illustration:  017c.jpg MITHRA]

     Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a coin of King Huvishka,
     published by Percy Gardner.