Mainyu

Mainyu is an Avestan term meaning “spirit” or “mind” and is used in Zoroastrian scripture to denote spiritual agents. In Zoroastrian cosmology, two related terms are central: Spenta Mainyu, the Holy or beneficent Spirit, and Angra Mainyu, the Destructive Spirit, the adversary of Ahura Mazda. Angra Mainyu is associated with deceit (druj), hostility, disease, and chaos, while Spenta Mainyu embodies truth (asha), order, and life.

The world is created by Ahura Mazda in conjunction with Spenta Mainyu; Angra Mainyu opposes this order, but is not believed to be equal in power to Ahura Mazda in canonical texts. Humans participate in the struggle through choice and ethical living, aiding Spenta Mainyu against Angra Mainyu through acts of truth and good thoughts.

In sources, Angra Mainyu is sometimes described as the malignant counterpart who labors to distort creation, whereas Spenta Mainyu is the emanation of Ahura Mazda’s benevolent will. The concept has been interpreted by scholars as a form of dualism, though classic Zoroastrian doctrine often emphasizes a single creator and a moral dualism rather than metaphysical dualism.

In later Iranian and medieval texts, Angra Mainyu is identified with Ahriman, and Zoroastrian eschatology holds that Angra Mainyu’s power will be defeated in Frashokereti, the final renovation of the world, when evil is overcome and good is restored.

Overall, Mainyu functions as a key term in Zoroastrian theology, referring to the spiritual dimension of mind or intention, and especially to the personified forces of good and evil that shape human life and the cosmic order.