The Encyclopedia Of Demons And Demonology

Zotz 279
• Paitisa daeva, who governs counteraction and opposition
and is “the most devilish of demons,” personifying
the power of Ahriman to ruin the world
• Pus, who rules miserliness and hoarding
• Shetaspih, who personifies Christianity
• Spazga, who foments slander, calumny, backbiting,
and gossip
• Spenjargak, who raises storms
• Vareno, who incites lust and illicit sex
• Vatya daeva, who battles good winds to create
storms
• Vaya, “the merciless one,” who plagues the souls
of the dead when they arrive at the Chinvat Bridge
to the underworld and tries to interfere with their
passage
• Vizares, who struggles with the souls of the dead
for three days and nights after their passing, binds
them, drags them off to torment, and sits at the
gates of HELL
• Vyambura daeva, who vampirizes the living
• Xru, who foments murder
• Zamaka, who rules the evils of winter
• Zaurvan, who rules old age, decrepitude, and wasting
away
Zoroastrianism in Practice
There are four major arms of Zoroastrianism: the teachings
of Zarathustra; the teachings of Mazdaism, which
made Ahriman creator and leader of the daevas; the teachings
of Zeravanism; and the teaching of the Magi.
The Islamic conquest of Iran in the seventh century
scattered Zoroastrian sects and caused a decline in the religion.
Many Zoroastrians emigrated east to India, where
they are called Parsis. In present times, there are fewer
than half a million followers, most of whom live in and
around Bombay, India.
Zoroastrians consider their role in this world as to cooperate
with nature and to lead a virtuous life; they oppose
all forms of asceticism and monasticism. Their duty
is to marry and rear children, for human life on Earth is
a sheer necessity if Ahriman is to be defeated. Agriculture
is honored for making the earth fruitful, strong, and
abundant in order to resist the Enemy, who is the author
of disease and death. There is a rigid dogmatism preserving
the purity of the body, the care of useful animals, agricultural
practice, and strict ritual observance. Celibacy
is both unnatural and wicked.
On the moral plane, all the emphasis is on righteousness
or truth and on good works, for deeds are the sole
criterion by which one is judged after parting this life
on the “Bridge of the Requiter,” the bridge of Rashn the
Righteous, who impartially weighs each soul’s good and
evil deeds. If there is a preponderance of good, the soul
proceeds to heaven, but if of evil, it is dragged off to HELL.
If good and evil deeds are exactly equal, the soul goes to
the “place of the mixed,” where it experiences mild correction,
and the only pains suffered are those of heat and
cold. Zoroastrian hell is like the Christian purgatory in
that the punishment is only temporary. The final purgation
from sin takes place at the Last Judgment at the end
of time. The stain left by sin is purged from all souls, and
from this all without exception emerge spotless. None is
punished eternally for sins committed in time.
Sin is viewed as perversity; it is a failure to recognize
who is your friend and who is your enemy. Ohrmazd is
one’s friend and Ahriman is the enemy, from whom all
evil and suffering proceed. Unlike the Western God,
Ohrmazd does not permit evil, for such would give him
characteristics of Ahriman. Monotheists have been deceived
in this way, and this represents a genuine triumph
for Ahriman, for besides being the Destroyer, he is the
Deceiver, the Liar, and his deception takes the form of
persuading people that evil proceeds from God. But his
triumph is short-lived, for in the end all human souls,
reunited with their bodies, return to Ohrmazd, who is
their creator and father.
FURTHER READING:
Dhalla, Maneckji Nusservanji. History of Zoroastrianism. New
York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1938. Reprint,
Brooklyn, N.Y.: AMS Press, 1977.
Jackson, A. V. Williams. Zoroastrian Studies. Whitefish,
Mont.: Kessinger, 2003.
Zaehner, R. C. The Dawn and Twilight of Zoroastrianism. New
York: Putnam, 1961.
Zotz Fearsome Mayan DEMON and a lord of the underworld.
Zotz is a huge winged being with the head of a
dog, needle-sharp teeth, and a bloody, contorted grin. He
is sometimes shown as half-black and half-white, signifying
faithlessness. Zotz lives deep within caves. He
hides in remote areas at night and ambushes travelers,
stealing their goods and wealth to stash in his caves.
In the underworld he has his own area, called the
House of Bats. Souls who are condemned must pass by
him; he drinks their BLOOD. A Mayan legend tells of two
brothers who were condemned. When they passed by
Zotz, he bit off the head of one of them. The other brother
replaced the head with a nearby tortoise, which restored
the boy to life.