BABYLON AND PERSIA

154 MEDIA, BABYLON, AND PERSIA.ily be adduced, but they are too indistinct and sub¬tle to allow of discussion in a merely popular work.There is one, however, too peculiar and striking tobe passed over; it is the strange transformation un¬dergone by the Fravashis, or glorified spirits of thedeparted, who, as we can establish cleariy, and with¬out straining a point, originally answer to the Pitrisof the Veda (see pp. 83, ff.).' That of the host of " thegood, strong, 'beneficent Fravashis of the faithful,"those of the first and sainted champions of the truefaith should be honored with a special reverence, isright and natural, and there is nothing startling inthe long litany (over twenty pages) which recallsthem all by name, repeating the same form of invo¬cation, beginning with " the.Fravashi of the holy Zara¬thushtra, who first thought what is good, who firstspoke what is good, who first did what is _good.... who first knew and first taught,"and end¬ing with this beautiful proclamation of universalbrotherhood : " We worship the Fravashis of the holymen in the Aryan countries, ... of the holywomen in the Aryan countries, ... of theholy men, of the holy women in the Turanian coun¬tries, ... of the holy men, the holy women inall countries." From these unsubstantial spirits tothe host of heavenly warriors, " with helms of brass,with weapons of brass, with armor of brass, whostruggle in the fights for victory in garments of light,arraying the battles. and bringing them forwards, tokill thousands of daevas," who help their own peo¬ple in their wars, who fight for the waters to be dis¬tributed to their clans, the transition, by 'a bold