Mehregan

The Tale of Mehregan – Dr. Anthony Shay 1998

During the reign of Jamshid, the king appointed lesser kings to be his deputies. One such man was Merdas, king of the people who inhabited the vast Arabian deserts. He was renowned for his kindness and generosity. Merdas kept his heart and thoughts pure. Each night he performed his prayers, bathing himself in pure water to prepare himself to worship Ahura Mazda. Merdas had a son, pure and noble, a great hero of the kingdom, and Merdas loved him greatly. His name was Zahhak. But such love and purity were an affront to Ahriman whose evil power was spreading throughout the world.

One day in the guise of the charming Eblis, Ahriman appeared to Zahhak and through flattery slowly took over the young man's mind. He said to Zahhak, "I have many secrets to show you and I will make you stronger and more powerful than any man on earth,"

Greatly taken in, Zahhak replied, "Show me. Instruct me."

"In order to rule the earth, you must kill your father, he is old and of no use. Why should he have what is rightfully yours?" the Devil said in silken tones. But Zahhak, still not totally the slave of evil, was horrified. "I can not kill my father whom I love. It is a sin."

At that, Eblis was mightily displeased and crafted a deep pit and covered it with straw, so that as the old king, Merdas, trod down the path from his bathing pool to his place of prayer, he fell into the shaft and was broken into pieces.

Thus Zahhak inherited the kingdom, and Ahriman again appeared before the unsuspecting Zahhak as a fair youth wishing to show honor to the new king. "Your Excellency," the shining youth smiled, "I am a fine cook and I wish only to prepare special dishes for you."

Zahhak was greatly pleased. Until this time mankind had eaten only vegetables, fruits, and grains that Jamshid had taught through the arts of agriculture. They had never eaten of the flesh of animals. And so it was that Ahriman began to prepare the meat of...