Myth Madness

The Origin of Humans in Zoroastrianism

Nathan Rutherford Season 4 Episode 2

In this episode (64) I cover the creation of humans according to ancient Zoroastrian religious texts. I talk about the role of Gayomart (aka Keyumars), the prototypical First Man, and how he fought against the supreme evil spirit Ahriman. To understand how these myths changed over time, I compare the Zoroastrian version to what is written in the Shahnameh, a medieval Persian epic poem. I also discuss the first couple Mashya and Mashyana and how their descendants spread over the Earth.