The Persian Empires of antiquity were vast and powerful, and many of their subjects were devout Zoroastrians - a monotheistic religion that worshiped Ahura Mazda and abhorred his opposite, the evil Ahriman. Ahriman was the creator of all the impurity of the world, including the powers of witchcraft. Yet despite this zealous hatred of magic, the priesthood of Zoroaster, the Magi, gave the west an ironic legacy...   Today's episode primarily relied on: The Book of Arda Viraf The Sixteen Perfect Lands of Ahura Mazda, and the Many Plagues of Ahriman For a full show bibliography, please see the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices