Duzakh (in Persian دوزخ) is hell in the Persian mythology.
This word was dao‘aη úha- in Avestan and dušox in Middle Persian.
Hell, in Zorostrianism is described as a deep well, terrifying because it is dark, stinking, and extremely narrow. The smallest of the xrafstars (harmful creatures) are as big as mountains, and all devour and destroy the soul of the damned.
There happens the most horrible punishments and tortures adapted to the sins committed by the damned. There is much emphasis on sexual crimes, but also on other actions disapproved of by Mazdean ethics.
Duzakh is firstly the residence of Ahriman, the demons, and the drujes ("deceit, falsehood"). All atmospheric calamities are associated with it: snow, cold, hail, rain, burning heat, and so forth.
Duzakh is used as a word for hell in many languages including Pashto, Kurdish, Turkmen, Uzbek, Bengali, Punjabi and Urdu. Also the word for hell in Georgian, ჯოჯოხეთი/Dzjodzjokheti, is of the same Persian origin.
Sources
- Encyclopædia Iranica: Iranian Religions: Zoroastrianism: Hell & its Concept in the Iranian Culture, By: Philippe Gignoux.
- Zâdspram, Wizîdagîhâ, ed. and tr. with comm. Philippe Gignoux and Ahmad Tafazzoli as Anthologie de Zâdspram, Paris, 1994.
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