Azarnouche, Samra. 2024. Tectonique des mythes. Croyances et théories zoroastriennes sur le tremblement de terre. Revue de l’histoire des religions 241(2). 275–297.
While the earthquake is primarily a cosmogonic act provoked by the intrusion of Evil into Ohrmazd’s world, the Zoroastrian accounts describing the phenomenon also bear witness to a striking confluence of myth, mechanistic theories and biological analogies. The tradition conveyed by the texts (Bundahišn 21e, Dēnkard III.93 and Dādestān ī Dēnīg 69) attributes the earthquake sometimes to the demon Čišmag and his atmospheric acolytes, sometimes to the sorcerer Frāsyāb, two figures who also have in common that they are associated with drought. Some episodes featuring them also include a mysterious appearance by Spandarmad, the Earth goddess. These elements indicate that the Zoroastrian aetiology of earthquakes was far more narratively complex than the texts handed down to us give us to understand.
Abstract
The above article is part of an issue dedicated to earthquakes:
Azarnouche, Samra, Muriel Debié & Vassa Kontouma (eds.). 2024. Quand la terre tremble: apprivoiser le choc des séismes dans les temps anciens. Revue de l’histoire des religions 241(2).