Bestiary

In Parsan religion, the entirety of the natural and supernatural world is divided into beneficent beings and evil beings. This goes for the plants, for the animals, and for the supernatural beings as well.    Lets take animals for an example. Beneficent animals are those such as cattle, dogs, and other domestic animals, which all play important roles in promoting civilization. In the opposing camp, “evil animals” are creatures potentially harmful to civilized beings and their agricultural crops or else hideous and obnoxious in aspect. Beneficent animals can be tamed and eaten or sacrificed to the deities. Evil animals are regarded as inedible, unacceptable as sacrificial offerings; they should be killed.    The bipartition of beings into beneficent and harmful represents without doubt one of the most original aspects of the Parsan religious worldview.