________________
374
APPENDIX.
'And Aûharmazd spoke thus: "Stand off, thou soul of Keresâsp! for thou shouldst be hideous in my eyes, because the fire, which is my son', was extinguished by thee, and no care of it was provided by thee."
'And the soul of Keresâsp spoke thus: "Forgive me, O Aûharmazd! and grant me the best existence! grant me the supreme heaven! The serpent (azo) Srôvbar is slain outright, which was swallowing horses and swallowing men, and its teeth were as long as my arm, its ear was as large as fourteen blankets (namado), its eye was as large as a wheel, and its horn was as much as Dahâk in height. And I was running as much as half a day on its back, till its head was smitten by me at the neck with a club made for my hand, and it was slain outright by me. And if that serpent had not been slain by me, all thy creatures would have been completely annihilated by it, and thou wouldst never have known a remedy for Aharman."
'Aûharmazd spoke thus: "Stand off! for the fire, which is my son, was extinguished by thee."
'Keresâsp spoke thus: "Grant me, O Aûharmazd! that best existence, the supreme heaven! for by me Gandarep was slain outright, by whom twelve
5
1 Fire is often called 'the son of Ahura-mazda' in the Avesta, as in Yas. II, 18, Vend. V, 9, &c.
* The Srvara of Yas. IX, 34, Zamyâd Yt. 40. The Persian version has merely azdahâ, 'a dragon.'
3 Or it may be shâk, 'a bough.' The Persian version has 'eighty cubits.'
The Persian version adds 'and as I looked into its mouth, men were still hanging about its teeth;' which was evidently suggested by what is stated in the account of the next exploit.
See p. 371, note 3.
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