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DÎNÂ-Î MAÎNÔG-Î KHIRAD.
the sea will die. 36. Because, if he does not specially perform that celebration of the ceremonial, and does not pour that holy-water into the sea-where those innumerable noxious creatures shall utterly perish — then, whenever the rain shall rain, the noxious creatures have to rain just like rain.
37. 'The nest of the griffon bird? is on the tree opposed to harm, the many-seeded s. 38. Whenever he rises aloft a thousand twigs will shoot out from that tree, (39) and when he alights he breaks off the thousand twigs and bites the seed from them. 40. And the bird Kinâmrôs4 alights likewise in that vicinity ; (41) and his work is this, that he collects those seeds which are bitten from the tree of many seeds, which is opposed to harm, and he scatters (pargandêd) them there where Tistaró seizes the water ; (42) so that, while Tistar shall seize the water, together with those seeds of all kinds, he shall rain them on the world with the rain.'
1 L19 has and those innumerable noxious creatures do not utterly perish.'
* The Senô-muray (Av. saểno meredhô) or Simurgh, a mythic flying creature said to suckle its young and to be of three natures like the bat (see Bd. XIV, 11, 24, XIX, 18).
8 L19 has of all seeds. This tree, from which all wild plants are supposed to spring, is said to grow in the sea near the Gôkarn tree, and also in Aîrân-vêgô (see Bd. IX, 5, 6, XVIII, 9, XXVII, 2, XXIX, 5).
• The chief of mythic birds next to the Sênô-mûrûv; he is said to defend Irân from invasion by occasionally picking up foreign districts like grains of corn (see Bd. XIX, 15, XXIV, 29).
o The angel who personifies the star Tîstar (Sirius, see Chap. XLIX, 5, 6), after a conflict with the demons of drought and thunder (see Bd. VII, 1-13), pours down rain from the cloud, in which he had brought the water from the sea.
• Originally, the archangel Amerodad (see Chap. II, 34) is said
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