ARIMANIUS, the evil god of the ancient Persians. The Persian magi held two principles—a good demon or god, and an evil one; the first the author of all good, and the other of all evil: the former they supposed to be represented by light, and the latter by darkness, as their truest symbols. The good principle they named Yezad or Yezdan, and Ormazd or Hormizd, which the Greeks wrote Oromasdes; and the evil demon they called Ahriman, and the Greeks Arimanius. Some of the magians held both these principles to have been from all eternity; but this sect was reputed heterodox, the original doctrine being that the good principle only was eternal, and the other created.