In the Gathas The concept of
akem manah is already attested in the
Gathas, the oldest texts of Zoroastrianism and believed to have been composed by
Zoroaster himself. In two of the three instances where the term is used in these ancient texts,
akem manah is an attribute of humans. In
Yasna 33.4, the poet promises to counter his own "disobedience and
aka manah" through worship. In
Yasna 47.5,
aka manah is the motivation (the state of mind) that causes deceitful actions. In the third instance where the term appears, Akem Manah is a property of the
daevas, entities that in later Zoroastrianism are demons but in the Gathas are gods that are to be rejected. There, in
Yasna 32.3, the
daevas are identified as the offspring, not of
angra mainyu, but of
akem manah. Related to, but not entirely equivalent to
akem manah, are other terms that express similar ideas. The first is
aka mainyu "evil spirit" or "evil instrument," which in the Gathas is contrasted with
spenta mainyu "bounteous spirit," the instrument through which
Ahura Mazda realized ("with his thought") creation. The other term is
angra mainyu "destructive spirit," which in Zoroastrian tradition is the epitome of evil, but in the Gathas is the other absolute antitheses of
spenta mainyu. Gathic
akem manah may also be equated with
acishtem manah "worst thinking," which reflects the later Zoroastrian opposition between
akem manah and
vohu manah, "good purpose." In
Yasna 32.13, the abode of the wicked is
acishtem manah.
In the Younger Avesta In the
Younger Avesta, Akem Manah is unambiguously a demonic entity, an auxiliary of
Angra Mainyu. In
Yasht 19.46, Aka Manah,
Aeshma,
Azi Dahaka and Spityura battle
Vohu Manah,
Asha Vahishta and
Atar for the possession of
khvarenah. Later in the same hymn (19.96), Aka Manah is predicted to be in battle with Vohu Manah at the final renovation of the world, at which time Aka Manah – as all the other
daevas also - will be vanquished. In
Vendidad 19's account of the temptation of
Zoroaster, Aka Manah poses ninety-nine questions to weaken the prophet's conviction in Ahura Mazda. Zoroaster does not succumb to the trick. ==In tradition and folklore==