Druj (also spelled drug or druj; Old Persian drauga) is the Zoroastrian concept of the Lie: deceit, falsehood and the disorder that opposes Asha, the principle of truth and right order. Central to Zoroastrian ethics from the Gathas onward, druj names both a moral failing and a destructive cosmic force, and in later texts it is personified as a female demon.
Druj at a glance
| Language | Avestan druj- (feminine noun) |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Lie, deceit, falsehood |
| Variants | Drug, Druj; Old Persian drauga; Persian dorugh |
| Opposite | Asha (truth, right order) |
| Adherents called | Dregvant (followers of the Lie) |
| Tradition | Zoroastrianism |
Name and meaning
The Avestan word druj- is a feminine noun usually translated "lie" or "deceit." It comes from an Indo-European root meaning "to deceive or harm," related to Vedic Sanskrit druh (injury, a harmful demon), German Trug (deception) and modern Persian dorugh (lie). This entry uses the spelling "drug," found in older English scholarship, but it has nothing to do with medicines; the usual modern spelling is Druj.
Scholars debate how best to render the concept. Some prefer "falsehood" in a moral sense, others "deceptive order" or "chaos," because druj is defined above all as the negation of Asha. In Zoroastrian thought, Asha is what truly is and what builds up creation; druj is what is not, and what corrupts and destroys.
Druj in the Gathas
In the Gathas, the hymns traditionally attributed to Zoroaster, druj appears repeatedly in direct contrast to Asha. Humanity is divided between the ashavan, those who follow truth, and the dregvant, the "partisans of the Lie." Every person must choose between them, and the choice shapes their destiny.
The Gathas speak of a "House of the Lie" as the abode awaiting the deceitful after death, set against the "House of Song" where the righteous dwell with Ahura Mazda. The daevas, the old gods rejected by Zoroaster, are described as having chosen wrongly and sided with deception.
The Lie in Achaemenid inscriptions
The concept is also central to the royal inscriptions of the Persian Achaemenid dynasty. In the great Behistun inscription, Darius I (reigned 522 to 486 BCE) repeatedly explains the revolts against him by saying that the Lie (drauga) made the rebel provinces rebellious, and that the rebel leaders "lied." He urges future kings to guard themselves against the Lie and to punish the man who is a follower of it.
Historians continue to discuss how far the Achaemenid kings were Zoroastrians in a later sense, but the opposition of arta (truth) and drauga in their inscriptions shows how deeply this pair of ideas shaped ancient Iranian political and moral language.
Personification and demons
In the Younger Avesta and later Middle Persian literature, druj is often personified as a female demonic being and used as a general term for demonic forces, so that individual demons can be called drujs. The best known is the Druj Nasu, the demon of corpses and contamination, believed to rush upon a dead body and spread impurity. Much of the purity law of the Vendidad concerns protecting the living from her.
Druj is closely associated with Angra Mainyu (Ahriman), the Destructive Spirit, and with the arch-demons who oppose the Amesha Spentas. Zoroastrian teaching nonetheless presents these forces as ultimately limited and destined to be defeated.
Eschatology and ethics today
Zoroastrian eschatology foresees a final renovation of the world, Frashokereti, when the Lie will be overcome and creation restored to perfection. The future savior, the Saoshyant, plays a central role in this victory. At the individual level, the soul is judged after death at the Chinvat Bridge, where the deeds of truth and of the Lie are weighed; the yazata Rashnu presides over this reckoning.
For Zoroastrians today, the opposition of Asha and druj is chiefly an ethical call. The triad of good thoughts, good words and good deeds is the practical means of strengthening truth and weakening the Lie in everyday life, and honesty remains one of the most emphasized virtues of the faith.
Related concepts
Druj is best understood within a network of Zoroastrian ideas. Its positive counterpart, Asha, is guarded by Asha Vahishta, one of the Amesha Spentas. Its chief ally is Angra Mainyu, known in later Persian as Ahriman, and its servants are the daevas. Beings who defend the faithful against it include the yazatas, notably Sraosha, who protects the soul and battles demons of the night.
The broader pattern of a struggle between truth and falsehood has invited comparison with other forms of religious dualism, including Manichaeism. Scholars stress, however, that Zoroastrian dualism is ethical and temporary: the Lie is real and active, but it is not eternal, and the good creation is not itself evil.
Related entries
Frequently asked questions
What is druj in Zoroastrianism?
Druj is the Zoroastrian principle of the Lie: deceit, falsehood and the chaos that opposes Asha, truth and right order. It is both an ethical category, describing dishonest and destructive behavior, and a cosmic force associated with Angra Mainyu and the demons. Followers of the Lie are called dregvant, while followers of truth are called ashavan.
What is the difference between Asha and Druj?
Asha is truth, righteousness and the right ordering of the world, the principle upheld by Ahura Mazda. Druj is its exact negation: falsehood, disorder and destruction. Zoroastrian thought treats them as the two fundamental options facing every person, who must choose truth through good thoughts, good words and good deeds.
Who is the Druj Nasu?
The Druj Nasu is a female demon of Zoroastrian tradition associated with death, corpses and contamination. She is believed to take possession of a dead body and spread impurity to anything that touches it. Many rules in the Vendidad concerning the handling of the dead, and later funeral customs, were designed to contain her influence.
Sources and further reading
- Druj- · Encyclopaedia Iranica
- Asha · Wikipedia
- Mary Boyce, Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices (1979) · Routledge
This entry replaces an article from the original Mystica encyclopedia (online since 2001). It was rewritten from the sources above by The Mystica Editorial Team under our editorial standards. Last reviewed: September 30, 2026.