The Irish standard., 1896-12-05
ARMENIA DEVIL WoRsHlPERs
Doubtful of the Hereafter. They
Cast an Anchor to Nimlward.

S6St un AHCnOE 10 W 1mNWaFWa
The Yescedees, or devil worshipers Of
Armenia are not reticent about their Pc
culiar rites Briefly their theory seems
to he that the modern devil, embodying,
as he does, every form of evil, physical,
mental and moral, combines In his char
acter attributes which, In former days,
were once divided among many. He is
made accountable for all manner Of evil
in the material world, which was formerly
the business OF demons, and he is also
endowed with powers amounting almost
to omniscience, onnipresence and
omnipotence, which hetray his an
gelic, and even god-like char
acter He is not only invested with
the temporary monarchy of the world, but
is to a great extent looked upon as WELD
ing an undisputed sway over hell and
death. Among the more educated and
enlightened classes he is spiritualiZed SO
as to present himself from a moral point
Of view only; but among the large masses
Of those who believe in him he Is thought
Of in some monstrous form created by
superstition and inherited by tradition.
Independently of Ill these characteristics.
uG 0uJOyS HIS CW1 CSICS4elA 1AVuOpOAy VI
unqualified malignity, doing evil for evils
sake.
There is a clear and well-defined dis
tinction between demon and a devil.
They are both spiritual beings, but their
attributes are essentially. different. Or
iginally there we're good as well as. evil
demons, who became extensively ldentl-
fed with the malignant forces of nature.
Even then, however, their baneful inf1u-
ences were, in principal not the result
of desire to injure, but Simply the per-
Torrance Of their natural office. The full
fillment of this office did not always nee
essarily work injury, and might at times
be mixed with good: whereas, the evils
ascribed to the devil had their sole origin
and motive in pure malignity. .
The Yescedees, or devil worshipers, as
cribing this fierce malignity to the devil,
think it we'll to propitiate him. Whatever
may be his position in heaven, it does not
affect his power to work evil on earth,
and Therefore they deem it prudent to
worship him lot knowing where they may
one day find themselves.
The great symbol which the Yescedees
worship is the Melek Taoos-King Pea
cock. The origin Of this pavonian adora
ton is that when our Saviour was suffer-
ing on the cross, in the absence of His
disciples and friends, the devil took Him
down and carried Him to heaven. When
the Marys came and could not find our
Lord, they inquired Of the devil what had
become of Him. The poor women would
Used to do so If the devil would take the
pieces of fowl which he was eating and
bring the bird back to life.
The devil assented to this proposal, and,
bringing back bone to bone, the cock ap-
peared and crowed. He then announced
his real character, and they expressed
their establishment in burst of admira-
ton, and the devil departed, after having
informed the Marys that he would appear
to his beloved as beautiful fowl.
The peacock was thus chosen as the pri-
mary Yescedee symbol. 1t resembles
cock rather than a peacock, and is fixed
on the top Of candlestick, which has
lamps around it, each lamp containing
seven burners. 90.
h Every year all deyout Yescedees repair
to the shrine Of their saint, Sheikh Ali
whom they believe to be greater than
Christ. This shrine is situated 20 miles
east of Rabban Hormzud. Their one
Yescedee poem is the eulogy Of Sheikh
Ali:
ssWho desireth me must forsake the world.
| am he that spake a true word.
The highest heavens are for those who
5 obey me. @
sought out truth and became the estab
Usher of truth. ....
And with similar truth shall they att
tain to the highest line like me-"
Each family brings 9 meat offering to
Sheikh Ali, which is thrown into an enor-
nous caldron- and every morning a share
Of the meat finds its way to the heads OF
families, N
The whole Of sheikh Ais valley is holy
ground. Beneath the shadow OF green
trees and by the sides of Its babbling
brooks the Yescedees have grand votive
dance, which lasts four or five days, After
the dance is over the children are bro light
to be baptized in the holy fountain, which
is supposed to be connected with the Zem-
Zem Of Mecca, and offerings OF rugs ana
blankets are made at the shrine.
On the western side OF the shrine OF
Sheikh Ali are numerous hierogly phical
letters, the purport of which is unknown n
TO the priests. Serpents, shepherds,
crooks, sharp beaked birds, cocks combs
and other objects are represented, pos
sibly the work of an impious. builder, but
more probably significant Of certain doc