Fragrances and Crowns: Metaphors of Scent and Royalty in Zoroastrian and Manichaean Eschatology

A survey into Zoroastrian and Manichaean eschatology provides a comparative and contrastive framework of metaphors, partly dealing with olfactory imagination (flowers, garlands, gardens, perfumes) and partly dealing with royal symbolism (encoding heroic and warlike imageries as well). Both series point to specific features of the otherworld: first, the ambiance of uncorrupted, unfading and evergreen life, plenty of freshness, beauty, and fragrance (this is the ‘static’ condition, related to the place); second, the royal condition of the immortal soul denoted by sovereignty, victory, and emblems of power such as the crown, diadem, clothing, and throne (this is the ‘dynamic’ condition, related to human efforts and ‘conquest’ of salvation’s prizes). However, the Iranian background common to both systems (Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism) is not the only side of comparison: the Christian and Gnostic heritage together with the Buddhist aspect have to be considered to grasp the multifaceted reality of Manichaeism and its versatile conceptions of soteriology and eschatology. Furthermore, beyond Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism, a certain Iranian pattern of royal and warlike imageries is clearly discernible even in other Iranianate textualities pertaining to New Testament apocrypha such as the Hymn of the Pearl, addressed to a multi-confessional audience.