Perisas: the fairies of death

Perisas: the fairies of death.

The Perisas They belong to a species of fairies that emerged during the cultural heyday of Zoroastrianism, related to the repugnant Towers of Silence, where the corpses of the executed slowly decomposed in the open air.

Let us remember that Zoroastrianism considers the human corpse as an impure object, which is why it is prohibited from coming into contact with the pure elements of the earth, for example, fire.

For this reason the bodies were deposited in the Towers of Silence, buildings where the corrupted flesh was consumed neatly by vultures and the arid winds of the desert.

Now, the remains of these abominable feasts were usually scattered by the wind, which would be a real misfortune if the officious Perisas did not exist.

These fairies ensure that the putrefaction process does not alter the normal behavior of the earth, in short, the nutritional source of all living beings. Over time, the Perisas gradually abandoned their sepulchral occupation to adopt more spiritual occupations.

They were no longer seen hovering over the towers and inhaling the ashes of corpses, but rather as intermediaries between human anxieties and their final destiny.

Since then, the Perisas guard the passage of death, that is, the first moments where the disembodied soul passes through the veils of a confusion so strong that, in the first instance, it makes it doubt its condition as a spirit.

The Perisas patiently accompany the spirit in its transition from the gross and finite to the unknown. Perhaps that is why during the Middle Ages they were known as the Death Fairies.