Bundahishn 13

On the nature of seas it says in revelation, that the wide-formed ocean keeps one-third of this earth on the south side of the border of Alburz, and so wide-formed is the ocean that the water of a thousand lakes is held by it, such as the source Arêdvivsûr, which some say is the fountain lake.

Every particular lake is of a particular kind, some are great, and some are small; some are so large that a man with a horse might compass them around in forty days, which is 1700 leagues (parasang) in extent.

Through the warmth and clearness of the water, purifying more than other waters, everything continually flows from the source Arêdvivsûr.

At the south of Mount Albûrz a hundred thousand golden channels are there formed, and that water goes with warmth and clearness, through the channels, on to Hugar the lofty; on the summit of that mountain is a lake; into that lake it flows, becomes quite purified, and comes back through a different golden channel.

At the height of a thousand men an open golden branch from that channel is connected with Mount Aûsîndôm amid the wide-formed ocean; from there one portion flows forth to the ocean for the purification of the sea, and one portion drizzles in moisture upon the whole of this earth, and all the creations of Aûharmazd acquire health from it, and it dispels the dryness of the atmosphere.

Of the salt seas three are principal, and twenty-three are small.

Of the three which are principal, one is the Pûtîk, one the Kamrud, and one the Sahi-bûn.

Of all three the Pûtik' is the largest, in which is a flow and ebb, on the same side as the wide-formed ocean, and it is joined to the wide-formed ocean.

Amid this wide-formed ocean, on the Pûtîk side, it has a sea which they call the Gulf (var) of Satavês.

Thick and salt the stench wishes to go from the sea Pûtîk to the wide-formed ocean; with a mighty high wind therefrom, the Gulf of Satavês drives away whatever is stench, and whatever is pure and clean goes into the wide-formed ocean and the source Arêdvivsûr; and that flows back a second time to Pûtîk. II. The control of this sea (the Pûtîk) is connected with the moon and wind; it comes again and goes down, in increase and decrease, because of her revolving.

The control' also of the Gulf of Satavês is attached to the constellation Satavês, in whose protection are the seas of the southern quarter, just as those on the northern side are in the protection of Haptôk-ring.

Concerning the flow and ebb it is said, that everywhere from the presence of the moon two winds continually blow, whose abode is in the Gulf of Satavês, one they call the down-draught, and one the up-draught; when the up-draught blows it is the flow, and when the down-draught blows it is the ebb.

In the other seas there is nothing of the nature of a revolution of the moon therein, and there are no flow and ebb.

The sea of Kamrud is that which they pass by, in the north, in Taparistân; that of Sahi-bûn is in Arum.

Of the small seas that which was most wholesome was the sea Kyânsîh, such as is in Sagastân; at first, noxious creatures, snakes, and lizards (vazagh) were not in it, and the water was sweeter than in any of the other seas; later (dadîgar) it became salt; at the closest, on account of the stench, it is not possible to go so near as one league, so very great are the stench and saltness through the violence of the hot wind.

When the renovation of the universe occurs it will again become sweet.