View source for Ahura Mazda

{{Short description|Highest deity of Zoroastrianism}}
{{Redirect|Ormuzd|the kingdom of Ohrmuzd|Ormus}}
{{Redirect-multi|3|Hormazd|Hormozd|Hurmuzd|persons with these names, such as several Sassanid kings|Hormizd (disambiguation){{!}}Hormizd}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Zoroastrian
| deity_of = Ahura Mazda <br /> Lord of Wisdom <br /> God of the Sky
| image = [[File:Naqshe Rostam Darafsh Ordibehesht 93 (35).JPG|300px]]
| caption = [[Sasanian Empire|Sassanid]]-era relief at [[Naqsh-e Rostam]] depicting Ahura Mazda presenting the [[diadem]] of sovereignty to [[Ardashir I]]
| other_names = Ahura, Ormazd, Hormazd, Hormuz
| script_name = [[Avestan]]
| script = Ahura Mazdā 𐬀𐬵𐬎𐬭𐬀⸱𐬨𐬀𐬰𐬛𐬁
| gender = Male
| attributes = The Great Wise One, The Creator of Existence, The one who establishes the Order of Existence ([[Asha]]), The Judge
| symbol = Light, Goodness
| affiliation = The Thirty-Three Deities, [[List of Zoroastrian month days|Guardians of the Days of the Month]]
| day = 1st of each month in the [[Iranian calendar]], [[Thursday]] of each week
| sacred_flower = [[Myrtus]]
| festivals = [[Nowruz]]
| parents = [[Zurvan (God)|Zurvan]] (only in [[Zurvanism]])
| siblings = [[Ahriman]]
| children = All Yaztas, especially [[Amesha Spenta]], [[Keyumars]], [[Mashya and Mashyana]]
| spouse = [[Spenta Armaiti]]
}}
{{Zoroastrianism sidebar}}
{{God|by religion}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Use Oxford spelling|date=December 2021}}

'''Ahura Mazda'''<ref group="n">{{bulletedlist|{{langx|ae|{{script|Avst|𐬀𐬵𐬎𐬭𐬀⸱𐬨𐬀𐬰𐬛𐬁}}|Ahura Mazdā}}, {{IPA|ae|ahuˈra mazˈdaː|pron}}; {{lit|Wisdom Lord}}|{{Langx|fa|اهورا مزدا|Ahurâ Mazdâ}}, {{IPA|fa|ʔæɦuːˌɹɒː mæzˈdɒː|pron}}}}</ref> ({{IPAc-en|ə|ˌ|h|ʊər|ə|_|ˈ|m|æ|z|d|ə}} {{respell|ə-HOOR|ə MAZ-də}}),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ahura%20mazda |title=Ahura Mazda &#124; Definition of Ahura Mazda by Merriam-Webster |publisher=Merriam-webster.com |access-date=2016-01-11}}</ref> also known as '''Ormazd'''<ref group="n">{{Langx|fa|ارمزد}} {{IPA|fa|oɹˈmæzd|}}</ref><ref group="n">The former is the New Persian rendering of the Avestan form, while the latter derives from Middle Persian.</ref> and '''Horomazes''',<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cristian |first=Radu |title=Ahura Mazda |url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Ahura_Mazda/ |access-date=2023-05-17 |website=World History Encyclopedia |date=13 March 2017 |language=en}}</ref><ref group="n">{{bulletedlist|{{langx|grc|Ὡρομάζης|Hōromázēs}}, {{IPA|grc|hɔːroˈmázdɛːs|pron}}|{{Langx|fa|هرمز|Hormaz}}, {{IPA|fa|hoɹˈmæz|pron}}}}</ref> is the principal [[God]] and [[sky deity]] in [[Zoroastrianism]].<ref name=":14">{{Cite book |last=Wilkinson |first=Philip |title=Illustrated Dictionary of Religions |publisher=[[DK (publisher)|DK]] |year=1999 |isbn=0-7894-4711-8 |editor-last=Spilling |editor-first=Michael |edition=First American |location=New York |pages=70 |author-link=Philip Wilkinson (author) |editor-last2=Williams |editor-first2=Sophie |editor-last3=Dent |editor-first3=Marion}}</ref><ref name="g386">{{cite journal | last=Choksy | first=Jamsheed K. | title=Hagiography and Monotheism in History: Doctrinal encounters between Zoroastrianism, Judaism and Christianity 1 | journal=Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations | volume=14 | issue=4 | date=2003 | issn=0959-6410 | doi=10.1080/0959641032000127560 | pages=407–421 | url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0959641032000127560 | access-date=29 July 2025| url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name="q930">{{cite journal | last=Hintze | first=Almut | title=Monotheism the Zoroastrian Way | journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland | volume=24 | issue=2 | date=2014 | issn=0035-869X | doi=10.1017/S1356186313000333 | doi-access=free | pages=225–249 | url=https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/18346/1/078%202014%20JRAS%2024%20225-249%20Monotheism.pdf | access-date=29 July 2025}}</ref> He is the first and most frequently invoked spirit in the ''[[Yasna]]''. The literal meanings of the words ''[[Wikt:Ahura|Ahura]]'' and ''[[Wikt:Mazda|Mazda]]'' are "lord" and "wisdom", respectively.

The first notable invocation of Ahura Mazda occurred during the [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid period]] ({{Circa|550–330 BC}}) with the [[Behistun Inscription]] of [[Darius the Great]]. Until the reign of [[Artaxerxes II]] ({{Circa|405/404–358 BC}}), Ahura Mazda was worshipped and invoked alone in all extant royal inscriptions. With Artaxerxes II, Ahura Mazda was gathered into a [[Triad (religion)|triad]] of deities with [[Mithra]] and [[Anahita]]. In the Achaemenid period, the only known representation of Ahura Mazda at the royal court was an empty chariot drawn by white horses, which was used to invite Ahura Mazda to accompany the [[Military history of Iran#Achaemenid Era|Persian army]] into battle.

Ahura Mazda was depicted in images starting from the 5th century BC, but during the [[Sassanid period]], these depictions were replaced by stone-carved figures—and eventually removed entirely—due to an [[iconoclastic]] movement supported by the [[Sasanian dynasty]].

==Nomenclature==
The most likely etymology is from [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] ''*h₂ḿ̥suros'', from ''*h₂ems-'' ("to engender, beget"), and therefore it is cognate with [[Sanskrit]] ''[[asura|ásura]]''<ref>{{cite thesis |editor1=UESUGI, Heindio |editor2=CATT, Adam Alvah |title=Old Avestan Dictionary |series=Asian and African Lexicon |volume=67 |publisher=Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa; Tokyo Language of Foreign Studies |date=2024 |pages=14–15 |isbn=9784863375420 |url=https://tufs.repo.nii.ac.jp/records/2000891?fbclid=IwY2xjawIjxtpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHU_wEN8RlNX-wtTxQwPC1vz6TMALFWt3X7LyHH1mKEafRc1LPERE55jYDA_aem_sq4WyS6sHMu9Q84BIgwaug}}</ref> and [[Proto-Germanic language|Proto-Germanic]] ''*ansuz''. Finnish Indologist [[Asko Parpola]] locates a borrowing from [[Proto-Indo-Aryan language|Proto-Indo-Aryan]] ''*asera-'' to the [[Uralic languages]], with the meaning 'lord, prince'.<ref name="asko">{{Cite book |first=Asko |last=Parpola |date=2015 |title=The Roots of Hinduism: The Early Aryans and the Indus Civilization |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |page=114 |isbn=978-0190226923}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |first=Václav |last=Blazek |author-link=Václav Blažek |title=Indo-Iranian elements in Fenno-Ugric mythological lexicon |journal=Indogermanische Forschungen |volume=110 |issue=1 |date=2005 |page=162 |doi=10.1515/9783110185164.162}}</ref>

'Mazda', or rather the Avestan stem-form {{tlit|ae|Mazdā-}}, [[Nominative case|nominative]] {{tlit|ae|Mazdå}}, reflects [[Proto-Iranian language|Proto-Iranian]] ''*mazdáH'' (a [[feminine gender|feminine]] noun). It is generally taken to be the proper name of the spirit and, like its [[Vedic Sanskrit|Vedic]] cognate {{tlit|vsn|medhā́}}, means "[[intelligence]]" or "[[wisdom]]". Both the Avestan and the Sanskrit words reflect [[Proto-Indo-Iranian language|Proto-Indo-Iranian]] [[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-Iranian/mazdʰáH|''*mazdʰáH'']], from [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] {{lang|ine-x-proto|*mn̥sdʰh₁éh₂}}, literally meaning "placing ({{lang|ine-x-proto|*dʰeh₁}}) one's mind ({{lang|ine-x-proto|*mn̥-s}})", hence "wise".{{sfn|Boyce|1983|p=685}}

In [[Old Persian]], during the [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid era]], the name was either depicted using the [[Persian cuneiform|cuneiform]] logograms [[wikt:𐏈|𐏈]] or [[wikt:𐏉|𐏉]] (genitive [[wikt:𐏊|𐏊]]), or spelled out as [[wikt:𐎠𐎢𐎼𐎶𐏀𐎭𐎠|𐎠𐎢𐎼𐎶𐏀𐎭𐎠]] (''a-u-r-m-z-d-a'', ''Auramazdā''). In Parthian, the name was written as [[wikt:𐭀𐭇𐭅𐭓𐭌𐭆𐭃|𐭀𐭇𐭅𐭓𐭌𐭆𐭃]] (''ʾḥwrmzd'', ''Ahurmazd''), while [[wikt:𐭠𐭥𐭧𐭥𐭬𐭦𐭣𐭩|𐭠𐭥𐭧𐭥𐭬𐭦𐭣𐭩]] (''ʾwhrmzdy'', ''Ōhramazdē'') was the [[Middle Persian]] term used during the [[Sassanid era]].{{sfn|Boyce|1983|p=685}}

The name may be attested on [[cuneiform]] tablets of [[Assyria]]n [[Ashurbanipal|Assurbanipal]], in the form ''Assara Mazaš'', but that interpretation is very controversial.{{sfn|Boyce|1975|p=14}}{{Update inline|date=July 2024|reason=The source is almost 50 years old.}}

== Before Zoroastrianism ==
{{original research section|date=August 2025}}
{{See also|Mazdaism}}
Mazdaism is a religion that arose in [[Eastern Iran]], modern-day Afghanistan, and [[Central Asia]] beginning in the early centuries of the first millennium.<ref>Маздаизм // Азәрбајҹан Совет Енсиклопедијасы: [10 ҹилддә]. VI ҹилд: Куба—Мисир. Бакы: Азәрбајҹан Совет Енсиклопедијасынын Баш Редаксијасы. Баш редактор: Ҹ. Б. Гулијев. 1982. С. 302.</ref> Unlike in [[Zoroastrianism]], in Mazdaism Ahura Mazda is one of the gods, equal to [[Mithra]].<ref>''Бойс, Мэри.'' Зороастрийцы. Верования и обычаи. — <abbr>СПб.</abbr>: Петербургское востоковедение, 2003. — 352 с. — ISBN 5-352-00486-4, 5-85803-234-6.</ref>

The worship of Ahura Mazda, as some Zoroastrian historians believe, was not originated by Zoroaster, but existed before the prophet's message. According to Robert Zahner, the pre-Zoroastrian Ahura Mazda was undoubtedly associated with the concept of truth or the idea of some kind of "universal order," as well as with water, light, or the sun.<ref>''[[Robert Charles Zaehner]].'' The dawn and twilight of Zoroastrianism 1961. — 371 p.</ref>

[[Émile Benveniste|Emile Benveniste]] points out that Ahura Mazda is an ancient deity and that the Zoroastrians used this name to refer to the Zoroastrian god. Even the central role assigned to this god in Mazdaism is not a Zoroastrian innovation. The title Mazdaism (worshipper of Mazda) found in Aramaic papyri from the Achaemenid period cannot be evidence that the Achaemenids were Zoroastrian, and the mention of the name Ahura Mazda in stone inscriptions is not evidence of this either. In the Achaemenid inscriptions, not only is Zoroastrianism not mentioned, but nothing else is mentioned that could give these inscriptions a Zoroastrian signal.<ref>بنونیست، امیل. دین ایرانی <bdi>36-31</bdi>. بر پایهٔ متن‌های مهم یونانی. ترجمهٔ بهمن سرکاراتی. تهران: انتشارات بنیاد فرهنگ ایران.</ref>

== Marriage to Spenta Armaiti and Zurvanist theogony ==
{{See also|Xwedodah}}
In some [[Zurvanism|Zurvanist]] narratives, it is mentioned that Zurvan had a wife who gave birth to Ahura Mazda and [[Ahriman]]; later, Ahura Mazda married his mother and had children with her, including the sun, dogs, pigs, donkeys, and cattle.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Foundation |first=Encyclopaedia Iranica |title=Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica |url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/marriage-next-of-kin |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=iranicaonline.org |language=en-US}}</ref>

But in non-Zurvanist Zoroastrian traditions, it is said that Ahura Mazda married his daughter [[Spenta Armaiti]] and she gave birth to Keyumars, and later she gave birth to [[Mashya and Mashyana]]. These traditions are considered to be that Keyumars was born to the same mother as Mashya and Mashyana, and not that Mashya and Mashyana are the children of Keyumars.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GAYŌMARD (ARTICLE 2) |url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/gayomard/ |access-date=2025-05-14 |website=Encyclopaedia Iranica |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Zoroaster's revelation==
According to Zoroastrian tradition, at the age of 30, Zoroaster received a revelation: while fetching water at dawn for a sacred ritual, he saw the shining figure of an [[Amesha Spenta]], [[Vohu Manah]], who led Zoroaster to the presence of Ahura Mazda, where he was taught the cardinal principles of the "Good Religion" later known as [[Zoroastrianism]]. As a result of this vision, Zoroaster felt that he was chosen to spread and preach the religion.{{sfn|Nigosian|1993|p=12}} He stated that this source of all goodness was the Ahura, worthy of the highest worship. He further stated that Ahura Mazda created spirits known as [[Yazata|''yazata''s]] to aid him. Zoroaster proclaimed that some Iranian gods were ''[[daeva]]s'' who deserved no worship. These "bad" deities were created by [[Ahriman|Angra Mainyu]], the destructive spirit. Angra Mainyu was the source of all sin and misery in the universe. Zoroaster claimed that Ahura Mazda used the aid of humans in the cosmic struggle against Angra Mainyu. Nonetheless, Ahura Mazda is Angra Mainyu's superior, not his equal. Angra Mainyu and his ''daevas'', which attempt to attract humans away from the Path of [[Asha]], would eventually be defeated.{{Sfn|Andrea|Overfield|2000|p=86}}

== Plutarch ==
According to [[Plutarch]],<ref>Plutarch (1936). Isis and Osiris. Loeb Classical Library. pp. 46–47; available online: Plutarch (1936). edition at LacusCurtius. pp. 46–47.</ref> [[Zoroaster]] named "[[Arimanius]]" as one of the two rivals who were the artificers of good and evil. In terms of sense perception, Oromazes was to be compared to light, and Arimanius to darkness and ignorance; between these was [[Mithra]]s the Mediator. Arimanius received offerings that pertained to [[Apotropaic magic|warding off evil]] and [[mourning]].

In describing a ritual to Arimanius, Plutarch says the god was invoked as [[Hades]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Reinach |first=S. |year=1909 |translator-last=Simmonds |translator-first=F. |title=Orpheus: A general history of religions |place=London, UK |publisher=Heinemann}}</ref>{{rp|page= 68}} gives the identification as [[Pluto (mythology)|Pluto]], the name of the Greek ruler of the underworld used most commonly in texts and inscriptions pertaining to the [[Greco-Roman mysteries|mystery religions]], and in Greek dramatists and philosophers of Athens in the [[Classical Greece|Classical period]]. Turcan<ref name=Turcan1992>{{cite book |last=Turcan |first=Robert |orig-year=1992 |year=2001 |title=The Cults of the Roman Empire |publisher=Blackwell |language=en}} originally published 1989 in French.</ref>{{rp|page= 232}} notes that Plutarch makes of Arimanius "a sort of [[wikt:tenebrous|tenebrous]] Pluto". Plutarch, however, names the Greek god as ''[[Hades]]'', not the name ''[[Hades|Plouton]]'' used in the [[Eleusinian Mysteries|Eleusinian tradition]]{{efn|For distinctions in usage between the two names, see [[Pluto (mythology)#Mysteries and cult|Pluto in the mysteries and cult]] and [[Pluto (mythology)#In Greek literature and philosophy|Pluto in Greek literature and philosophy]].}} ("The Hidden One") and darkness.{{efn|In Greek religion, [[Hades]] was the ruler of the dead or shades, but not an evil god [[wikt:per se|''per se'']], except in the sense that death might be considered a bad thing – [[Wikt:κακόν|{{math|κακόν}}]], ''kakon''.}}

The Arimanius ritual required an otherwise-unknown plant that Plutarch calls "''[[Haoma|omomi]]''" ([[Haoma]] or [[Soma (drink)|Soma]]), which was to be pounded in a mortar and mixed with the blood of a sacrificed wolf. The substance was then carried to a place "''where the sun never shines''" and cast therein. He adds that "water-rats" belong to this god, and therefore proficient rat-killers are fortunate men.

Plutarch then gives a [[cosmogony|cosmogonical]] myth:
<blockquote>
Oromazes, born from the purest light, and Areimanius, born from darkness, are constantly at war with each other; and Oromazes created six gods, the first of Good Thought, the second of Truth, the third of Order, and, of the rest, one of Wisdom, one of Wealth, and one the Artificer of Pleasure in what is Honourable. But Areimanius created rivals, as it were, equal to these in number. Then Oromazes enlarged himself to thrice his former size, and removed himself as far distant from the Sun as the Sun is distant from the Earth, and adorned the heavens with stars. One star he set there before all others as a guardian and watchman, the [[Sirius|Dog-star]]. Twenty-four other gods he created and placed in [[world egg|an egg]]. But those created by Areimanius, who were equal in number to the others, pierced through the egg and made their way inside; hence evils are now combined with good. But a destined time shall come when it is decreed that Areimanius, engaged in bringing on pestilence and famine, shall by these be utterly annihilated and shall disappear; and then shall the earth become a level plain, and there shall be one manner of life and one form of government for a blessed people who shall all speak one tongue. — Plutarch<ref>{{cite book |author=[[Plutarch]] |title=Moralia |article=Isis and Osiris |at= |publisher=[[University of Chicago]] |article-url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/H/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Moralia/Isis_and_Osiris*/C.html |via=Penelope.UChicago.edu}}</ref><ref name=PlutarchIsis>{{cite book |author=Plutarch |author-link=Plutarch |title=Isis and Osiris |year=1936 |pages=46–47 |publisher=Loeb Classical Library |postscript=;}} available online: {{cite book |author=Plutarch |author-link=Plutarch |year=1936 |title=Isis and Osiris |pages=46–47 |via=[[LacusCurtius]] |publisher=University of Chicago |url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Moralia/Isis_and_Osiris*/C.html#46}}</ref>{{rp|at= 47}}
</blockquote>

Scholar [[Mary Boyce]] asserted that the passage shows a "fairly accurate" knowledge of basic Zoroastrianism.<ref>{{cite book |author1-link=Mary Boyce |last1=Boyce |first1=M. |last2=Grenet |first2=F. |name-list-style=amp |year=1991 |title=A History of Zoroastrianism: Zoroastrianism under Macedonian and Roman rule |pages=458–459 |publisher=Brill}}</ref>

In his ''Life of Themistocles'', Plutarch has the Persian king invoke Arimanius by name, asking the god to cause the king's enemies to behave in such a way as to drive away their own best men; de&nbsp;Jong (1997)<ref name=deJong1997>{{cite book |last=de&nbsp;Jong |first=A. |year=1997 |title=Traditions of the Magi: Zoroastrianism in Greek and Latin literature |publisher=Brill}}</ref>{{rp|page= 313}} doubted that a Persian king would pray to his own national religion's god of evil, particularly in public.

According to Plutarch, the king then made a sacrifice and got drunk – essentially a [[running gag]] on Persian kings in Plutarch's writing, and thus dubious evidence for actual behavior.<ref name=deJong1997/>{{rp|page= 314}}

==History==
===Achaemenid Empire===
{{See also|Religion in the Achaemenid Empire}}[[File:Darius I the Great's inscription.jpg|thumb|The [[Behistun Inscription]] contains many references to Ahura Mazda]]
[[File:CILICIA, Soloi. Tiribazos, Satrap of Lydia. Second reign, 388-380 BC.jpg|thumb|[[Stater]] of [[Tiribazus|Tiribazos]], Satrap of Lydia, {{Circa|380 BC}} showing Ahura Mazda]]

Whether the [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenids]] were Zoroastrians is a matter of much debate. However, it is known that the Achaemenids were worshipers of Ahura Mazda.{{sfn|Bromiley|1995|p=126}} The representation and invocation of Ahura Mazda can be seen on royal inscriptions written by Achaemenid kings.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hanson|first=Victor Davis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XGr16-CxpH8C|title=Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power|date=2007-12-18|publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-307-42518-8|language=en}}</ref> The most notable of all the inscriptions is the [[Behistun Inscription]] written by [[Darius the Great]] which contains many references to Ahura Mazda. An inscription written in Greek was found in a late Achaemenid temple at [[Persepolis]], which invoked Ahura Mazda and two other deities, [[Mithra]] and [[Anahita]]. [[Artaxerxes III]] makes this invocation Ahuramazda again during his reign.

In the [[Elamite language]] Persepolis Fortification Tablets dated between 509 and 494 BC, offerings to Ahura Mazda are recorded in tablets #377, #338 (notably alongside Mitra), #339, and #771.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hallock |first=Richard |url=https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/oip92.pdf |title=Persepolis Fortification Tablets |publisher=The University of Chicago Press |year=1969 |location=Chicago, Illinois |pages=151, 771}}</ref>

The early Achaemenid period contained no representation of Ahura Mazda. The winged symbol with a male figure formerly regarded by European scholars as Ahura Mazda has been now speculated to represent the royal ''[[khvarenah]]'', the personification of divine power and regal glory. However, it was customary for every emperor from [[Cyrus the Great|Cyrus]] until [[Darius III]] to have an empty chariot drawn by white horses as a place for Ahura Mazda to accompany the [[Military history of Iran#Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BCE)|Persian army]] on battles. The use of images of Ahura Mazda began in the western [[satrap]]s of the Achaemenid Empire in the late 5th century BC. Under Artaxerxes II, the first literary reference, as well as a statue of Ahura Mazda, was built by a Persian governor of [[Lydia]] in 365 BC.{{sfn|Boyce|1983|p=686}}

===Parthian Empire===
{{See also|Religion in the Parthian era}}
It is known that the reverence for Ahura Mazda, as well as Anahita and Mithra, continued with the same traditions during this period. The worship of Ahura Mazda with symbolic images is noticed, but it stopped within the Sassanid period. Zoroastrian [[iconoclasm]], which can be traced to the end of the [[Parthian Empire|Parthian]] period and the beginning of the Sassanid, eventually put an end to the use of all images of Ahura Mazda in worship. However, Ahura Mazda remained symbolized by a dignified male figure, standing or on horseback, which is found in Sassanian investiture.{{Sfn|Boyce|1983|p=686}}

===Sasanian Empire===
{{See also|Religion in the Sasanian Empire}}[[File:Irnp105-Grobowce Naqsh-E Rustam.jpg|thumb|Ahura Mazda (on the right, with high crown) presents [[Ardashir I]] (left) with the ring of kingship. ([[Naqsh-e Rostam]], 3rd century AD)]]
[[File:Taghe bostan.JPG|right|thumb|[[Investiture]] scene: [[Anahita]] on the left as the patron ''[[yazata]]'' of the [[Sasanian dynasty]] behind [[Khosrow II|Emperor Khosrow II]], with Ahura Mazda presenting the [[khvarenah]] of sovereignty on the right. [[Taq-e Bostan]], [[Iran]]]]

During the Sassanid Empire, a heretical and divergent{{sfn|Corduan|1998|p=123}}{{sfn|King|2005|p=314}}{{sfn|Whitrow|2003|p=8}} form of [[Zoroastrianism]], termed [[Zurvanism]], emerged. It gained adherents throughout the [[Sasanian Empire]], most notably the royal lineage of [[List of monarchs of the Sasanian Empire|Sasanian emperors]]. Under the reign of [[Shapur I]], Zurvanism spread and became a widespread cult.

Zurvanism revokes Zoroaster's original message of Ahura Mazda as the uncreated spirit and the "uncreated creator" of all and reduces him to a created spirit, one of two twin sons of Zurvan, their father and the primary spirit. Zurvanism also makes Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu of equal strength and only contrasting spirits.

Besides Zurvanism, the Sassanian kings demonstrated their devotion to Ahura Mazda in different fashions. Five kings took the name [[Hormizd (disambiguation)|Hormizd]] and [[Bahram II]] created the title of "Ohrmazd-mowbad", which was continued after the [[Muslim conquest of Persia]] and through Islamic times.

All devotional acts in Zoroastrianism originating from the Sassanian period begin with homage to Ahura Mazda. The five ''[[Gāh]]s'' start with the declaration in [[Middle Persian]] that "Ohrmazd is Lord" and incorporate the [[Gatha (Zoroaster)|Gathic]] verse "Whom, Mazda hast thou appointed my protector". Zoroastrian prayers are to be said in the presence of light, either in the form of fire or the sun. In the Iranian languages [[Yidgha language|Yidgha]] and [[Munji language|Munji]], the sun is still called ''ormozd''.{{Sfn|Boyce|1983|p=686}}

=== Rashidun Caliphate ===
{{See also|Religious influences on Zoroastrianism}}
[[Maneckji Nusserwanji Dhalla]] described the doctrine of the [[Gayomarthians]] sect as another attempt to mitigate the dualism that has always been the essence of Zoroastrianism. This was due to the Prophet Muhammad’s emphasis on monotheism and the Muslims’ mockery of the doctrine of worshipping two gods, which made the Zoroastrians view dualism as a defect, so they added monotheism, which led to the Zoroastrians’ division into sects and he mentions examples of the Zoroastrian attempt to establish a monotheistic belief by diminishing the importance of Ahriman, including that Ahura Mazda and Ahriman were created from time, or that Ahura Mazda himself allowed the existence of evil, or that Ahriman was a corrupt angel who rebelled against Ahura Mazda. Then he mentions the name of a Persian book from the [[15th century|15h century]] in which it is written that the Magi (Zoroastrians) believe that Allah and Iblis are brothers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=M.N. Dhalla: History of Zoroastrianism (1938), part 6, CHAPTER XLVI , DOWNFALL OF THE SASANIANS, AND THE AFTERMATH |url=https://www.avesta.org/dhalla/history6.htm |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=www.avesta.org}}</ref>

===Present-day Zoroastrianism===
In 1884, [[Martin Haug]] proposed a new interpretation of ''Yasna'' 30.3 that subsequently influenced Zoroastrian doctrine significantly. According to Haug's interpretation, the "twin spirits" of 30.3 were Angra Mainyu and Spenta Mainyu, the former being literally the "Destructive Spirit"<ref group="n">For an explanation of the approximation of ''mainyu'' as "spirit", see [[Angra Mainyu]].</ref> and the latter being the "Bounteous Spirit" (of Ahura Mazda). Further, in Haug's scheme, Angra Mainyu was now not Ahura Mazda's binary opposite, but—like Spenta Mainyu—an [[Emanationism|emanation]] of Him. Haug also interpreted the concept of a free will of ''Yasna'' 45.9 as an accommodation to explain where Angra Mainyu came from since Ahura Mazda created only good. The free will made it possible for Angra Mainyu to ''choose'' to be evil. Although these latter conclusions were not substantiated by Zoroastrian tradition,{{sfn|Boyce|1983|p=685}} at the time, Haug's interpretation was gratefully accepted by the [[Parsis]] of Bombay since it provided a defense against Christian missionary rhetoric,<ref group="n">Most prominent of these voices was that of the Scottish Presbyterian minister [[John Wilson (scholar)|John Wilson]], whose church was next door to the M. F. Cama Athornan Institute, the premier school for Zoroastrian priests. That the opinions of the Zoroastrian priesthood were barely represented in the debates that ensued was to some extent since the priesthood spoke Gujarati and not English, but also because they were (at the time) poorly equipped to debate with a classically trained theologian on his footing. Wilson had even taught himself Avestan.</ref> particularly the attacks on the Zoroastrian idea of an uncreated Evil that was as uncreated as God was. Following Haug, the Bombay Parsis began to defend themselves in the English-language press. The argument was that Angra Mainyu was not Mazda's binary opposite but his subordinate, who—as in Zurvanism also—''chose'' to be evil. Consequently, Haug's theories were disseminated as a Parsi interpretation in the West, where they appeared to be corroborating Haug. Reinforcing themselves, Haug's ideas came to be iterated so often that they are today almost universally accepted as doctrine.{{sfn|Boyce|1983|p=686}}{{sfn|Maneck|1997|pp=182ff}}<ref group="n">For a scholastic review of the theological developments in Indian Zoroastrianism, particularly concerning the devaluation of Angra Mainyu to a position where the (epitome of) pure evil became viewed as a creation of Mazda (and so compromised their figure of pure good), see {{harvnb|Maneck|1997}}</ref>

==In other religions==
Some scholars (Kuiper. IIJ I, 1957; Zimmer. Münchner Studien 1984:187–215) believe that Ahura Mazda originates from *vouruna-miθra, or [[Vedic mythology|Vedic]] [[Varuna]] (and [[Mitra (Vedic)|Mitra]]).{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}} According to William W. Malandra both Varuna (in Vedic period) and Ahura Mazda (in old Iranian religion) represented the same Indo-Iranian concept of a supreme "wise, all-knowing lord".<ref>William W. Malandra. An Introduction to Ancient Iranian Religion. 1983. p. 46</ref>

[[File:Huvihska with Ahuramazda.jpg|thumb|[[Kushan Empire|Kushan]] coinage of [[Huvishka]] with Ahuramazda on the reverse (Greek legend ωΡΟΜ, ''Orom[zdo]''). 150–180 AD<ref name="AHH327">{{cite book |last1=Dani |first1=Ahmad Hasan |last2=Harmatta |first2=János |title=History of Civilizations of Central Asia |year=1999 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ. |isbn=978-81-208-1408-0 |pages=327–328 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DguGWP0vGY8C&pg=PA327 |language=en}}</ref>]]

In [[Manichaeism]], the name ''Ohrmazd Bay'' ("god Ahura Mazda") was used for the primal figure Nāšā Qaḏmāyā, the "original man" and emanation of the [[Father of Greatness]] (in Manicheism called [[Zurvanism|Zurvan]]) through whom after he sacrificed himself to defend the world of light was consumed by the forces of darkness. Although Ormuzd is freed from the world of darkness his "sons", often called his garments or weapons, remain. After a series of events, his sons, later known as the [[Anima mundi|World Soul]], will, for the most part, escape from matter and return to the world of light where they came from. Manicheans often identified many of Mani's cosmological figures with Zoroastrian ones. This may partly be because Mani was born in the greatly Zoroastrian Parthian Empire.

In [[Sogdian language|Sogdian]] [[Buddhism]], ''Xwrmztʼ'' (Sogdian was written without a consistent representation of vowels) was the Sogdian derivation of the Avestan Ahura Mazda.{{sfn|Unknown|1999|p=429}}{{sfn|Frye|1996|p=247}} Adhvagh was often used as a title for Ahura Mazda. Via contacts with [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] peoples like the [[Uyghurs]], this Sogdian name came to the [[Mongols]], who still name this deity ''[[Qormusta Tengri]]'' (also ''Qormusta'' or ''Qormusda'') is now a popular enough deity to appear in many contexts that are not explicitly Buddhist.{{sfn|Sims-Williams|1992|p=44}}

The pre-Christian [[Armenians]] held [[Aramazd]] as an important deity in their pantheon of gods. He is thought to be a [[Religious syncretism|syncretic]] deity, a combination of the autochthonous Armenian figures [[Armenian mythology|Aram]] and his son [[Ara the Handsome|Ara]] and the Iranian Ahura Mazda. In modern-day [[Armenia]], Aramazd is a male first name.

==101 Names==
{{see also|101 Names of God}}
{{Div col|colwidth=18em}}

# yazat ("Worthy of worship.")
# harvasp-tavãn ("Omnipotent.")
# harvasp-âgâh ("Omniscient.")
# harvasp-h'udhâ ("The Lord of all.")
# abadah ("Without beginning.")
# awî-añjâm ("Without end.")
# bûnastah ("The origin of the formation of the world.")
# frâxtañtah ("Broad end of all.")
# jamakh ("Greatest cause.") 
# parjahtarah ("More exalted.") 
# tum-afayah ("Most innocent.") 
# abravañt ("Apart from everyone.") 
# parvañdah ("Relation with all.") 
# an-ayâfah ("Incomprehensible by anyone.") 
# ham-ayâfah ("Comprehensible of all.") 
# âdharô ("Most straight, most just.") 
# gîrâ ("Holding fast all.") 
# acim ("Without reason.") 
# cimnâ ("Reason of reasons.") 
# safinâ ("Increaser.") 
# âwzâ ("Causer of increase. The Lord of purity") 
# nâshâ ("Reaching all equally.") 
# parvarâ ("Nourisher.") 
# âyânah ("Protector of the world.") 
# âyaîn-âyânah ("Not of various kinds.") 
# an-âyanah ("Without form.") 
# xraoshît-tum ("Firmest.") 
# mînôtum ("Most invisible.") 
# vâsnâ ("Omnipresent.") 
# harvastum ("All in all.") 
# husipâs ("Worthy of thanks.") 
# har-hemît ("All good-natured.") 
# harnekfareh ("All good auspicious-glory.") 
# beshtarnâ ("Remover of affliction.") 
# tarônîs ("The triumphant.") 
# anaoshak ("Immortal.") 
# farashak ("Fulfiller of wishes.") 
# pazohadhad ("Creator of good nature.") 
# xavâpar ("Beneficient.") 
# awaxshâyâ ("Bestower of Love.") 
# awarzâ ("Excessive bringer.") 
# â-sitôh ("Undefeated, undistressed.") 
# raxôh ("Independent, carefree.") 
# varûn ("Protector from evil.") 
# a-frîpah ("Undeceivable.") 
# awe-frîftah ("Undeceived.") 
# adhvaî ("Unparalleled.") 
# kãme-rat ("Lord of wishes.") 
# framãn-kãm ("Only wish is His command.") 
# âyextan ("Without body.") 
# â-framôsh ("Unforgetful.") 
# hamârnâ ("Taker of accounts.") 
# snâyâ ("Recognizable, worth recognition.") 
# a-tars ("Fearless.") 
# a-bîsh ("Without affliction or torment.") 
# a-frâzdum ("Most exalted.") 
# hamcûn ("Always uniform.") 
# mînô-stîgar ("Creator of the Universe spiritually.") 
# a-mînôgar ("Creator of much spirituality.") 
# mînô-nahab ("Hidden in Spirits.") 
# âdhar-bâtgar ("Air of fire, i.e. transformer into air.") 
# âdhar-namgar ("Water of fire, i.e. transformer into water.") 
# bât-âdhargar ("Transformer of air into fire.") 
# bât-namgar ("Transformer of air into water.") 
# bât-gelgar ("Transformer of air into earth.") 
# bât-girdtum ("Transformer of air into girad, i.e. gathered.") 
# âdhar-kîbarît-tum ("Transformer of fire into jewels.") 
# bâtgarjâi ("Who creates air in all places.") 
# âwtum ("Creator of most excessive water.") 
# gel-âdhargar ("Transformer of the earth into fire.") 
# gel-vâdhgar ("Transformer of the earth into air.") 
# gel-namgar ("Transformer of the earth into water.") 
# gargar ("Artisan of artisans.") 
# garôgar ("Bestower of wishes.") 
# garâgar ("Creator of man") 
# garâgargar ("Creator of the entire creation") 
# a-garâgar ("Creator of four elements") 
# a-garâgargar ("Creator of clusters of the stars") 
# a-gûmãn ("Without doubt.") 
# a-jamãn ("Without time.") 
# a-h'uãn ("Without sleep.") 
# âmushthushyâr ("Intelligent.") 
# frashûtanâ ("Eternal protector-increaser.") 
# padhamãnî ("Maintainer of padman, i.e. the golden mean.") 
# pîrôzgar ("Victorious.") 
# h'udhâvañd ("Lord-Master of the Universe.") 
# ahuramazda ("Lord Omniscient.") 
# abarînkuhantavãn ("Of the most exalted rank in the power of maintaining the origin of the creations.") 
# abarîn-nô-tavã ("Of the most exalted rank in the power of rendering the creations anew.") 
# vaspãn ("Attainer to all the creations.") 
# vaspâr ("Bringer of and attainer to all.") 
# h'âwar ("Merciful.") 
# ahû ("Lord of the world.") 
# âwaxsîdâr ("Forgiver.") 
# dâdhâr ("The just creator.") 
# rayomañd ("Full of rae-lustre-splendour.") 
# h'arehmand ("Full of khoreh, i.e. glory.") 
# dâwar ("The just judge.") 
# kerfagar ("Lord of meritorious deeds.") 
# buxtâr ("Redeemer, saviour.") 
# frashôgar ("Restorer through increase of the soul.")
{{div col end}}

[[File:Hormizd I Kushanshah Merv mint.jpg|thumb|Coin of [[Hormizd I Kushanshah]] (277-286 AD). [[Pahlavi scripts|Pahlavi]] inscription: "The Mazda worshipper, the divine Hormizd the great [[Kushan Empire|Kushan]] king of kings"/ Pahlavi inscription: "Exalted god, Hormizd the great Kushan king of kings", Hormizd standing right, holding investiture wreath over altar and raising left hand in benedictional gesture to [[Anahita]] holding investiture wreath and sceptre. [[Merv]] mint]]

==See also==
{{Portal|Religion}}
*[[Asura (Buddhism)|Asura]]
*[[Varuna]]
*[[Creator deity]]
*[[Names of God]]
*[[Mazda]]

==Notes==
{{Refbegin}}<references group="n" />{{Refend}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{citation |last1=Andrea |first1=Alfred |author-link1=Alfred J. Andrea |first2=James H. |last2=Overfield |title=The Human Record: Sources of Global History : To 1700 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |year=2000 |edition=Illustrated |volume=4 |isbn=978-0-618-04245-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tiz6jbjgSjEC&q=ahura+mazda&pg=PA87}}
* {{citation |last=Boyce |first=Mary |title=History of Zoroastrianism, Vol. I, The early period |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden |year=1975 |author-link=Mary Boyce}}
* {{citation |last=Boyce |first=Mary |chapter=Ahura Mazdā |title=Encyclopaedia Iranica |location=New York |publisher=Routledge & Kegan Paul |year=1983 |volume=1 |pages=684–687}}
* {{citation |last=Maneck |first=Susan Stiles |title=The Death of Ahriman: Culture, Identity and Theological Change Among the Parsis of India |publisher=K. R. Cama Oriental Institute |location=Bombay |year=1997 |url=https://repository.arizona.edu/handle/10150/186760}}
* {{citation |last=Sims-Williams |first=Nicholas |title=Sogdian and other Iranian inscriptions of the Upper Indus |year=1992 |publisher=University of Michigan |isbn=978-0-7286-0194-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g2dmAAAAMAAJ&q=Xwrmzt}}
* {{citation |last=Corduan |first=Winfried |title=Neighboring faiths: a Christian introduction to world religions |year=1998 |publisher=InterVarsity Press |isbn=978-0-8308-1524-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pZW6nwbyW5kC&q=zurvanism+heretic}}
* {{citation |last=Frye |first=Richard Nelson |title=The heritage of Central Asia from antiquity to the Turkish expansion |year=1996 |publisher=Markus Wiener Publishers |isbn=978-1-55876-111-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zl5smQtGeLwC&q=Xwrmzt}}
* {{citation |last=Unknown |title=History of civilizations of Central Asia, Volume 3 |year=1999 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ}}
* {{citation |last=King |first=Karen L. |title=What is Gnosticism? |year=2005 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-01762-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=df1Tz5Cn8BQC}}
* {{citation |last=Whitrow |first=G. J. |title=What is time? |year=2003 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-860781-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iuLaoG7jK_YC}}
* {{citation |last=Bromiley |first=Geoffrey |title=The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Q-Z |year=1995 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing |isbn=978-0-8028-3784-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6OJvO2jMCr8C}}
* {{citation |last=Nigosian |first=Solomon |title=The Zoroastrian faith: tradition and modern research |year=1993 |publisher=McGill-Queen's Press – MQUP |isbn=978-0-7735-1144-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Uspf6eDDvjAC}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{citation |last=Boyce |first=Mary |title=History of Zoroastrianism, Vol. II, Under the Achamenians |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden |year=1982}}
* {{citation |chapter=Mithra the King and Varuna the Master |last=Boyce |first=Mary |title=Festschrift für Helmut Humbach zum 80. |location=Trier |publisher=WWT |year=2001 |pages=239–257}}
* {{citation |last=Dhalla |first=Maneckji Nusservanji |publisher=OUP |location=New York |year=1938 |title=History of Zoroastrianism |isbn=0-404-12806-8}}
* {{citation |last=Humbach |first=Helmut |title=The Gathas of Zarathushtra and the other Old Avestan texts |year=1991 |publisher=Winter |location=Heidelberg |isbn=3-533-04473-4}}
* {{citation |doi=10.1086/370756 |last=Kent |first=Roland G. |title=Old Persian Texts |journal=Journal of Near Eastern Studies |volume=4 |issue=4 |year=<!--(Oct., -->1945 |pages=228–233 |s2cid=222444341}}
* {{citation |last=Kuiper |first=Bernardus Franciscus Jacobus |chapter=Ahura |title=Encyclopaedia Iranica |location=New York |publisher=Routledge & Kegan Paul |year=1983 |volume=1 |pages=682–683}}
* {{citation |last=Kuiper |first=Bernardus Franciscus Jacobus |title=Ahura Mazdā 'Lord Wisdom'? |journal=Indo-Iranian Journal |volume=18 |issue=1–2 |year=<!--June,-->1976 |pages=25–42 |doi=10.1163/000000076790079465}}
* {{cite book |last=Kuiper |first=F. B. J. |chapter=Avestan Mazdā- |title=F.B.J. Kuiper Selected Writings on Indian Linguistics and Philology |location=Leiden, The Netherlands |publisher=Brill |date=1997 |pages=321–330 |doi=10.1163/9789004653764_012 |isbn=978-90-04-65376-4}}
* {{citation |title=The Old Persian Cuneiform Inscriptions of Artaxerxes II and Artaxerxes III |last1=Ware |first1=James R. |last2=Kent |first2=Roland G. |journal=Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association |volume=55 |year=1924 |pages=52–61 |doi=10.2307/283007 |publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press |jstor=283007}}
* {{citation |last=Kent |first=Roland G. |year=1950 |title=Old Persian: Grammar, texts, lexicon |location=New Haven |publisher=American Oriental Society |isbn=0-940490-33-1}}
* {{citation |last=Andrea |first=Alfred |author2=James H. Overfield |title=The Human Record: Sources of Global History : To 1700 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |year=2000 |edition=Illustrated |volume=4 |isbn=978-0-618-04245-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tiz6jbjgSjEC&q=ahura+mazda&pg=PA87}}
* {{citation |last=Schlerath |first=Bernfried |chapter=Ahurānī |title=Encyclopaedia Iranica |location=New York |publisher=Routledge & Kegan Paul |year=1983 |volume=1 |pages=683–684}}
{{refend}}

{{Zoroastrianism}}
{{Avesta}}
{{Names of God}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ancient Iranian gods]]
[[Category:Names of God in Zoroastrianism]]
[[Category:Creator gods]]
[[Category:Wisdom gods]]
[[Category:Persian words and phrases]]
[[Category:Yazatas]]