Ahura Mazda
The supreme creator god and source of goodness in Zoroastrianism, the origin of order and truth, opposed to the destructive spirit Angra Mainyu (Ahriman).
Read in context →At a glance
- Meaning
- Wise Lord / Lord of Wisdom
- Associated beings
- Six Amesha Spentas
- Adversary
- Ahriman (Angra Mainyu)
Detail
Ahura Mazda (meaning 'Wise Lord' or 'Lord of Wisdom') is the supreme, uncreated creator god of Zoroastrianism, the source of light, truth, and the moral order (asha). In the Gathas, the oldest layer of the Avesta composed by Zarathustra himself, Ahura Mazda is accompanied by the six Amesha Spentas (Bounteous Immortals) such as Vohu Manah (Good Mind) and Asha Vahishta (Truth), who are both his attributes and his helpers. He stands opposed to Ahriman (Angra Mainyu), the destructive spirit, and will ultimately triumph at the Frashokereti, the final renovation of the world. Under the Achaemenids, kings in inscriptions such as Darius's Behistun proclaimed Ahura Mazda the greatest god and the bestower of kingship, and the winged faravahar/Ahura Mazda symbol became tied to royal art.
Related entities
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Iranica — 'Ahura Mazdā'
- Behistun Inscription of Darius I
- Yasna (Gathas)