Ahura Mazda
| Ahura Mazda | |
|---|---|
Ahura Mazda Lord of Wisdom God of the Sky | |
Sassanid-era relief at Naqsh-e Rostam depicting Ahura Mazda presenting the diadem of sovereignty to Ardashir I | |
| Other names | Ahura, Ormazd, Hormazd, Hormuz |
| Avestan | Ahura Mazdā 𐬀𐬵𐬎𐬭𐬀⸱𐬨𐬀𐬰𐬛𐬁 |
| Affiliation | The Thirty-Three Deities, Guardians of the Days of the Month |
| Planet | Jupiter |
| Symbol | Light, Goodness |
| Sacred flower | Myrtus |
| Attributes | The Great Wise One, The Creator of Existence, The one who establishes the Order of Existence (Asha), The Judge |
| Enemy | Ahriman |
| Day | 1st of each month in the Iranian calendar, Thursday of each week |
| Gender | Male |
| Festivals | Nowruz |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Zurvan (only in Zurvanism) |
| Siblings | Ahriman |
| Spouse | Spenta Armaiti |
| Children | All Yaztas, especially Amesha Spenta, Keyumars, Mashya and Mashyana |
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Ahura Mazda (/əˌhʊərə ˈmæzdə/;[1] Avestan: 𐬀𐬵𐬎𐬭𐬀⸱𐬨𐬀𐬰𐬛𐬁, romanized: Ahura Mazdā; Persian: اهورا مزدا, romanized: Ahurâ Mazdâ,[n 1] or ارمزد, Ormazd),[n 2] also known as Horomazes (Persian: هرمز),[n 3][2] is the principal God and god of the sky in Zoroastrianism.[3][4][5] He is the first and most frequently invoked spirit in the Yasna. The literal meanings of the words Ahura and Mazda are "lord" and "wisdom", respectively.
The first notable invocation of Ahura Mazda occurred during the Achaemenid period (c. 550–330 BC) with the Behistun Inscription of Darius the Great. Until the reign of Artaxerxes II (c. 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 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 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. In the wake of the Muslim conquest of Persia (633-651 CE), Zoroastrianism was subject to religious influence by Islam. Under the influence of Islam, Zoroastrian clergy raised the status of Ahura Mazda to that of the only god and diminished the status of Ahriman to that of a created being.
- ^ "Ahura Mazda | Definition of Ahura Mazda by Merriam-Webster". Merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
- ^ Cristian, Radu (13 March 2017). "Ahura Mazda". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
- ^ Wilkinson, Philip (1999). Spilling, Michael; Williams, Sophie; Dent, Marion (eds.). Illustrated Dictionary of Religions (First American ed.). New York: DK. p. 70. ISBN 0-7894-4711-8.
- ^ Choksy, Jamsheed K. (2003). "Hagiography and Monotheism in History: Doctrinal encounters between Zoroastrianism, Judaism and Christianity 1". Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations. 14 (4): 407–421. doi:10.1080/0959641032000127560. ISSN 0959-6410. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
- ^ Hintze, Almut (2014). "Monotheism the Zoroastrian Way" (PDF). Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland. 24 (2): 225–249. doi:10.1017/S1356186313000333. ISSN 0035-869X. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
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