Ahura Mazda - wikipedia Ahura Mazda `` Ormuzd '' redirects here. For the kingdom of Ohrmuzd, see Ormus. `` Hormazd '' redirects here. For the Sassanid rulers, see Hormizd. Part of a series on Zoroastrianism Atar ( fire ), a primary symbol of Zoroastrianism Primary topics Ahura Mazda Zarathustra aša ( asha ) / arta Persia / Iran Faravahar Angels and demons Amesha Spentas Yazatas Ahuras Daevas Angra Mainyu Scripture and worship Avesta Gathas Yasna Vendidad Visperad Yashts Khordeh Avesta Ab - Zohr The Ahuna Vairya Invocation Fire Temples Names of Ahura - Mazda Accounts and legends Dēnkard Bundahišn Book of Arda Viraf Book of Jamasp Story of Sanjan Chinvat Bridge Zoroastrian cosmology History and culture Zurvanism Mazdakism Calendar Festivals Marriage Burial Eschatology Adherents Zoroastrians in India Zoroastrians in Iran Parsis Zoroastrianism in the United States Iranis Persecution of Zoroastrians Zoroastrianism portal Part of a series on God General conceptions Agnosticism Apatheism Atheism Deism Henotheism Ignosticism Monotheism Monism Dualism Monolatry Kathenotheism Omnism Pandeism Panpsychism Panentheism Pantheism Polytheism Theism Transtheism Specific conceptions Creator Demiurge Deus Father Great Architect Monad Mother Supreme Being Sustainer The All The Lord Trinity Tawhid Ditheism Monism Personal Unitarianism In particular religions Abrahamic Judaism Christianity Islam Bahá'í Mormonism Indo - Iranian Hinduism Buddhism Jainism Sikhism Zoroastrianism Chinese Tian Shangdi Hongjun Laozu Attributes Eternalness Existence Gender Names ( `` God '' ) Omnibenevolence Omnipotence Omnipresence Omniscience Experiences Practices Belief Esotericism Faith Fideism Gnosis Hermeticism Metaphysics Mysticism Prayer Revelation Worship Related topics Euthyphro dilemma God complex God gene Theology Ontology Problem of evil ( theodicy ) Religion philosophy texts Portrayals of God in popular media Ahura Mazda ( / əˌhʊərə ˈmæzdə / ; also known as Ohrmazd, Ahuramazda, Hourmazd, Hormazd, Harzoo and Hurmuz ) is the Avestan name for the creator and sole God of Zoroastrianism, the old Iranian religion that spread across the Middle East, before ultimately being relegated to small minorities after the Muslim conquest of Iran. Ahura Mazda is described as the highest spirit of worship in Zoroastrianism, along with being the first and most frequently invoked spirit in the Yasna. The literal meaning of the word Ahura is `` mighty '' or `` lord '', and Mazda is `` wisdom ''. Ahura Mazda first appeared in the Achaemenid period ( c. 550 -- 330 BCE ) under Darius I 's Behistun Inscription. Until Artaxerxes II of Persia ( 405 -- 04 to 359 -- 58 BCE ), Ahura Mazda was worshipped and invoked alone. With Artaxerxes II, Ahura Mazda was invoked in a triad, with Mithra and Anahita. In the Achaemenid period, there are no representations of Ahura Mazda other than the custom for every emperor to have an empty chariot drawn by white horses, to invite Ahura Mazda to accompany the Persian army on battles. Images of Ahura Mazda began in the Parthian period, but were stopped and replaced with stone carved figures in the Sassanid period. Contents 1 Nomenclature 2 Characteristics 3 Zoroaster 's revelation 4 History 4.1 Achaemenid Empire 4.2 Parthian Empire 4.3 Sassanid Empire 4.4 Present - day Zoroastrianism 5 In other religions 6 101 Names 7 In popular culture 8 See also 9 Notes 10 References 11 Bibliography 12 Further reading Nomenclature `` Mazda '', or rather the Avestan stem - form Mazdā -, nominative Mazdå, reflects Proto - Iranian * Mazdāh ( a feminine noun ). It is generally taken to be the proper name of the spirit, and like its Sanskrit cognate medhās, means `` intelligence '' or `` wisdom ''. Both the Avestan and Sanskrit words reflect Proto - Indo - Iranian * mazdhā -, from Proto - Indo - European * mn̩sdheh1, literally meaning `` placing ( * dheh1 ) one 's mind ( * mn̩ - s ) '', hence `` wise ''. The name was rendered as Ahuramazda ( Old Persian ) during the Achaemenid era, Hormazd during the Parthian era, and Ohrmazd was used during the Sassanian era. The name may be attested on cuneiform tablets of Assyrian Assurbanipal, in the form Assara Mazaš, though this interpretation is very controversial. Representation of Ahura Mazda Characteristics Even though Ahura Mazda was a spirit in the Old Iranian religion, he had not yet been given the title of `` uncreated spirit ''. This title was given by Zoroaster, who proclaimed Ahura Mazda as the uncreated spirit, wholly wise, benevolent and good, as well as the creator and upholder of Asha ( `` truth '' ). Zoroaster 's revelation At the age of 30, Zoroaster received a revelation : while fetching water at dawn for a sacred ritual, he saw the shining figure of the yazata, 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. He stated that this source of all goodness was the only Ahura worthy of the highest worship. He further stated that Ahura Mazda created spirits known as yazatas to aid him, who also merited devotion. Zoroaster proclaimed that all of the Iranian daevas were bad spirits and deserved no worship. These `` bad '' spirits were created by Angra Mainyu, the hostile and evil spirit. The existence of Angra Mainyu was the source of all sin and misery in the universe. Zoroaster claimed that Ahura Mazda was not an omnipotent God, but 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 ( destroyers ), which attempt to attract humans away from the path of righteousness ( asha ), would eventually be destroyed. History Achaemenid Empire The Behistun Inscription contains many references to Ahura Mazda. Whether the Achaemenids were Zoroastrians is a matter of much debate. However, it is known that the Achaemenids were worshipers of Ahura Mazda. The representation and invocation of Ahura Mazda can be seen on royal inscriptions written by Achaemenid kings. The most notable of all the inscriptions is the Behistun Inscription written by Darius I 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 spirits, most likely Mithra and Anahita. On the Elamite Persepolis Fortification Tablet 377, Ahura Mazda is invoked along with Mithra and Voruna ( Apam Napat, probably vedic Varuna, `` water - god '' ). Artaxerxes III makes this invocation to the three spirits again in his reign. The early Achaemind period contained no representation of Ahura Mazda. The winged symbol with a male figure who was formerly regarded by European scholars as Ahura Mazda has been shown to represent the royal xvarənah, the personification of royal power and glory. However, it was customary for every emperor from Cyrus until Darius III to have an empty chariot drawn by white horses as a place for Ahura Mazda to accompany the Persian army on battles. The use of images of Ahura Mazda began in the western satraps of the Achaemenid Empire in the late 5th century BCE. 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 BCE. Parthian Empire 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 with the beginning of the Sassanid period. Zoroastrian iconoclasm, which can be traced to the end of the 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. Sassanid Empire Ahura Mazda ( on the right, with high crown ) presents Ardashir I ( left ) with the ring of kingship. ( Naqsh - e Rustam, 3rd century CE ) Investiture of Sassanid emperor Shapur II ( center ) with Mithra ( left ) and Ahura Mazda ( right ) at Taq - e Bostan, Iran. Investiture scene : Anahita on the left as the patron yazata of the Sassanian dynasty behind Emperor Khosrau Parviz with Ahura Mazda presenting the diadem of sovereignty on the right. Taq - e Bostan, Iran. During the Sassanid Empire, a heretical form of Zoroastrianism, termed Zurvanism, emerged. It gained adherents throughout the Sassanid Empire, most notably the royal lineage of Sassanian 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. Other than Zurvanism, the Sassanian kings demonstrated their devotion to Ahura Mazda in other fashions. Five kings took the name Hormizd and Bahram II created the title of `` Ohrmazd - mowbad '' which was continued after the fall of the Sassanid Empire and through the Islamic times. All devotional acts in Zoroastrianism originating from the Sassanian period begin with homage to Ahura Mazda. The five Gāhs begin with the declaration in Middle Persian, that `` Ohrmazd is Lord '' and incorporate the 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 dialects of Yidḡa and Munǰī, the sun is still called `` ormozd ''. Present - day Zoroastrianism In 1884, Martin Haug proposed a new interpretation of Yasna 30.3 that subsequently influenced Zoroastrian doctrine to a significant extent. According to Haug 's interpretation, the `` twin spirits '' of 30.3 were Angra Mainyu and Spenta Mainyu, the former being literally the `` Destructive Spirit '' and the latter being the `` Bounteous Spirit '' ( of Mazda ). Further, in Haug 's scheme, Angra Mainyu was now not Ahura Mazda 's binary opposite, but -- like Spenta Mainyu -- an 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, at the time Haug 's interpretation was gratefully accepted by the Parsis of Bombay since it provided a defense against Christian missionary rhetoric, 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 being 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, also 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. In other religions Some scholars ( Kuiper. IIJ I, 1957 ; Zimmer. Münchner Studien 1984 : 187 -- 215 ) believe that Ahura Mazda originates from * vouruna - mitra, or Vedic Varuna ( and Mitra ). According to William W Malandra both Varuna ( in Vedic period ) and Ahura Mazda ( in old Iranian religion ) represented same Indo - Iranian concept of a supreme `` wise, all - knowing lord ''. 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 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. His sons, later known as the World Soul after a series of events will for the most part escape from matter and return again to the world of light where they came from. Manicheans often identified many of Mani 's cosmological figures with Zoroastrian ones. This may be in part because Mani was born in the greatly Zoroastrian Parthian Empire. In Sogdian Buddhism, Xwrmztʼ ( Sogdian was written without a consistent representation of vowels ) was the name used in place of Ahura Mazda. Via contacts with 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. The pre-Christian Armenians had Aramazd as an important deity in their pantheon of gods. He is thought to be a syncretic deity, a combination of the autochthonous Urartian figure Ara and the Iranian Ahura Mazda. In modern - day Armenia, Aramazd is a male first name. 101 names See also : 101 Names of God 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. '' ) In popular culture Coin of Hormizd I Kushanshah ( 277 - 286 CE ). Pahlavi inscription : `` The Mazda worshipper, the divine Hormizd the great 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. Ormazd and Ahriman feature in the 2008 video game, Prince of Persia. Ormazd and Ahriman feature heavily in the Philip K. Dick novel The Cosmic Puppets. In the 2001 video game Severance : Blade of Darkness, Ahura Mazda was the god who created the entire world in which the game takes place. General Electric exploited the association of the name with light for their brand of Mazda light bulbs. One of the inspirations for the name of the Mazda Motor Corporation is Ahura Mazda, with homophone similarity to founder Jujiro Matsuda. A statue of Ahura Mazda is built to contain the Djinn in the film Wishmaster. In the 2013 Amish Tripathi novel The Oath of the Vayuputras, Ahura Mazda is shown as the God of Pariha. Ahura Mazda is mentioned in the Immortal Technique song `` Sign of the Times '' from the album The Martyr. In the novel Battle Royale, a student named Mizuho Inada believes she is a warrior for the god Ahura Mazda. Ahura Mazda appears as a character in the Lucifer 's Halo miniseries of Joseph Michael Linsner 's comic Dawn. Ahura Mazda was the name of a late 1960s, early 1970s psychedelic and fusion prog - rock band from the Netherlands. Ahura Mazda is featured in the book Kushiel 's Avatar, the third novel in Jacqueline Carey 's Kushiel 's Legacy series. In the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, Ahura Mazda is the ultimate move of the third god of the Warring Triad, Zurvan. Ahriman appears as a character in the television show Highlander : The Series. See also Zoroastrianism portal Allah Creator deity Ishvara Jehovah Yahweh Notes Jump up ^ For an explanation of the approximation of mainyu as `` spirit '', see Angra Mainyu. Jump up ^ Most prominent of these voices was that of the Scottish Presbyterian minister Dr. 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 is barely represented in the debates that ensued was to some extent due to the fact that 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. Jump up ^ For a scholastic review of the theological developments in Indian Zoroastrianism, particularly with respect to 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 Maneck 1997 References Jump up ^ `` Ahura Mazda Definition of Ahura Mazda by Merriam - Webster ''. Merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 11. ^ Jump up to : Boyce 1983, p. 685. Jump up ^ Boyce 1985, p. 685. Jump up ^ Boyce 1975, p. 14. Jump up ^ Nigosian 1993, p. 12. Jump up ^ Andrea 2000, p. 86. Jump up ^ Bromiley 1995, p. 126. ^ Jump up to : Boyce 1983, p. 686. Jump up ^ Corduan 1998, p. 123. Jump up ^ King 2005, p. 314. Jump up ^ Whitrow 2003, p. 8. Jump up ^ Maneck 1997, pp. 182ff. Jump up ^ Varuna # In Zoroastrianism Jump up ^ William W. Malandra. An Introduction to Ancient Iranian Religion. 1983. p. 46 Jump up ^ Unknown 1999, p. 429. Jump up ^ Frye 1996, p. 247. Jump up ^ Sims - Williams 1992, p. 44. Bibliography Boyce, Mary ( 1975 ), History of Zoroastrianism, Vol. I, The early period, Leiden : Brill Boyce, Mary ( 1982 ), History of Zoroastrianism, Vol. II, Under the Achamenians, Leiden : Brill Boyce, Mary ( 1983 ), `` Ahura Mazdā '', Encyclopaedia Iranica, 1, New York : Routledge & Kegan Paul, pp. 684 -- 687 Maneck, Susan Stiles ( 1997 ), The Death of Ahriman : Culture, Identity and Theological Change Among the Parsis of India, Bombay : K.R. Cama Oriental Institute Sims - Williams, Nicholas ( 1992 ), Sogdian and other Iranian inscriptions of the Upper Indus, University of Michigan, ISBN 978 - 0 - 7286 - 0194 - 9 Andrea, Alfred ; James H. Overfield ( 2000 ), The Human Record : Sources of Global History : To 1700, 4 ( Illustrated ed. ), Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, ISBN 978 - 0 - 618 - 04245 - 6 Corduan, Winfried ( 1998 ), Neighboring faiths : a Christian introduction to world religions, InterVarsity Press, ISBN 978 - 0 - 8308 - 1524 - 1 Frye, Richard Nelson ( 1996 ), The heritage of Central Asia from antiquity to the Turkish expansion, Markus Wiener Publishers, ISBN 978 - 1 - 55876 - 111 - 7 Unknown ( 1999 ), History of civilizations of Central Asia, Volume 3, Motilal Banarsidass Publ King, Karen L. ( 2005 ), What is Gnosticism ?, Harvard University Press, ISBN 978 - 0 - 674 - 01762 - 7 Whitrow, G.J. ( 2003 ), What is time ?, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978 - 0 - 19 - 860781 - 6 Bromiley, Geoffrey ( 1995 ), The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia : Q-Z, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, ISBN 978 - 0 - 8028 - 3784 - 4 Nigosian, Solomon ( 1993 ), The Zoroastrian faith : tradition and modern research, McGill - Queen 's Press -- MQUP, ISBN 978 - 0 - 7735 - 1144 - 6 Further reading Ahuramazda and Zoroastrianism Dhalla, Maneckji Nusservanji ( 1938 ), History of Zoroastrianism, New York : OUP, ISBN 0 - 404 - 12806 - 8 Boyce, Mary ( 2001 ), `` Mithra the King and Varuna the Master '', Festschrift für Helmut Humbach zum 80., Trier : WWT, pp. 239 -- 257 Humbach, Helmut ( 1991 ), The Gathas of Zarathushtra and the other Old Avestan texts, Heidelberg : Winter, ISBN 3 - 533 - 04473 - 4 Kent, Roland G. ( 1945 ), `` Old Persian Texts '', Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 4 ( 4 ) : 228 -- 233, doi : 10.1086 / 370756 Kuiper, Bernardus Franciscus Jacobus ( 1983 ), `` Ahura '', Encyclopaedia Iranica, 1, New York : Routledge & Kegan Paul, pp. 682 -- 683 Kuiper, Bernardus Franciscus Jacobus ( 1976 ), `` Ahura Mazdā ' Lord Wisdom ' ? '', Indo - Iranian Journal, 18 ( 1 - 2 ) : 25 -- 42, doi : 10.1163 / 000000076790079465 Ware, James R. ; Kent, Roland G. ( 1924 ), `` The Old Persian Cuneiform Inscriptions of Artaxerxes II and Artaxerxes III '', Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 55 : 52 -- 61, doi : 10.2307 / 283007, JSTOR 283007 Kent, Roland G. ( 1950 ), Old Persian : Grammar, texts, lexicon, New Haven : American Oriental Society, ISBN 0 - 940490 - 33 - 1 Andrea, Alfred ; James H. Overfield ( 2000 ), The Human Record : Sources of Global History : To 1700, 4 ( Illustrated ed. ), Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, ISBN 978 - 0 - 618 - 04245 - 6 Schlerath, Bernfried ( 1983 ), `` Ahurānī '', Encyclopaedia Iranica, 1, New York : Routledge & Kegan Paul, pp. 683 -- 684 Names of God In Christianity In Hinduism In Islam In Judaism In Zoroastrianism In Chinese religion Adonai Ahura Mazda The All Allah Brahman Cao Đài El Elohim El Elyon El Shaddai God Great Spirit Haneullim Hu Hyang I Am that I Am Ik Onkar Ishvara Jah Khuda Ngai Olodumare The One Parvardigar Shangdi Svayam Bhagavan Tenri - Ō - no - Mikoto Tian Tianzhu Waheguru YHWH Jehovah Yahweh GND : 118898426 VIAF : 5729643 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ahura_Mazda&oldid=842923694 '' Categories : Names of God in Zoroastrianism Creator gods Wisdom gods Persian words and phrases God Hidden categories : Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Asturianu Azərbaycanca Български Català Čeština Cymraeg Deutsch Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ქართული Kurdî Latina Lietuvių Magyar Македонски مصرى Мокшень Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча ਪੰਜਾਬੀ پنجابی پښتو Polski Português Română Русский Scots Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog ไทย Тоҷикӣ Türkçe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt Zazaki 中文 48 more Edit links This page was last edited on 25 May 2018, at 16 : 17. 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Question: ancient persian god ahura is similar to the vedic god
Answer: Varuna (and Mitra)