Ahura Mazda
/əˌhʊrə ˈmæzdə/noun
The supreme creator deity and embodiment of wisdom in Zoroastrianism.
Did you know?Royal Persian inscriptions invoked Ahura Mazda as the creator of heaven, earth, and humanity, and as the divine source legitimizing the king’s rule.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-Iranian
PII
*asura-
“Lord or powerful divine being; the ancestral form associated with Avestan ahura”
Avestan, c. 1000–500 BCE
Avestan
Ahura Mazdā
“The Wise Lord, supreme deity of Zoroastrian religion”
Old Persian, c. 550–330 BCE
Old Persian
Auramazdā
“Ahura Mazda, invoked in royal inscriptions as creator and divine protector”
Middle Persian, c. 300 BCE–700 CE
Middle Persian
Ohrmazd
“The Zoroastrian supreme god, with the name reduced through regular sound changes”
New Persian, medieval period
Persian
Hormozd / Ormazd
“The Zoroastrian deity under later Persian forms of the name”
Modern English
English
Ahura Mazda
“The supreme god of Zoroastrianism, associated with wisdom, truth, and cosmic order”