Introduction
Ahura Mazda, "Wise Lord" (later Ohrmazd in Middle Persian), is the supreme god of Zoroastrianism, the uncreated creator of the universe and the source of all that is good, true and orderly. He is the central figure of the religion founded by the prophet Zarathustra, and the entire moral structure of Zoroastrian cosmology is organised around his opposition to the destructive spirit Angra Mainyu.
This article follows the Zoroastrian and Shahnameh traditions, noting where the older Avestan material and Ferdowsi's later epic differ.
The Gathas
In the oldest Zoroastrian texts, the Gathas (hymns attributed directly to Zarathustra), Ahura Mazda is praised as the one uncreated god, the creator of the material and spiritual worlds, of light and darkness, and of the moral order (asha) that governs the cosmos. Unlike the polytheistic religion that preceded Zoroastrianism in the Iranian world, the Gathas present Ahura Mazda in a strongly monotheistic light, though other divine beings (the Amesha Spentas and Yazatas) continue to be venerated as his attendants or aspects.
The cosmic struggle
Ahura Mazda's central relationship in Zoroastrian theology is his opposition to Angra Mainyu (Ahriman), the destructive spirit. In the Younger Avesta and later Pahlavi texts, the two are described as twin spirits who, at the beginning of time, each chose their nature: Ahura Mazda chose truth (asha) and Angra Mainyu chose the Lie (druj). This choice frames the entire history of the world as a cosmic struggle between good and evil, in which humans, through their own thoughts, words and deeds, are expected to side with Ahura Mazda.
Amesha Spentas and Yazatas
Ahura Mazda is surrounded by the six Amesha Spentas ("Bounteous Immortals"), who represent and administer aspects of his creation and are sometimes understood as emanations of his own being rather than separate offspring, and by a wider array of Yazatas ("worthy of worship"), lesser divine beings who assist in maintaining the order of creation.
Frashokereti
Zoroastrian eschatology teaches that history will end in Frashokereti, the final renovation of the world, in which Ahura Mazda and the forces of good will finally and permanently defeat Angra Mainyu and evil, the dead will be resurrected, and the world will be made perfect and eternal.