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Concept
Ahura Mazda
Summary
Ahura Mazda (əˌhʊərə_ˈmæzdə; ; آهورا مزدا), also known as Oromasdes, Ohrmazd, Ormusd, Ahuramazda, Hoormazd, Harzoo, Hormazd, Hormaz and Hurmuz, is the creator deity and god of the sky in Zoroastrianism. He is the first and most frequently invoked spirit in the Yasna. The literal meaning of the word Ahura is "lord", and that of Mazda is "wisdom".
The first notable invocation of Ahura Mazda occurred during the Achaemenid period (550–330 BC) with the Behistun Inscription of Darius the Great. Until the reign of Artaxerxes II (405/404–358 BC), Ahura Mazda was worshipped and invoked alone in all extant royal inscriptions. With Artaxerxes II, Ahura Mazda was gathered in a triad with Mithra and Anahita. In the Achaemenid period, there are no known representations of Ahura Mazda at the royal court 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, however, were present from the 5th century BC but were stopped and replaced with stone-carved figures in the Sassanid period and later removed altogether through an iconoclastic movement supported by the Sassanid dynasty.
'Ahura' is cognate with the Vedic word 'asura', both meaning 'lord'. The most likely etymology is from Proto-Indo-European *h2ḿ̥suros, from *h2ems- ("to engender, beget"), and therefore it is cognate with Proto-Germanic *ansuz. However, Finnish Indologist Asko Parpola traces the etymological root of Asura to *asera- of Uralic languages, where it means 'lord, prince'.
'Mazda', or rather the Avestan stem-form Mazdā-, nominative Mazdå, reflects Proto-Iranian *mazdáH (a feminine noun). It is generally taken to be the proper name of the spirit, and like its Vedic cognate medhā́, means "intelligence" or "wisdom". Both the Avestan and Sanskrit words reflect Proto-Indo-Iranian *mazdháH, from Proto-Indo-European , literally meaning "placing () one's mind ()", 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.
Official source
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