Home›Zoroastrian Deities›Theology›Dualist: two opposed cosmic principlesBrowse ByDualist: two opposed cosmic principlesThis page groups deities by the theological framework used to describe their nature, since traditions disagree about whether a god is a distinct being, an aspect of a single divine reality, or something else again. Wikipedia describes theology as "the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity and the history behind religion." Browsing this way lets a visitor compare how differently two traditions can explain what a deity actually is.FactsLearn MoreDualist: two opposed cosmic principlesSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsAttestationEra of AttestationWell-attestedThe Gathas of Zarathushtra are placed on linguistic grounds in the second millennium BCE. The earliest datable attestation of the tradition's gods is the Achaemenid royal inscriptions naming Ahura Mazda from the late sixth century BCE. The religion is practised today. 2Veneration TodayWell-attestedVenerated today by the Parsi and Iranian Zoroastrian communities and their diaspora. 2OverviewWhat Defines This GroupingWell-attestedThe divine beings of Zoroastrianism: Ahura Mazda, the Amesha Spentas who personify aspects of the good creation, and the yazatas, beings worthy of worship, several of them older Iranian gods retained. Whether these amount to a pantheon at all is a live question in and about the tradition, which understands itself as monotheist while giving the yazatas cult. 2DirectoryCategoryWell-attestedDeities 1StatusStanding as a Comparative CategoryWell-attestedWhether the Amesha Spentas and yazatas are deities, aspects of one God, or a class with no equivalent elsewhere has been argued within the tradition and in the scholarship for over a century, and the answer changes what this grouping is a grouping of. 2Learn MoreThe Divine Beings of Zoroastrianism This group holds the divine figures of Zoroastrianism, the ancient Iranian religion founded on the teaching of Zarathushtra (Zoroaster). Its theology is distinctive: a supreme good creator, Ahura Mazda, opposed by the hostile spirit Angra Mainyu (Ahriman), with the cosmos the arena of their struggle, a dualism that influenced later Western religion. The browser will find Ahura Mazda; the Amesha Spentas, the beneficent immortals who personify aspects of the good creation; the yazatas, lesser worshipful beings such as Mithra and Anahita; and the adversary and his demons. The atlas notes the tradition's great antiquity and its survival among the Parsi and Iranian Zoroastrian communities today.Dualist: two opposed cosmic principlesFilter Results7 entriesChild OfAllAhura Mazda (1)Attested InAllAvesta (1)Interpretatio OfAllAphrodite (1)Artemis (1)Mithras (1)HistoricityAllNot a historical person: a divine or other-than-human being (7)ArchetypeAllThe Caregiver (1)The Hero (2)The Magician (1)The Rebel (1)The Sage (2)Veneration StatusAllActively venerated in a living tradition (6)No Cult Attested (1)Era Attested Start YearAll-1400 (1)-1000 (1)-400 (1)Worshipped InAllZoroastrianism (7)Domain / FunctionAllChaos and adversary (1)Cosmic order and truth (3)Creation and cosmogony (1)Death (1)Destruction and dissolution (1)Fertility and generation (1)Fire (1)Healing and medicine (1)Justice, law and oaths (1)Kingship and sovereignty (2)Protection and guardianship (1)Purification (1)Rivers, lakes and springs (1)Sun (1)Victory (1)War and battle (1)Wisdom and counsel (1)GenderAllFemale (1)Male (6)PantheonAllZoroastrian (7)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 7Ahura MazdaDualist: two opposed cosmic principlesAnahitaDualist: two opposed cosmic principlesAngra MainyuDualist: two opposed cosmic principlesAtarDualist: two opposed cosmic principlesMithraDualist: two opposed cosmic principlesSraoshaDualist: two opposed cosmic principlesVerethragnaDualist: two opposed cosmic principlesSources1. Divinity Atlas Directory Taxonomy, First Edition Category Treetier 12. A History of Zoroastrianismtier 1Mary Boyce, Brill, 1989vol. 1, chs. 1-3View the SourceDivinity Atlas Directory Prose, First Edition Category Descriptionstier 1Comments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.