How did Zarathushtra reform older Iranian polytheistic traditions?

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Zarathushtra, a priest of the ancient Iranian religion, reformed the existing polytheistic traditions by elevating Ahura Mazdā as the supreme deity and the only one worthy of worship. Rather than attempting to completely overthrow the older religion, he sought to reform it based on ethical principles.1

Key aspects of his reform included:

  • Exaltation of Ahura Mazdā: He portrayed Ahura Mazdā as the creator of the spiritual and material worlds and the center of a kingdom of justice. He surrounded this deity with amesha spentas ("beneficent immortals"), which represented the qualities of the god and the ethical standards expected of his followers.1
  • Rejection of the Daevas: Zarathushtra shifted the religious focus toward the ahuras (a class of deities with occult powers) and away from the daevas. He relegated the daevas—who were prominent gods in the older Indo-Iranian pantheon—to the status of evil spirits or demons.12
  • Ethical Dualism: He emphasized a stark moral distinction between Asha (truth/order) and the Druj (the Lie/falsehood), requiring individuals to make a free moral choice between these two principles.13