Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How did the Avesta and the Vedas preserve common Indo-Iranian religious ideas?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
ancient Iranian religion
Significant religious sites and sites containing religious artifacts of ancient Indo-Iranian peoples, including those of peoples of adjacent areas and modern Zoroastrians.
The Avesta and the Vedas serve as primary sources for reconstructing the religion of the ancient Indo-Iranian peoples, who shared common ancestors and linguistic roots. These texts preserve shared religious ideas through several key parallels:12
- Shared Deities: Both traditions exhibit a form of polytheism featuring common gods, most notably the Indian Mitra and the Iranian Mithra. Additionally, the Vedic god Varuna shares significant conceptual features with the Zoroastrian supreme deity, Ahura Mazda.12
- Ritual Sacrifice: A central commonality is the cult of fire and the performance of ritual sacrifices involving a sacred liquor—known as soma in India and haoma in Iran.12
- Terminology: The Indo-Iranians distinguished between daiva (heavenly beings) and asura (a class with occult powers). While these terms appear in both traditions, they evolved differently; in Iran, ahuras were exalted while daevas were relegated to demons, whereas in India, the term asura eventually took on a demonic connotation.1
These parallels highlight a shared heritage that predates the distinct religious developments in Iran and India.12