Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why were daivas regarded as demons in Zoroastrianism?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

religious sites of ancient Indo-Iranian peoples — 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.

In early Indo-Iranian religion, the term daiva (cognate with the Sanskrit deva and Latin deus) originally meant "heavenly one" and referred to a class of gods. However, in the development of Zoroastrianism, these deities were reclassified as demons.123

This transformation occurred as part of a fundamental shift in religious ideology. Zoroastrianism emphasized the worship of ahuras ("lords"), such as Ahura Mazda, to the exclusion of the daevas. Within the religion's moral dualism, which pits truth (asha) against falsehood (druj), the daevas were portrayed as having made the wrong choice, aligning themselves with the forces of evil and the Destructive Spirit, Angra Mainyu.1245

Consequently, the daevas came to be viewed as malevolent beings who actively seek to corrupt human choices and lead individuals away from the path of righteousness. This reinterpretation solidified their status as demonic adversaries in the Zoroastrian worldview.465

Would you like to learn more about how this dualistic framework influenced other religious traditions?