Zarathustra's place of birth and lineage are also unknown. The Avesta, the
only source of information on Zarathustra outside of commentaries
written on it and legends, does not concern itself with the details of
the prophet's life nor with the peoples he would have interacted with
such as the Medes or Persians. Once Zoroastrianism had been accepted,
many different peoples of various regions claimed Zarathustra as their
own and provided justification for those claims but none are any more
convincing than another.
He is thought, however, to have been born to Persian parents based on
their names, Pourusaspa and Dughdova. His family name was Spitama
(meaning, roughly, “of a white or shining power”). His father,
Pourusaspa, was probably a priest and his son would become one as sons
usually followed in their fathers' professions. He had four brothers
(two older and two younger) and was educated at an early age, suggesting
a family of significant means in that he was not sent to work nor is
there any suggestion of his having any occupation other than priest.
The faith he was devoted to is referenced today as the Early Iranian Religion or the Ancient Persian Religion and was a polytheistic belief system in which many gods were presided
over by a chief deity, Ahura Mazda, who guided human activity through
benevolence and wisdom, keeping at bay the dark forces of the evil
spirit Angra Mainyu (later known as Ahriman).
Ahura Mazda had his gods and spirits of light and Angra Mainyu his own
legions of demons and spirits of darkness and the two were in constant
conflict over control of the world. Every good gift which Ahura Mazda
bestowed on the world would be corrupted by the schemes of Angra Mainyu
who, nevertheless, would be thwarted by Ahura Mazda's wisdom in bringing
good even from evil intentions.
Caught between these two entities were human beings and the early
faith, as far as can be understood from later reconstructions,
emphasized the primacy of free will in choosing which side one would
ally one's self with. One could choose the path of light and love by
submitting to the will of Ahura Mazda and one would then live well on
earth and be assured of an afterlife in paradise or one could join in
rebellion and mischief with Angra Mainyu, corrupt whatever was good for
one's own selfish delights, and spend one's life vainly attempting to
find happiness in the misery of others and, finally, pass on to a dark
hell after death.
Whichever path one chose, it was entirely one's own responsibility as
Ahura Mazda had granted humans the power of choice and there was nothing
more potent than human free will as not even Ahura Mazda could (or
would) try to subvert it.