Editing Zoroastrianism (section)

=== Indo-Iranian origins ===
{{See also|Indo-Iranians|Proto-Indo-Iranian religion}}
The religion of Zoroastrianism is closest to [[historical Vedic religion]] to varying degrees.{{clarification needed|date=November 2023}}<!--What does "varying degrees" mean here?--> Some historians believe that Zoroastrianism, along with similar philosophical revolutions in South Asia were interconnected strings of reformation of a common Indo-Aryan thread. Many traits of Zoroastrianism can be traced to prehistoric Indo-Iranian culture and beliefs, that is, before the migrations that separated the [[Indo-Aryans]] and [[Iranics|Iranic]] peoples. Thus, Zoroastrianism shares elements with the [[historical Vedic religion]] that also originated in that era. Some examples include cognates between the [[Avestan]] word ''Ahura'' ("Ahura Mazda") and the Vedic [[Sanskrit]] word ''[[Asura]]'' ('demon', 'evil demigod'); as well as ''[[daeva]]'' ("demon") and ''[[Deva (Hinduism)|deva]]'' ("god") and they both descend from a common [[Proto-Indo-Iranian religion]].{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

Zoroastrianism inherited ideas from other belief systems and, like other "practiced" religions, contains [[syncretism]].<ref>e.g., {{harvnb|Boyce|1982|p=202}}.</ref> Specifically, Zoroastrianism in [[Sogdia]], the [[Kushan Empire]], Armenia, China, and other places incorporates local and foreign practices and deities.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|year=2015|isbn=9781444331356|pages=83–191}}</ref>

Conversely, Zoroastrian influenced [[Hungarian mythology|Hungarian]], [[Slavic mythology|Slavic]], [[Ossetian mythology|Ossetian]], [[Turkic mythology|Turkic]] and [[Mongol mythology|Mongol]] mythologies, all of which bear extensive light-dark dualisms and possible sun god theonyms related to [[Hvare-khshaeta]].<ref>Š. Kulišić; P.Ž. Petrović; N. Pantelić. "Бели бог". Српски митолошки речник (in Serbian). Belgrade: Nolit. pp. 21–22.</ref><ref>Juha Pentikäinen, Walter de Gruyter, Shamanism and Northern Ecology 11 July 2011</ref><ref>Diószegi, Vilmos (1998) [1958]. A sámánhit emlékei a magyar népi műveltségben (in Hungarian) (1. reprint kiadás ed.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó. {{ISBN|963-05-7542-6}}. The title means: "Remnants of shamanistic beliefs in Hungarian folklore".</ref>