Both the cognates Asura/Ahura and Deva/Daeva come from proto Indo European roots describing supernatural or divine beings ("divine" itself is derived from the s

Both the cognates Asura/Ahura and Deva/Daeva come from proto Indo European roots describing supernatural or divine beings ("divine" itself is derived from the same root as Deva/Daeva) . The polarization of the two into inimical identities is thought to have happened at some point in antiquity, but it cemented after the Indian Vedic period. During the Vedic period the Asuras weren't all bad - indeed many import demigods of the pantheon are Asuras. They are quite analogous in this way to the Norse Æsir and Vanir, who are not strictly good and evil, and like them often had their conflicts play out on Earth. While some scholars have suggested that the Asura/Deva split must represent an actual schism that took place between the Zoroastrians and the Vedic peoples, it could just as well be the result of cultural drift or the influence of other adjacent cultures.