Zoroaster

Zoroaster (/ˌzɒroʊˈæstər/), also known as Zarathustra (Avestan: Zaraϑuštra), was the founder of Zoroastrianism. Though he is known to most likely be Persian, his birthplace is uncertain, but it is now generally thought that he was born in the eastern part of ancient Greater Iran. He is credited with the authorship of the Yasna Haptanghaiti as well as the Gathas, hymns which are at the liturgical core of Zoroastrianism. Most of his life is known through the Zoroastrian texts. However, the language spoken by Zoroaster, Old Avestan, used for composing the Yasna Haptanghaiti and the Gathas, on archaeological and linguistic grounds, is dated to have been spoken probably in the first half of the 2nd millennium BCE. Zoroaster was a vegetarian and strongly "forbade any animal sacrifice" on ethical grounds.