Mithra vs Shamash

The yazata of the covenant, 'lord of wide pastures', who watches with a thousand ears and ten thousand eyes over everyone who keeps or breaks their word, and whom Ahura Mazda created 'as worthy of sacrifice as myself'.

Created by Ahura Mazda as worthy of worship as himself (Yasht 10.1).

Yasht 10, one of the longest hymns of the Avesta, is devoted to Mithra. It opens with Ahura Mazda declaring that he created Mithra as worthy of sacrifice and prayer as himself, and it describes a watchful, terrible god of the covenant: the first of the heavenly beings to rise over Mount Hara before the sun, he drives a chariot across the sky, sees everything with his thousand ears and ten thousand eyes, and brings ruin on the 'Mithra-deceiver' who breaks a contract, while protecting those who keep faith. Before him runs Verethragna, victory, in the shape of a boar.

The sun god and divine judge. Shamash sees all that occurs under the sun and is the god of justice, truth, and moral order.

Shamash is the son of the moon god Nanna/Sin, emerging from the underworld each dawn through the eastern mountains. Each night he descends through the western gates to travel through the underworld, bringing light even to the realm of the dead, before rising again at dawn.

Shamash traverses the sky each day, seeing everything that occurs beneath his rays. This all-seeing nature makes him the natural god of justice and truth. Nothing can be hidden from his sight, no lie escapes his notice, no injustice occurs beyond his witness. He is the great equalizer who treats beggar and king alike.