/lit/ - Literature

Here's an interesting thing I'd been musing about the other day.

Mithraism is kind of paradoxical. This Roman mystery cult presents a number of parallels with Iranian religion, but at the same time it doesn't seem to fit at all. I'll cut to the chase and get to what I think happened: I think these contradictions were actually deliverate from the part of the practicing Romans.

You see one part of the common iconography of Mithraism is the statue of "Dei Arimanius"--a winged, lion-headed man. The first thing to note about it is the name, which is obviously the Iranian Ahriman, that is Angra Mainyu, the Adverse Spirit of Zoroastrianism; this deity was known to Plutarch in its proper function, and he did call it Arimanius. The second this is that the icon of the winged lion-man is *very* old: it stretches back to Mesopotamian mythology and the king of demons Pazuzu (whose brother the monster Humbaba was slayed by Gilgamesh). Now, considering this, it seems unlikely that whoever was adopting this symbol didn't know this thing was evil; but here's the catch: it's been especulated that the statue represents a rank of initiation in the mysteries. And here's the other thing: the Iranian Mithra is a protector of cattle, while the Roman Mithras is represented slaying a bull as a sacrifice to Sol (the sun), to later join him in a banquet.

Now, Mithraism was popular primarily among Roman soldiers. Considering this, the fact that they had to fight the people who these symbols belonged to, and that a military career offered social ascension or even citizenship in the Empire, I think the whole story was turned upside down to either recruit people or make them take the example of the Adversary of another religion.

In synthesis I believe Mithraism might have been the first well known case of Satanism.

>>9705379
>What do you make of the fact that she's a virgin?
It strikes me as related to her role of patron and protector of the polis. After all, Athena is above all represented by her shield. Compare Ares and his spear along with the "with it or on it" attittude of Spartans towards the shield.

To compare another virgin: Artemis' virginity strikes me as more of a symbol of freedom, like a deer which is untouched and outside the range of the hunter (to paraphrase Gautama).

Love/war goddesses tend to be related to the regeneration of life as well (see Kali or Ishtar), but Athena doesn't seem to present that either.

>I think Ares takes the place of the sexual war goddess, not sure about that though.
That's an interesting thought when you consider pederasty and his close relation to Aphrodite.