Earthpulse Blog

This is the seventeenth of a series of short articles on various deities. I would appreciate any feedback.

---

Mitra, Mithra, Mithras – Three different deities?

To answer the question whether the Vedic Mitra, Zoroastrian Mithra and Greco-Roman Mithras are one and the same or completely different deities is a controversial subject which is beyond the scope of this post.

To put the debate in context, the deities all derive their name from a common Indo-Iranian noun, Mitra (causing to bind). In the Vedic tradition, the sovereign deity Mitra rose to rule alongside Varuna. In the later monotheistic Iranian religion of Zoroastrianism (or Mazdaism), the deity Mithra turns up in some of the texts of the Avesta. Then we have the Greco-Roman deity Mithras who was the central god in a religious movement of its own: Mithraism.

For the purposes of this post, I will treat the three deities as one and the same, while acknowledging that this is by no means a universal position. Personally, I think that if we accept the objective existence of deities then we must ask ourselves how likely it is that a god or goddess would exclusively tie themselves to one tradition or geographical location.

As in the title, I will use the oldest name (Mitra) to avoid confusion unless writing about a specific tradition.

Mitra: The ‘binding’ god

Mitra was a serene and benevolent deity who bestowed favours on mortals. He preferred negotiation and compromise above hostility, watching over contracts and agreements and bringing harmony to the world. When necessary he could fight and is depicted at the head of armies, spear and bow in hand.

In the Rig Veda, Mitra is said to have ‘…borne the earth and sky for all time…’ and to observe ‘…human establishments…’ and make ‘…men organize themselves.’ (Rig Veda III, cited in Comte, 1991, p. 132)

In the Avesta, Mithra, with his thousand eyes and ears, was omniscient, holding the universe in his embrace. He was sometimes depicted as a judge (or angel of judgement) in the Zoroastrian afterlife where he resurrected the dead at the end of the time.

As an interesting aside, the Zoroastrian religion is thought to be the first to have a concept of ‘heaven’ and ‘hell’ with the latter detailed in the book of Arda Viraf (Gardiner, 2010).

The Zoroastrian Mithra was strongly associated with the sun. He rose before it, standing in a chariot drawn by two white horses.

The Romans adopt Mithraism

During the heyday of the Roman Empire, the deity known as Mithras became favoured by soldiers. Followers of the deity met in caves (or cave-like buildings) and part of the worship involved eating a commemorative meal to symbolise the meal shared by Mithras and the sun following creation (probably involving the sacrifice of a bull). Many officers in the Roman army, including Emperor Commodus, joined the rituals and by the 1st Century A.D., Mithraism had become a flourishing initiatory religion.

Mithraism, like Zoroastrianism/Mazdaism before it, preached salvation. Mithras didn’t die and pictures show him ascending to heaven, ahead of the sun’s chariot, and performing the last judgment and resurrection. It was also an initiatory religion. Mithraic initiates had to pass through seven levels; cow, griffin, soldier, lion, Persian, courier and father, each with their own insignia and responsibilities (e.g. burning the incense).

Mithras was known as ‘killer of the bull’ and was depicted holding a bull’s nostrils and dispatching it with his sword, while a scorpion gripped its testicles and a dog and snake lapped its blood.

Mithraism flourished until the 5th Century B.C., reaching as far as Syria, Egypt,the shores of the Rhine and Danube and even northern Britain (see temple below left).

From the blood of the bull sprang all herbs and healing plants and wheat sprouted from its spinal cord. Also from its blood grew the vine containing the ‘sacred beverage of the mysteries’ (Cumont, F., cited in Comte, 1991, p. 132).

---

Do you have any personal experience of, or interest in, Mitra, or the Vedic, Zoroastrian or Greco-Roman traditions that you would like to share? If so, please leave a comment below.

References/Sources used (please use my bookstore if you want to order the books):

Comte, F. (1991) ‘The Wordsworth Dictionary of Mythology’, Wordsworth, Kent
Hell-on-line [online],link, Gardiner, E., last accessed 11th Aug 2010


Image attributions

Mithras image in the public domain
Temple image available under Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. Image provided by Michael Parry.

---

Are you a Dream Spirit? Sign up for free!

Last year I launched a members site for those of you who are interested in dreams. It’s called Dream Spirit and has lots of free content, including a searchable dream dictionary and forum. To join, please click
here.

---

Read your stars with Earthpulse

Click here to read your weekly stars.
Please note that my stars (as with all horoscopes of this nature) make use of limited, widely applicable astrological factors and can be interpreted in many ways. This does not reflect the full scope of the art and science of astrology.
NB. The rights to my horoscopes are currently for sale to other online or offline publications. Please contact me for more information.

---

Now on radio!

I am also on radio, approximately once a month, here in the UK. The radio station is ‘Magic 999′,part of the ‘Rock FM’ group and I take calls for about 40 minutes from 0830 on the Breakfast Show. The show broadcasts to Lancashire but non-Lancastrians can listen online on www.magic999.co.uk.

Coming next: The Vedic Deities: Varuna