Gods and Deities - Earth before the Flood: Disappeared Continents and Civilizations. Central and South Africa
The pantheon of the ancient Indians of the Mayan tribe, which included the main Mayan gods, as well as local, less significant deities who were worshiped either in individual regions or certain groups of people, for example, artisans, consisted of an incredible number of creatures.
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According to the chronicles of the Spanish conquistadors and records belonging to the Aztecs, Incas and Maya, total number deities reached the mark of 200.
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Such deities as the god of the wind, the patrons of water and other elements, were part of the so-called pantheon of the classical period, the golden age of the Mayan civilization.
A peasant, an ordinary inhabitant of Mesoamerica, for whom, for obvious reasons, the god of rain was at the head of religion, he also believed in many other idols for worship.
The deification and animation of the forces of nature is main feature religions of the ancient peoples and Indians of America, including.
Olympus Maya, which was ruled by the god of fire, was full of mortals, like people, beings of elemental belonging, who controlled all aspects of life.
The main gods of the Maya: the creatures on which the world rested.
In the mythology of the Mayan people, bakabs are mentioned as creatures on which the sky rests. Each Mayan sky god held his side of the sky so that he would not fall to the ground. Legends tell of four brothers: Sak-Kimi, Kan-Tsik-Nal, Hobnil and Hoean-Ek. The four bakaba brothers symbolized the cardinal directions and were associated with a certain color. Hobnil was associated with the east and red, Kan-Tsik-Pal was associated with the north and white, Sam-Kimi was associated with the west and black, Kavak was associated with the south and yellow.
Bakabs, the main gods of the Maya, were always depicted in human form and by their nature were close to people. In rare cases, in the images of the bakab - the Mayan god of the snail, the bakab in the form of a turtle, spider or iguana. In later periods, closer to the decline of the Mayan empire, the god of rain was associated with the Bakabs, or they were associated with the Pavakhtuns (incarnations of the water element), and, accordingly, appeared in the form of these creatures.
According to the Mayan worldview, the world was divided into 13 levels, each of which was headed by its own patron and divine entities subordinate to him. God Huitzilopochtli was one of the central figures of the Indian pantheon, revered in all corners of the great country. The deity-jaguar, the god-beast, controlled one of the layers of the world. In addition, Huitzilopochtli is one of the oldest deities of Mesoamerica.
Blackens, the god of the apocalypse, is also among the elders of Mayan mythology.
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The cult of this divine being was popular among priests involved in astronomy. Legends and myths about this inhabitant of the Indian Olympus were associated with a creature called the god Polanakte. According to legend, when Palanacte and Blacken descend to earth, the end of the world will come, the end of the next sun of the Mayan calendar.
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However, chief god Maya is far from bakaby or Huitzilopochtli, this is Itzamna.
At least, the cult of this deity was revered throughout the state, and all the inhabitants of the empire, without exception, worshiped him. Translated from the Indian language, Itzamna means “lizard house” or “iguana house”. Itzamna is one of the oldest Mayan deities. Its history begins in the period of veneration of totem animals, when, according to legend, the main Mayan gods were not yet born, and lizards, sacred Mayan animals, held the earth and sky on their heads and tails. The main deity of the Maya in his images appeared in the form of an old man with one tooth in his mouth. Images, symbols depicting the cult of Itzamna are found on the attributes of power that belonged to the rulers of the Indian state. In the mythology of Itzamnaya, the central god of the ancient Maya existed in several images: in the form of a god of rain, in the form of a god of harvest, in the form of a god of the earth.
The companion, the wife of Itzamna, was the goddess Ish-Chel, “the god of the rainbow”, “the lady of the rainbow”, - translated from the hieroglyphic language of the ancient Mayans, Aztecs and Incas. Ish-Chel is the Mayan goddess of the moon, and at the same time the patroness of women, midwives, mothers and medicine. It is worth noting that all other deities, including the god of death Miktlantekutli, as well as super people who gave birth to life and the universe itself, were considered descendants, children, of Itzamna and Ish-Chel.
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This god of the Mayan Indians, the goddess Ix-Chel, was revered by all the women of the Mayan tribe. One very curious rite was connected with the cult of this goddess. During pregnancy, young women from all over the country went to the island of Kosmel, where, at the end of their long journey, they presented gifts to the great goddess of the rainbow in complete solitude. Also on this island, where, according to legend, the goddess of the Indians, the feminine moon god of the Maya, Ish-Chel, once lived, sacrificial ceremonies of young maidens and babies were held. In the later periods of Mayan history, closer to the decline of the Mayan civilization, Ish-Chel is the god of the wind and concurrently the patroness of weaving, sewing, yarn and all garments.
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When the main gods of the Maya speak, they also mean another creature, Cavil. The cult of this mortal, like all Mayan creature deities, was revered in all corners of the vast empire of the Mayans.
Cavil is the Mayan god of war, the patron of thunderstorms, storms, storms and the lord of the weather. This is the highest deity of military affairs among the Maya, the god of war, appeared in the form of a man armed with an ax.
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An important detail of his images was also a leg in the form of a snake. Cavil, the bloody god of the Maya, is the protector and patron of large cities, the embodiment of the strength of warriors, their masculinity and stamina.
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God of fire, water, earth and wind, and other incarnations of the four elements.
Kukulkan was one of the most important creatures, deities in the mythology of Indian civilizations. The Maya god Kukulkan is translated as “feathered serpent” or “winged serpent”. In the images, this creature, the great god of fire, appeared in the form of a snake with wings and a human head. There are also engravings in which Kukulkan is a god with the face of a bird, the body of a man and a snake tail instead of legs. In various periods of history in the legends of the Indians, Kukulkan is mentioned as a patron, the god of rain, wind, earth and other aspects of nature (the religion of the Indians was characterized by multiple incarnations of divine beings). The fire god of the Mayans acted as the protector of the royal dynasties and cities subordinate to them.
The surviving legends of the Mayan civilization tell how the god of fire, water, earth and air, together with Khurokan, the deity responsible for the violence of the elements, created the world. According to legend, it was thanks to the will of the god of fire that the Indians became what they are known in history. The tribes believed that these supernatural beings, gods of rain, lords of wind and fire, taught them how to fish, hunt, farm, make scientific calculations, in particular mathematical and astronomical measurements, and calculations.
Along with Kukulkan, the god of fire and other elements, Kinich Ahau also controlled fire.
Ahau in Mayan mythology was the god of the sun. This is one of the most revered ancient deities of the Mayan tribe. He was considered the patron saint of sunlight, the god of fire, the personification of warmth, wisdom and the star that protects the Indians from the dangers of the night.
Ahau - the God of fire in his images appeared in the form of a young man, passionate, cheerful and strong. The god of fire patronized agriculture and was responsible for the well-being of the ruling dynasties. In his honor, the great kings named their children, erected pyramids and held massive sacrificial ceremonies. Subsequently, the god of fire and sun, Ahau, became a household name, his name was associated with the images of the greatest kings and commanders of the Mayan civilization. The god of fire, Kinich Ahau, according to mythology, was associated with the patron of the water element Chaak. No wonder these creatures, the Mayan god of love and warmth, and the deity of rain, according to the Indians, were responsible for agriculture and, in particular, for the harvest.
God of the wind: patron of the clear sky.
Nature and weather conditions had a direct impact on the way of life of the Mayans. It was these aspects of the surrounding reality that became the basis for the Mayan religion and the Indian version of Olympus. The god of the wind, the deity of water, the lords of fire and other hypostases controlled all aspects of the religious and social life of the Mayans.
In the Mayan pantheon, Hurakan was the main god of the wind (it should be understood that the religion of the Indians included several incarnations of each element, each phenomenon had its own patron and often more than one, this also applies to the god of the wind). Huracan translated from the language of the Indians means "throws down." Ancient legends tell how the god of the wind, flying over an empty universe, with just a word created a solid surface, which later became the earth. Already after the deeds of the god of the wind, the plant world and people made of corn were added to the earth.
In mythology, Hurakan, the god of the wind, is also mentioned as the patron of heaven and earth. For the Mayans, he was not only one of the most important elemental incarnations, but also the ruler of the earthly world. In the submission of Hurakan, the god of the wind, there were several incarnations associated with lightning, namely Chipi-Kakulkha (flash), Kahulkha-Hurakan (lightning) and Rasha-Kukulha (trace). The animal incarnation with which the wind god was associated was the Wok bird.
Another deity significant for Indian beliefs was Teel-Kusam, which means “with swallow feet”.
Teel-Kusam, the god of bad luck or, on the contrary, good luck, is one of the most revered creatures of Indian religions.
What is important, Kusam was directly connected with the element of air and, moreover, with Hurakan himself. On the island of Cozumel was erected in honor of the divine tandem, consisting of clay and stone statues in human growth.
The Popol Vuh says that the god of the Wind, Khurakan, was one of those who created the first humans. Together with two other deities of the Mayan Olympus, he gave life to Balam-Kuitsa (the jaguar god with a gentle smile) and Iki-Balam (the jaguar of the moon), creatures similar to the gods in everything. Subsequently, it was from these super people that the entire human race originated.
The god of rain is the protector of the harvest and local patrons of the elements.
Speaking of a measured life, first of all, it is worth mentioning the wanderer god. God Ek-Chuah occupied one of the most important places not only in the Mayan pantheon, but also Everyday life Indian tribe. This mortal protector of the Indians was the patron of travelers and merchants. In the legends, Ek-Chauh is mentioned as the Mayan god of trade, and in the images he appears as a wanderer, leaning on a cane and carrying a heavy burden behind his back. The integral elements of the image of this deity were dark, almost black, skin color, as well as a long nose and thick lips.
The deity of the religion of the Indians, referred to only as Chak - the Mayan god or simply Chaak, occupied one of the central places in the Mayan version of Olympus.
Chaak, according to the Indians, is the god of rain, who controls lightning, thunder and showers.
Much depended on the mood of this inhabitant of the pantheon, in particular, how successful the harvest would be.
Chaak, the god of rain, was revered and loved, but at the same time they were afraid, temples were erected in his honor, ceremonies of sacrifices and celebrations were held - all in order to pacify the stormy temper and appease the deity, and therefore get a good harvest. The chronicles of the Spanish discoverers say that in the driest years, the Mayans held ceremonies where the rain god coaxed hundreds of human lives, as well as other valuable gifts. In the images of the Maya, the god Chaak appears as a man with an ax in his hand, according to myths, with the help of this weapon, he caused thunder and rain clouds.
The central figures of the Mayan version of Olympus also included the Mayan red goddess, the patroness of the night, and a host of other creatures who were responsible for all aspects of life and the surrounding reality, which is what makes the Mayan religion remarkable. The Mayan pantheon is numerous, however, its study allows you to get answers about the lifestyle and way of life of the Indians.
beliefs of pre-Christian Europe. Martyanov Andrey
What do we know about the gods of the ancient Gauls?
In Notes on the Gallic War, Julius Caesar reports that all the Gauls are "extremely devout" and offer human sacrifices to their gods : they think that the immortal gods can only be propitiated by sacrificing for human life also human life, and "redeemed" themselves from the gods in case of danger, illness or war. " Some tribes use for this purpose huge scarecrows made from twigs, whose members they fill with living people; they set them on fire from below, andpeople go up in flames» . These horrors are not confirmed by archaeological finds.
Gauls - tribes of the Celtic group who lived in the territory of Gaul (present-day France, Belgium, parts of Switzerland, Germany and Northern Italy) from the beginning of the 5th century BC. e. before the Roman period. They spoke one of the continental Celtic languages - Gallic.
Caesar talks in some detail about the "Gallic pantheon": “Of the gods, they (the Gauls) revere the most Mercury. He has more images than all other gods: he is considered the inventor of all arts, he is also recognizedpointer of roads and guides on travels ...After him they revere Apollo, Mars, Jupiter and Minerva… Apollo drives away diseases Minerva teaches the rudiments of crafts and arts, Jupiter teaches has supreme power over the celestials, directs the war ...
Gauls all consider themselves descendants of their father Dita (Dit - Hades, Pluto, the deity of the underworld among the Romans) and they say that such is the teaching of the druids. For this reason, they calculate and determine time not by days, but by nights.». .
One of the oldest definitions names of druids based on etymology, given by Pliny:
“Among all this, we must not forget that the Gauls deeply revere. At druids, for that is what their magicians are called, there is nothing more sacred than mistletoe and tree, on which it grows, and it is believed that it always grows on oak. Just for this reason they choose oak forests and do not perform any rite without the foliage of this tree, so it is quite possible that the Druids themselves took their name from its Greek name. δρυς - « drus". They really believe that everything that grows on an oak is sent from heaven, and means that this tree was chosen by God himself ... "
Curious to note Celtic trace in French : back in the twentieth century, there were areas where people used the expression to denote the current day "annuit", "anneue" - "tonight", not "today", i.e. "this day".
If druid name came from and maybe explained only in terms of Celtic languages, then its constituent elements are of Indo-European origin: Gaulish form « druides" (singular " druis”), which Caesar uses throughout the text "Gallic Wars" as well as Irish "drui" go back to the same prototype "dru-vides" -« dru-wid-es”, “very learned”, containing the same root as in Sanskrit: View, see - vid - vidati - know, understand; latin verb "videre", "see"; Gothic "witan", German "wissen", Gaulish "vidu-" - "to know".
Naturally, from the description "Notes on the Gallic War" it is impossible to understand what specific Gallic deities are meant by Roman names. The author gives only the most general idea of them. Who is, for example, this "Mercury"? In Roman mythology, he is by no means the supreme deity ...
The Roman poet Lucan names names in his poem "Pharsalia" three gods, revered in Gaul: Jesus, Taranis and Teutates.
Attempts to comprehend these gods in such a way that they become "understandable" to a person brought up within the framework of Greco-Roman culture look completely failed.
Jesus - god "wrathful", as Lucan writes, and he demands human casualties hung on a tree. Meanwhile, his name is supposed to mean " good god', 'God-lord'. However, some researchers believe that Esus is a deity common to all Gauls. And it is possible that god of war.
In part, the Roman is able to realize this conglomeration of meanings: after all, the main patron of Rome, militant) on the one hand, he favors the City, and on the other hand, he is just the god of war, carnage, intoxicating massacre, in contrast to -patroness of war reasonable, fair, rational.
Esus among the Gals is still associated with trees . "Oak" - in Gallic - Dervo - "dervo"; ireland. "daur", "dar"; Welsh - "derw"; Breton - "derv". Not only are sacrifices to this god hung on a tree; he usually depicted as a bearded man standing near a tree with an ax in his hand. Perhaps the gesture of the hand raising the ax reproduces the moment druidic ritual. On the altar of Jesus you can also see the image of a bull with three cranes standing on its head and back.
Taranis is the god of thunder, the god of heavenly fire.
Accordingly, the victims were burned to him. Gallic monuments represent Taranis as a bearded giant with a wheel, and a bunch of arrows like a vajra
in hand. AND wheel, and fiery arrows (vajra) - a symbol of fire, sun, flame
. On other pictures Taranis tramples a giant with snakes for legs.
Mentioned god Teutates, as if related to water cult. According to Lucan, the victims to the god Teutatus drowned in water. Oddly enough, it was Teutates that the Romans tried to associate with Mars; in other cases, the same god was compared with Jupiter, but even such an attempt looks extremely controversial.
The name "Teutat" according to modern researchers, comes from Gaulish "teuto" - "tribe" . Thus, the god Teutates, the patron of fire, can be correlated with the god of war Mars, in his most ancient incarnation of the patron of fertility.
However, with all this, no one is able to reliably determine whether Teutates was the patron of only one particular tribe or whether he was a common deity for all the Gauls.
Even if Teutates personified, as it were, universal divine help to the entire tribe, each individual Gallic tribe had its own personal patron. And the names of these patron gods of the Gallic tribes have come down to us in great numbers: Allobrox - the god of the Allobrog tribe, Vokontia - the goddess of the Vokonti tribe - and so on. Scientists have identified about forty names of the local deities of Britain - and nothing is known about them except their names.
Of the Gaulish gods we can name Eponu, Cernunnos (Cernunnos), Sucellus, Nantosvelt, Rozmertu - and a few more.
The name "Epona"(Celtic Epona, from the Gaulish word *epos "horse") the goddess Epona
- the patroness of horses, mules, donkeys, drovers and carters, she was depicted sitting on a horse.
If we know some gods by name, then others are only an image, their names have not been established. For example, there was image of a three-headed deity, a deity with a snake, a group of three mother goddesses. What did the Gauls call them, what was their cult, in what situations were they addressed, were they purely local or common to all of Gaul? Alas, the stones are silent on this matter, and there is not a word in the literature.
Names of Celtic Gods and Goddesses in total there are over three hundred and seventy - so many of them were revered in the lands where the Celts ever lived. Approximately three hundred names of the Celtic gods are mentioned only once, and they belong to local deities, patrons of certain tribes or clans, from which we can make a cautious conclusion that these gods were some deified ancestors.
A square stone pillar found in France decorated with bas-reliefs depicting Celtic, Roman and Gaelic deities of the first quarter 1st century AD
This square stone pillar with bas-reliefs of the gods originally stood in the Gallo-Roman temple of the city of Lutetia . The stone pillar was created with public donations (publice posierunt) from the sailors' guild of Lutetia, (nautae Parisiaci), near modern Paris. These sailors would have been merchants who traveled on the Seine.
The square stone pillar with bas-reliefs of the gods is one of the earliest works of fine Gallic art, on which there are inscriptions of the names of all the depicted gods. (Hatt 1952; Thermes de Cluny)
The inscriptions on the stone pillar are made in Latin letters, with some features of the Gaulish language , the inscriptions successfully combine and confuse Roman gods with distinctly Gaulish gods.
The stone pillar is dated with an inscription dedicated to Tiberius Caesar Augustus that is, Tiberius, who became emperor in 14 AD.
Basic dedication drawn on a stone pillar to Jupiter , in the shape of Iovis Optimus Maximus ("Jove Best and Greatest").
The names of the Roman emperor Tiberius and the supreme deity Jupiter are written in the dative case, that is, they are listed as recipients of the initiation.
The remaining inscriptions and terms are written in the nominative case, and actually name the depicted gods: Jupiter, Tarvos Trigaranos — Bull with three horns (from the words of Vedic Sanskrit:; ; garanos - horn ), Vulcanus (Volcano), Ekus - “first”, (from Sanskrit), Chernunnos (from black), Castor, Death-rios (from the Slavic word: death) and Fortuna.
We have already spoken about the greatest and most famous gods of Africa when we talked about the Egyptian civilization. Now we have to get acquainted with the gods of those African tribes and peoples who are far behind socially, technically and culturally from the industrially and culturally developed countries of the world.
It may seem strange that on the same continent in comparative proximity there were one of the very first civilizations of the Nile Valley that flourished for several millennia, which achieved extraordinary success in cultural development, and, as it were, doomed to eternal backwardness, the scattered cultures of tribes that relatively recently crossed the line Bronze Age, and even the Neolithic.
How to explain such a catastrophic difference? Racial features, natural conditions or some other reasons? When and why did the advantage of some peoples (or inhabitants of some regions) over others begin to show? Is it possible to talk about any gods of tropical Africa that were revered by many tribes (peoples), or will one only have to refer to the extraordinary diversity of religious beliefs with a huge number of gods worshiped by hundreds of African clans and tribes?
The most interesting and surprising thing is that seven or eight thousand years ago in Africa there really could have been an advanced civilization at that time, covering a significant part of the continent, which is now occupied by the Sahara and adjacent areas - up to the zone of tropical rainforests. Only the remains of sites from the ancient, middle and new Stone Ages, the famous rock paintings of the Sahara, dried up river valleys and depressions of former lakes and the greatest desert in the world have survived from it.
Even when there were impenetrable forests and swamps in the Nile Valley, the territory of the Sahara was located, as reliably established by paleogeographers and geologists, mainly savannahs. These were places favorable for the habitation and cultural development of the local population: a variety of landscapes, an abundance of rivers and lakes, individual forests and wetlands, an abundance of a wide variety of animals.
The rock paintings of the Sahara depicted many representatives of the then fauna, hunting scenes, and at a later time - pastoralists with their herds, and then chariots and again primitive - in clothing and weapons - hunters. Unfortunately, among the huge variety of drawings, there are very few scenes that can be interpreted as mystical or religious. This is indicative. Apparently, the people of those distant times were predominantly realists (which is confirmed by the rock paintings of the Stone Age in Europe).
If we take into account that in Africa there were no tribes that did not have more or less complex religious ideas, then even during the time of the Sahara savanna, it must be assumed that people had ideas about the gods. However, they either did not want to portray the great gods, or were afraid, or simply could not, for the simple reason that these gods were predominantly abstract, largely speculative. But people sometimes portrayed smaller spirits, fantastic creatures. These are either small horned figurines that look like devils, or large massive round-headed creatures that look like people, dressed in spacesuits and with antennas on their heads (these images contributed to the modern myth about the arrival of aliens on Earth). Perhaps these are people in masks and ritual attire.
In general, judging by these monuments of the distant past, people did not depict the image of God in the form of a man. This corresponds to one of the characteristic features of African religious ideas: the supreme deity for them was an abstract or semi-abstract concept. Specific manifestations of higher powers were the deities of individual elements, deified ancestors or animals, spirit demons, present everywhere and constantly interfering in the affairs of people.
To give specific examples in our case is a thankless and tedious task, because one would have to list dozens of tribes and peoples, many names of gods. But still we will mention some gods (in brackets - the names of the tribes).
The deity of the Earth is very common - more often the goddess: Bunsi (Bantu), Kloveki (Krobo), Odudva (Yoruba), Pemba (Bambara), etc. In some cases, the God of the Earth is also the creator. The deity of air Teliko (bambara) could personify breath, and the deity of fire and iron Ogun (Yoruba) could represent war. Original Masaparu (bobovule), personifying the life-giving underground or well water.
Researchers associate the deification of animals with the remnants of totemism, when the name of an animal was the name of a deified ancestor, and then became the spiritual patron of the family. Snakes were often deified. In Dahomey, the heavenly serpent Dangbe was identified with rain and rainbows. Although more often fertile rain was considered a manifestation of the power of a heavenly bull: Jouka (Shilluk), Nyalit (Dinka), Nuna (bai), Heko (kaffa), who often acted as a creator god. Among the Dogon, the divine serpent Sigi was also considered the first ancestor. Among the coastal tribes in the west of the continent, the sea deities, patrons of fishing, were considered Maniyri, Manto, Nanzikra, who acted in the form of a sea animal manatee ...
Common to the peoples of Africa (in which, of course, they are not original) is the cult of ancestors. Since ancient times, this custom has helped people to maintain the stability of society, ancient commandments, rituals, and superstitions. The same custom resisted all sorts of innovations, innovations, discoveries. The cult of animals (often insects, spiders) was characteristic of the tribes of hunters and gatherers, while farmers and cattle breeders turned to the deification of the natural elements, the Sun, the Earth, and water.
According to the 19th-century English ethnographer A. Ellis, in Ghana (formerly the Gold Coast) “each village, village, district has its own local spirits, or gods, rulers of rivers and streams, hills and valleys, rocks and forests.” Most of these spirits were considered hostile to humans. In addition, the cult of dead leaders, rulers (or living ones, which sometimes imposes on them sometimes truly divine duties, for example, to cause rain), as well as tribal gods and even personal (fetishes), who are treated quite severely, are expected to fulfill some desires, assistance in business; and so that the fetish (usually in the form of a wooden figurine) would not forget the wishes, nails were driven into it.
THE MOST HIGH CREATOR GOD
Despite the abundance of tribal, tribal, family and personal deities, various spirits, the idea is widespread almost everywhere in Africa. supreme god. In some cases, its approval was facilitated by the spread of Islam, Judaism, Christianity, but most often it is not borrowed, but local. Evidence and confirmation of this is the many names of this god given by different tribes: Adudva (baule), Alurua (ashanti), Amma (do-gon), Atana (tura), Vele-hakaba (vagusu), Vulu (mano), Vulbari (krachi), Geyi (bete), Geno or Dundari (fulbe), Debvenu (bobovule), Io (bambara), Kulothiolo (senufo), Leza (ila, mamba), Kalunga, Mulungu. In most cases, this Almighty, who created the world, is not honored with a cult, prayers, praises. It is believed that it is too large and far from the urgent needs of people. It is wiser to make requests to closer and more active deities.
Most often, they prefer not to talk about this great god, “philosophizing craftily,” because we are talking about something that incomparably exceeds the abilities of man. Sometimes even he is not considered the creator, because nothing definite can be said about the beginning of the universe.
If there was a creator of the world, then he long ago retired from all affairs and does not participate in the management of the earth and sky. True, in one case, the god Sa acts both as the creator and as the ruler of the underworld (also a kind of departure from current affairs).
Another feature of the supreme god: the indeterminacy of sex or bisexuality, as in Nana-Buluku (ewe, background). And in this, too, considerable wisdom is seen, for how would people know the sexual identity of the supreme being, especially since it - as the first and highest - must combine the most diverse features.
In general, the great god is distant, omnipresent or secretive, administers only a few world affairs that are beyond the power of man to understand. He may be merciful and kind, but he does not care about people. But the devilish spirits are evil, and therefore they should be propitiated.
Such ideas about God are so deep that the Soviet Africanist V.B. Jordansky expressed the opinion that the researchers "turned the African peasant into a sophisticated philosopher - a role that is completely alien to him." But why is it alien? After all, a true thinker does not necessarily have to get a higher, or even a primary school education. And the ideas about the gods of people of the distant past, who knew how to think independently, were close to the truth of nature - both external (the universe, the earthly surrounding world), and the internal nature of man. By the way, Jordansky himself in his interesting book "Chaos and Harmony" revealed the deep philosophical implications of the beliefs of Africans.
It must be admitted that the ideas of the majority of African tribes about the Almighty are full of deep meaning and at the same time - simplicity, naturalness. It is possible that this applies in general to the views on the gods of people of primitive culture, whose consciousness is not distorted by those ideas that are introduced as a result of the formation class society based on the principles of domination-subordination and the desire of individual groups for unlimited power.
GOD ACTIVE
So it is conditionally possible to call a deity who was worshiped as an active entity, on which the fate of people, the current course of affairs depends. The Creator God was given a rather indefinite place - somewhere high in the heavens or, more often, everywhere and nowhere specifically, and he could take any form, and most rarely - a human form.
In this respect, the active god is more definite and most often associated with the natural elements.
For example, among the Maasai, Ngai (Engai) is both the heavenly deity of rain, thunder and lightning, and the god of war, on whose location luck during battles and raids depends. The Masai believed that he approved of their predatory campaigns and the seizure of cattle and other booty from neighboring tribes. They prayed to him before the raids, which, apparently, gave them confidence in the legitimacy of the robbery.
As the personification of the natural elements, Engai performed under different colors. In the form of Na-rock (Black), he personified goodness and was associated with a clear sky, distant thunder and small blessed rains. And Engai-Nanyokye (Red) was angry and dangerous, bringing with him a terrible thunderstorm with lightning and thunder. Sometimes they presented themselves as two brothers. According to other versions, there are three or even four brothers, of which black is always good, red is formidable (except for them - white and gray).
The Ashanti tribe (Ghana) revered Nyame as a creator god. One of his symbols was an industrious spider. Having completed his earthly affairs, he retired to heaven. His wife Asaoye Afua remained the goddess of the earth and fertility. Nyame sent his son Tano (Tando) to earth in order to manage the affairs of people. God Tano was associated with the river Agyentoa and was considered the patron of the tribe. They prayed to him before military campaigns. However, after the British conquered Ashanti, the prestige of this god fell.
Among the Shona tribe living between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers, the active god Mwari is both a thunderer and an ancestor. He can graciously grant rain or punish with severe drought. At the same time, various tricks are associated with his name, aimed at teaching people.
According to the notions of the Fon tribe, the creator of the world, Mavu-Liza, a creature of indefinite appearance, bisexual, gave birth to several gods who began to command the natural elements, but the main of them were the first-born twins Da Zoji and Nyokhwe Ananu (who became his wife). It was they who were given the right to command all earthly affairs, to populate the earth with people and manage them.
At the same time, there is the formidable god of thunder Hevioso, on whose location the well-being of people largely depends: he sends heat and dryness, downpour and storm, but also gives rain, ensuring the fertility of the fields. His children help him.
Among the Shilluk tribe, the supreme heavenly deity Juok, who created heaven and earth, and people from clay, became the lord of spirits and rain (in the form of a heavenly bull). However, his "representative" on earth was considered to be the divine ancestor, the cultural hero Nyikang.
In general, an active god can take various forms, although most often he appears in the form of a thunderer and a man, the first ancestor, who continues to influence earthly affairs. Both of these images are completely justified. In the first case, we are talking about a phenomenon on which the well-being of the tribe depends, but on which a person is not able to influence.
The veneration of the ancestor is a characteristic feature of primitive religions. It is associated with respect for traditions and contributes to the stability of society (although it hinders its technical and social progress). In this sense, the ancestors really remain among the living and influence them.
THE GREAT RIDER
Worshiping the gods and humble following the orders of the ancestors turns a person into an obsequious, non-initiative creature with the soul of a slave. This is how the colonizers represented the people of the "primitive culture", thus asserting the regularity of their domination over them.
The fact that such an opinion is not true is evidenced, in particular, by the existence in myths and fairy tales of almost all tribes of the deified image of a mocker, a rogue, a mischievous person who makes fun of customs and traditions, makes fun of the stupid.
“Among the inhabitants of the African pantheon,” wrote V.B. Jordanian - there is one that occupies a special position surrounded by the demiurge. This roguish deity, whose tricks sow confusion among people, is the eternal violator of the harmony that society seeks to maintain in relations with the mythical world, in relations between people. It is the creator of disorder in the world, to the ordering of which all the efforts of social consciousness are directed.
I would just like to clarify. Speaking about the "environment of the demiurge", the researcher exaggerated the degree of organization of the pantheon of African gods. Moreover, too often the demiurge renounces earthly affairs. For example, in the tale of the Ewe tribe, the ascension of the demiurge Mavu to heaven is explained as follows. Once the sky was very low, and one woman, stirring the porridge with a large spoon, constantly touched him. Angry, she splashed hot porridge into the sky and hit Mavu in the face. Then he, unable to endure the insult, decided to leave the world of people forever, rose high, high and lifted the sky behind him.
In this story, the irony in relation to the supreme deity is obvious. The woman was able to send him high into the sky. By the way, the Milky Way could well serve as a splashed porridge.
The tale of the Lamba tribe reveals the secret of the power of sorcerers and leaders. The cunning hare secretly planted his brother on a large tree, and he himself invited the animals to ask the one who reigns in the sky, who should be the leader on earth. Elephant, lion, rhinoceros alternately questioned the heavens - without an answer. And to the question of the hare, it was heard from above: “You, venerable hare, be the leader on earth!” And so the hare became the leader.
As you can see, even in ancient times, "wild tribes" clearly understood the essence of "democratic elections." Here there is a mockery not only of the trusting animal people, but also of the supreme deity, whose role can be played by a hare climbing a tree.
Indigenous Africans, as, indeed, all people close to nature, were inherent common sense in full measure and, in addition, with elements of skepticism and irony. According to the French Africanist B. Olya, some myths claim that “the world is an imperfect and even failed creation; he was created by some obscure will, a wayward genius who wanted to overcome his boredom or, if you like, the monotony of chaotic inertia, and he simply allowed himself to have a little fun, not caring about the consequences.
As you can see, in such cases, elements of mischief, games, and ill-conceived entertainment are assumed in the very creator of the universe. But most often in folk tales there is a character who, according to the Soviet Africanist E.S. Kotlyar, “personifies the element of humor, resourcefulness, inexhaustible ingenuity; he fools everyone who gets in his way, responds to cunning with even more sophisticated cunning.
So, in the tale of the Ashanti tribe, the animals argued which of them is the oldest and deserves the most worship. They invented fables about their origin (at the same time, the characteristic features of each beast were emphasized). The last to speak was the spider Anansi: “When I was born, there was nothing. I didn't even have a place to bury my dead father. I had to bury it in my head." Everyone had to agree that he was the oldest.
This legend is witty and at the same time full of healthy skepticism about any versions of the origins of the world, which are inevitably speculative (which modern cosmologists should also remember).
In the myths of the Bushmen, the main character is the mantis grasshopper Tsgaan, or Tsagn, Tsgaagen. He is truly many-sided: a demiurge, a progenitor, a former totem, but also a rogue and a mischief-maker. His family consists of animals of different species (outside of genetic axioms), and once they were all people. And the Bushmen themselves were previously antelopes, and the almighty Tsgaang turned them into people.
The Ashanti have a similar character in myths - the spider Anansi, with whom the creation of the world is associated. And this ability of people to see the great in the small, in the spider or grasshopper - the creator of the universe, is a manifestation of that philosophical worldview, which is denied to the tribes of primitive culture by some educated researchers.
The myths of the Shona tribe exalt Mwari as the supreme god and the first ancestor, as well as the giver of rain. But he does not shy away from mischievous tricks. When one man refused to give Mwari a blanket, he said he would not leave the hut. Then the foolish man burned his hut to get rid of the guest, but heard his voice from the tree. The man cut down the tree, but Mwari's voice came from the owner's bull. The man killed the bull and began to fry the meat, but then the skin, meat and bones of the bull ascended to heaven and the voice of Mwari said laughing: "I got more than a blanket."
... A mischievous deity, sometimes bringing chaos even to the environment of the gods, violating the laws of nature and the institutions of people, possessing not only intelligence, but also wit, resourcefulness, and even showing swindle, mockery, skepticism - is this not an obligatory part of our human world? Without it, life would probably be more orderly and strict, but also boring to the point of impossibility.
Ugarit, Phoenicia
Three or four millennia ago, on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, there were a number of prosperous cities that grew rich mainly due to trade (they were at the crossroads of land and sea routes), as well as a high cultural level of the population. These lands were called Canaan. The cities of Byblos, Tire, Sidon went down in history, and of the states of this region, Phoenicia became the most famous. It was from here, as the legend says, that Zeus kidnapped and delivered Princess Europa to Crete.
In the 30s of the XX century, archaeologists discovered the remains of the city of Ugarit, the capital of a small kingdom, geographically located on the northern outskirts of the Phoenician lands, and chronologically preceding the heyday of Phoenicia. Linguists have deciphered clay tablets with Ugarit texts - in the Amorite language, related to Arabic and Hebrew. It turned out that Ugaritic writing was alpha-sound (the principle of the alphabet, not hieroglyphs), apparently the first in the world of this type (around the 14th century BC). True, only consonants were noted.
It is not surprising that the myths and legends of Ugarit are in many ways similar to those of the Phoenicians, and the names of the corresponding gods are consonant. However, this pantheon was significantly influenced by the religious ideas of the Egyptians, Assyrians, and Hittites. The fact is that the city-states of the Eastern Mediterranean not only competed, but also were at enmity with each other, and therefore became easy (and sometimes difficult) prey for larger powers. In addition, active trade with different countries contributed to the synthesis of cultures. Some Ugaritic-Phoenician gods (for example, Adonis) entered Greek mythology. In general, in the Eastern Mediterranean, civilization spread, describing a huge semicircle counterclockwise: Egypt - Canaan - Hittia - Ionia - Greece - Rome; approximately in the center of this "cyclone of culture" is Crete, where not only Zeus was born, but also the great traveler Odysseus.
The Phoenicians went down in history primarily as skilled sailors. However, even the Russian orientalist B.A. Turaev drew attention to the fact that in the myths of this people (we add: the Ugarites too) there are no powerful gods of the sea, patrons of navigation or maritime trade. “The Phoenician and Canaanite deities in general came out of the desert,” Turaev rightly concluded.
As you know, myths reflect not only the spiritual world, but also the everyday life of the people. Based on this, it can be assumed that the most skillful sailors of those times (three or four millennia ago) were the Cretans, who were not alien to piracy.
Since biblical times, the name of Moloch has become a household name - a ferocious and bloodthirsty god, to whom plentiful human sacrifices, mainly children, were made. However, researchers now believe that it was not a deity, but the name of a rite of human sacrifice, which was later banned.
Another symbolic image mentioned in Old Testament, - Golden calf, - also, apparently, is of Phoenician origin. There, the supreme god was often depicted as a gilded bull, associated with the worship of gold and wealth.
ILU (IL, ELIM)
So they called in Ugarit, and then Phenicia, the God of the gods, the Creator of creations, the supreme deity. Unfortunately, there are no more or less complete myths about how he created the universe. It is possible that this happened as described in the Bible - divine Word.
“Ilu is more connected with space, with the whole universe, than with any particular country,” writes Yu.B. Tsirkin in the book "Myths of Phoenicia and Ugarit". - As such, he protects the world order and, if necessary, restores the harmony of the world - both natural and human. In his home, Ilu leads the meeting of the gods, arranges feasts for them ... Ilu is the highest authority, and his decisions can only be changed by himself. He is the embodiment of wisdom and mercy."
The location of Ilu is indicated in the myth vaguely: on the mountain "at the mouth of the River, at the source of both Oceans." For all the abstractness of such a mythical geography, it is extremely mundane and reflects the limited knowledge about the surrounding world, where there are only two oceans, which were known to the inhabitants of Ugarit and the Phoenicians. The latter really visited not only the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf, but also went out into the Atlantic and Indian oceans, although, of course, they did not have a clear idea about them and sailed only along the coasts.
Thus, we can say that Ilu was in the center of the universe, known to the inhabitants of Ugarit. In addition, this supreme god was considered the lord of time, the "king of the years." Its symbol is the sacred bull as the personification of power and fertility, fertility.
It is generally accepted that this god is represented by a mighty old man with a gray beard, who has long retired from worldly affairs and interferes little in the established world order. However, like all gods, for believers, he did not remain constant for all ages. As noted by A.I. Nemirovsky, the image of Ilu, created by myths that formed at the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. e., does not always correspond to the ideas of believers who lived at the time of writing myths. So, in one of the hymns in honor of Ilu, he appears in the form of a mighty warrior: Arise, Ilu, Mark, Ilu, With a spear, Ilu, With a dart. Ilu, With a team, Ilu, With death, Ilu, With fire, Ilu, With burning, Ilu, For the sake of Ugarit - Live to help.
The wife (according to another version, the daughter) of Ilu - Asirat was the mistress of the sea and was called the Great Asirat of the Sea, personifying sea element and patronizing fishermen. She also acted as the progenitor of gods and people, although some deities were not considered her descendants, for example, the highly revered Balu.
From the standpoint of the unity of earthly nature, the connection of mountains and land in general with the seas and oceans seems to be completely natural and fruitful, which fully justifies the marital relationship of Ilu and Asirat. But for the people living on the coast, the unity and interaction of land and sea were familiar not so much in the global as in the local aspect.
The most amazing thing is that the name of this long-dead (together with the people who revered him) god continues to sound today and will move into the future. The fact is that it is present as an ending in such names as Michael, Gabriel, Daniel, Samuel, Raphael. They entered the Torah and the Bible, spreading not only in the Jewish, but also in the Christian world.
There is an opinion that in Ugarit the mysterious “God of the Father” was revered, whose name was either forgotten or kept in the strictest confidence. He may have been the original Creator god, the father of Ilu. The question remains unclear.
Some uncertainty and, one might say, the all-inclusiveness of Ilu, his position above people and gods, contributed to the fact that over time he was more and more removed from other deities, whose deeds were similar to human ones, rising above them as the God of gods or simply God. In the Old Testament, this is already the one and only God - Elohim.
However, neither in Ugarit nor in Phoenicia did the transition to monotheism take place. “The gods of Ugarit,” emphasizes A.I. Nemirovsky, - are conceived in the images of people, but immeasurably more powerful and immortal. They feast, love, hate, dream, constantly fight with each other, show deceit and cruelty. In this regard, Ilu differs in that he is not so active, being, as they say, “above the fight”, and therefore he is less human and most abstract.
BALU (BAAL, VAAL)
His name in translation means the Master, the Lord, and was often supplemented with: “Strongman”, “Mighty”, and also “Thunderman” (Balu-Haddad) or, according to the name of the mountain located near Ugarit, Balu-Tsapanu (now Tsafon, 1770 m above sea level - the highest mountain in the area).
Balu's father is Dagan (Dagon), brother of Ilu, who was, apparently, the god of abundance, the giver of food, the patron of agriculture (or) fishing. Balu retained some of the functions of the god of fertility, although he was revered primarily as "Riding on the cloud", the god of rain, thunderstorms, storms, thunder and lightning. He was the patron of agriculture and navigation, for which, of course, the state of the atmosphere is very important - rains, winds, storms.
At the same time, Balu is a warrior on a scale not only earthly, but also universal: he went into battle with the monstrous seven-headed serpent-dragon Lotan (the prototype Biblical Leviathan?). This deed, apparently, had a cosmogonic significance and determined the victory of the forces of good over the forces of evil, especially since the death god Mutu acted on the side of the serpent, who managed to wound Valu with a spear. Unfortunately, such an important myth is known only in minor fragments.
A serious conflict occurred between Balu and Yammu, the god of rivers and seas. The supreme god Ilu was fond of the latter, and therefore ordered the patron of the craft, Kotaru-va-Khasis, to build a palace for his favorite. Arrogant Yammu demanded that he surrender and submit to Balu. This demand was supported by Ilu himself!
But the proud and mighty Balu rebelled against such a decision (does this mean that in Ugarit the older generation of gods - or the former reigning dynasty - was replaced by new gods and those who worshiped them). Armed with a club, he marched against Yammu, but was defeated.
However, the skillful Kstaruva-Khasisu came to the aid of Strongman Balu, who turned out to be weaker than the enemy, by making two clubs that themselves beat the enemy. With their help, or rather, thanks to their independent blows, Yammu was defeated. So Baloo won (one might say, thanks to automatic weapons, and not personal qualities) and was proclaimed king.
But this was not enough for him. A palace worthy of a king was also needed. Either Baloo did not know how to build it, or he did not have the right. The children of Ilu and Asirat (representatives of the reigning dynasty of gods) had such palaces. Not counting on the indulgence of Ilu, on which the permission to build the palace depended, Balu turned to his sister and wife Anat, the goddess of love, war and hunting, for help. She had to be distracted from her occupation (she helped the Ugarites fight against the people of the east, smashed enemies and attached severed hands to her belt, and threw her heads behind her back). Anat came to Il and, threatening with reprisals, forced the old god to agree to the construction of the Balu palace ...
This whole story should not be interpreted as a fantasy-colored story about the rivalry of two clans claiming power and wealth. As it is said further, having a palace, Balu can set a certain time for rains and floods of rivers; he will raise his voice in the clouds, he will have full power. And his palace will be of cedar and lapis lazuli, silver and gold. Such a dwelling was built by the skillful Kotaruwa-Khasisu. The reliable and beautiful palace symbolizes the orderliness of Balu's possessions, a clear routine to which the rainy seasons must obey, which is extremely important for agriculture.
However, there is another powerful god - Mutu (Mot), the lord of the underworld, realms of the dead. He sends an order to Balu to come to his feast. Frightened Baloo comes to the god of death... There is no information about further events. Perhaps a rendezvous with death (here it is a male god) may even await a god. At the time of Baloo's death, drought afflicts the land. At the insistence of his wife, Ilu appoints his son Astar as Balu's successor, but he is not able to rule over the elements.
Once again, the beautiful and deadly Anat comes to the fore. She engages Mutu and defeats him (love conquers death!). The resurrected Baloo again reigns on the throne. But death is also immortal: in the seventh year, Mutu appears again and fights with Balu. The land is dry again. But the goddess of the Sun Shapash does not allow death to win the final victory. (The myth seems to reflect the onset of dry spells about every seven years.)
…Researchers believe that the “Lord Riding on a Cloud” (Baal-Zebul) was later reduced to the “Lord of the Flies” (Baal-Zebub), and in the Bible it is represented by the demon lord Beelzebub. Such were the consequences of the struggle against polytheism. Although, as you know, Jesus Christ said that he cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub.
ANAT (ANATU)
According to her position, the primacy among the goddesses of Ugarit (Phoenicia) should be occupied by Asirat, the wife of the supreme god Ilu. But she clearly fades into the background before Anat - an incomparably more active and bright goddess, endowed not only with beauty, but also with strength and courage. She is faithful in love and friendship, quick-tempered, merciless to enemies. She is the goddess of love, war and hunting.
Anat is Balu's lover, wife and apparently sister, as well as his companion. Her wrath is feared not only by people, but also by the gods. Patronizing the Ugarites and Phoenicians, she fearlessly cuts their enemies to pieces in battles.
When Anat learns that the god of death, Mutu (Mot), swallowed (killed) Balu, she -
... grabs the god Mot,
Cuts it with a sword
With a fan it dispels it,
Burns him with fire
It grinds on the millstones,
Sow it in the field.
It seems that we are talking about the ears that Anat cuts, and then processes the grain. In general, she seems to be doing peaceful women's work, and not cracking down on the enemy! How to understand this: how is a detailed comparison of reprisals against enemies and agricultural work? Or is it an allegory, designed to reveal the subtext of the death of the (temporary) god who gives life. After all, the myth of the dying and resurrecting god tells of the rebirth of life. Perhaps Anat acts here as a goddess of fertility or a priestess performing ritual actions that contribute to the future rich harvest...
In any case, Anat remains a brave warrior who dared to fight death itself for the sake of her beloved (and achieve victory, although not final, which is impossible in principle, because life and death are inseparable). She, as is natural for the goddess of love, fights for life and contributes to its revival.
In a strange way, cruelty and sensitivity to poetry are in her neighborhood, Balu needs her help, he sends messengers to her with a request to come to his mountain abode, where she can hear "the word of a tree and the whisper of a stone, a sound coming to earth from heaven and from the abyss - to the stars". At the meeting, they washed themselves with the dew of heaven, anointed themselves with the oil of the earth, sat down to feast, and only after that the gallant (or prudent) Balu asked her to obtain permission from Ilu to build a palace. When Anat appeared with this request before the face of the Almighty God, he refused her. She flew into a rage and shouted to him that she would pounce on him and flood his head and gray beard with blood. Ilu got scared (or pretended to be scared) and gave in to his daughter (there is no information about who her mother is). This strange scene shows that in Ugarit women enjoyed considerable rights, and generational conflicts were not uncommon.
In addition to Anat, Ugarit had another goddess of love, beauty, fertility - Astarte, the personification of the planet Venus (she corresponds to the Assyro-Babylonian Ishtar). It embodied a different face of love: not a stormy passion, reaching a frenzy, like Anat, but a smooth, calm, albeit strong, conducive feeling. family life and procreation. Often Anat and Astarte were perceived as a single deity.
Religion and knowledge among the Mayan tribe were a single whole, constituting an inseparable worldview, which is reflected in the art of the tribe. The idea of the diversity of the surrounding world was formed in the images of a large number of deities. All mayan gods were combined into a pair of main groups responsible for different areas human experience. These are the gods: fertility, hunting, various elements, heavenly bodies, the gods of death, the gods of war and many others. At different times in the history of the Mayan tribe, different deities had a certain significance for their worshipers. The Maya believed that the universe was made up of thirteen heavens and nine underworlds. In the very center of the earth was a tree that passed through all the celestial spheres. Also on each side of the earth, and there were four of them, there was one tree, symbolizing the cardinal points - north corresponded to a white tree, west to black, south to yellow and east to mahogany. Each side of the world had several gods at once (the god of the wind, the god of rain and the god of the holder of heaven), each of which had its own color.
Images of Mayan gods
One of the most necessary and important mayan gods of the classical period, was considered the god of corn, represented by a young man, in an elongated headdress. Before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors, Itzamna was another important god, who was represented as an elderly man with a hump on his nose and a small beard. In most cases, the images of the gods of the Mayan tribe contained a large amount of symbolism, which speaks of the complex thinking of both performers and customers of drawings, reliefs or sculptures. For example, the god of the sun, the mouth was dotted with circles along the contour and had huge fangs. The mouth and eyes of another god are shown as coiled snakes, etc.
Of the female gods, the wife of the rain god, the so-called "red goddess", who was depicted with the paws of an unknown predator instead of her legs and with a snake in her hair, was very influential. The wife of Itzamna was considered the goddess of the moon Ish-Chel, who helps with childbirth, in medicine and in weaving. Some deities were drawn in the form of birds and animals, such as an eagle or a jaguar. In the Toltec period of the history of the Mayan tribe, deities who came from central Mexico were revered. One of the most revered deities was Kukulkan. In his image, obvious details are visible, depicted on the sculptures of the god Quetzalcoatl of the Nahua people.
The Egyptian civilization already existed for more than two thousand years, during which a certain system of dogmas was formed. In the end, people believed in the inviolability of these dogmas so much that even small changes were perceived almost as a revolution. Only outstanding person, endowed with iron will and determination, could stand at the head of reforms. In those times about which we are writing, there was no such person, and the old gods of Egypt enjoyed undivided authority.
The most powerful of all the gods was amon, chief god of Thebes. He was originally the local deity of this city, but when
Thebes became the capital of Egypt, he gained the status state god. In more early period considered the chief god solar god Ra or Ra-Horakhti - the local deity of Heliopolis - a city located near modern Cairo. The priests of Amon united the two deities under common name"Amon-Ra, king of the gods."
Amon can appear in different forms. Usually he is represented as a man with a shining face, wearing a golden headdress with two feathers. Sometimes, however, he takes the form of a ram with heavy horns. In addition, he can appear in the form of his brother, the goat-footed god named Min, who later became identified with the Greek Pan. In this connection, it should be mentioned that the Greek god may have borrowed his goat form from Mina-Amun of Thebes.
In some cases, Amon could take on the guise of the ruling pharaoh, choosing the time when the monarch himself was absent or asleep. In this image, he gained access to the queen's bedroom. It is believed that Amenhotep III was born as a result of a similar union, although the pharaoh himself did not deny that Thutmose IV was his earthly father.
Amun liked to fight, and he willingly helped the pharaohs when they crushed the heads of their enemies or cut their throats. Probably, like other Egyptian gods, he was a deified leader of the tribe, whose descendants immortalized his love of battle.
Goddess Mut, "Mother", the divine wife of Amun, sometimes descended to earth to babysit the pharaoh's son. By Amon she had her son, Khonsu, who became the third member of the Theban triad. He was considered the god of the moon and was distinguished by divine beauty.
These were the main Theban deities who patronized the royal court. The cult of the sun, inherited from the inhabitants of Heliopolis, also played an important role. It was believed that once the god Ra himself was a king on earth, and the current pharaohs are his direct descendants; however, these beliefs arose no earlier than during the Fifth Dynasty.
It was during this period that the pharaoh began to be called the majestic title Son of the Sun. Once, when Ra was still ruling on earth, he was bitten by a snake; the goddess Isis healed the god-king, but as a payment she demanded that he tell her his true name.
Ra had to fulfill the promise, but out of fear that the secret would be revealed to his subjects, he decided to exterminate all of humanity. To accomplish this deed, he instructed the goddess, who took the form Sekhmet, a lion-headed woman who liked to bathe in streams of blood. But when half of humanity died, Ra repented and stopped killing, having drunk the goddess drunk with a mixture of blood and wine.
Nevertheless, Ra, tired of state cares, decided to retire to heaven, where, in the form of the sun, he sails daily in his boat from east to west. At dawn he is called , and he exists in the form of a scarab beetle, at noon he becomes Ra, and at sunset takes the name "Atum"; this word probably corresponds to the Syriac "adon", "master", better known to us in the Greek spelling "Adonis". In his incarnations of the rising and setting sun, he bore the name Ra - Khorakhti, and this name will still be encountered by the reader in the future.
Osiris, Isis and Horus formed a triad; the center of their worship was Abydos, the city of Upper Egypt, where Osiris was believed to have been buried. Having ceased his earthly existence, Osiris became the great ruler of the underworld, and everyone began to pray to him in order to find prosperity after death.
Note that the Horus-hawk was the tribal god of several cities at once. In Edfu he was worshiped as the conqueror of Set, in this incarnation he was the husband of Hathor, the patroness of Dendera, a city located quite far from Edfu. At the same time, the goddess Hathor became the patroness of the Western Mountains and, in one of her earthly forms, in the form of a cow, came out of a cave in the rocks.
In Memphis, a dwarf was considered a tribal god. Ptah, blacksmith and potter of the gods. In this city, as well as in many other regions of Egypt, lived a sacred bull, who was called Apisom; people gave him divine honors and considered him the earthly incarnation of Ptah.
On Elephantine, a ram-headed god was worshiped by name, and there was also a sacred animal, the ram, which was kept in the temple of Khnum for ritual purposes. Since Khnum was also the deity of the first cataract of the Nile near Elephantine, he was regarded as an important figure throughout Egypt. In addition, many believed that it was he who blinded the first man from the mud extracted from the bottom of the Nile, so we find him in the mythology of various areas.
Kite - was the tribal goddess of the trading city of Nekhen; the ferocious crocodile Sebek was considered the god of the city of Ombos; ibis, Thoth, was revered in Hermopolis; cat - Bast was the deity of Bubast and so on. Therefore, each city had its own god.
In addition to these gods, there were other, more abstract deities: Nut, personifying the heavens, Seb, the earth, Shu, the cosmos ... In a word, the pantheon Egyptian gods was very heterogeneous. It included the deities of the conquering tribes, ancient heroes and leaders, subsequently deified or identified with the god worshiped by their tribe, gods who personified natural phenomena, as well as the deified heavenly bodies.
DEMIGODS AND SPIRITS - CULTIMATORS
Sacred bulls and rams were relics of an ancient cult associated with the worship of animals, the origin of which is completely obscure. The Egyptians revered a wide variety of animals and birds; in almost every city or region, their kind of animal was considered sacred. In Hermopolis and in other parts of Egypt, the baboon and ibis became the object of worship, as the incarnations of the god Thoth. In many places, especially in Bubast, where the cat goddess was especially revered, the cat was worshiped.
The crocodile and some varieties of fish were considered sacred animals. The Egyptians feared and revered the snake; as an example, we can recall that Amenhotep III, the father of Akhenaten, placed an agate image of a snake in the temple at Benh. The cobra was considered a symbol of Wadjet, the goddess of the Nile Delta. The kings of this region in ancient times used the image of a cobra as their symbol, and over time, the earth - uraeus became a sign supreme power pharaoh.
Without going further into the details of the Egyptian religious system, one should still mention the thousands of demons and spirits that, along with the gods, inhabited the invisible world. Some of them, if necessary, could be called by sorcerers, and a person met with many after death. Four spirits served Osiris, the great god of the dead, he was also subject to forty-two terrible demons, whose duty it was to judge the souls of the dead.
The numerous doors of the underworld were guarded by monsters whose names were terrifying, and the unfortunate souls had to repeat countless and incredibly long spells before they were allowed to enter.
To propitiate all these otherworldly inhabitants, a huge number of priests were required. The college of the priests of Amon in Thebes possessed such power and wealth that in many cases they could dictate their will to the pharaoh.
The high priest of Amon-Ra was one of the most important persons in the state, the second, third and fourth priests (as they were called) directly subordinate to him belonged to the highest nobility.
The high priest of Amon was often also the grand vizier, that is, he simultaneously occupied the highest secular and spiritual posts.
Although the priests of the god Ra who worshiped in Heliopolis had much less power than the servants of Amun, they also had great influence. Their high priest was called the "Great Seer" and was more of a cultist than a politician (unlike his Theban counterpart).
The high priest of Ptah in Memphis was called the "Great Master of the Craft", since Ptah was a counterpart of the Greek Hephaestus. However, neither he nor the priests of other gods could compete in power with the high priests of Amun and Ra.