Mithraism: DASALLA, Rose Mae JOSE, Alyzza Bianca RABINO, Juliana Clarisse

DASALLA, Rose Mae
JOSE, Alyzza Bianca

RABINO, Juliana Clarisse
Mithraism
Before ancient religious reformer Zarathustra (Greek name Zoroaster) gained influence in
the region during the 6th century BCE, the Iranians had a polytheistic religion, and Mithra
was the most important of their gods. First of all, he was the god of contract and mutual
obligation. In a cuneiform tablet of the 15th century BCE that contains a treaty between
the Hittites and the Mitanni, Mithra is invoked as the god of oath. Furthermore, in some
Indian Vedic texts the god Mitra (the Indian form of Mithra) appears both as “friend” and
as “contract.” The word mitra may be translated in either way, because contracts and
mutual obligation make friends. In short, Mithra may signify any kind of interpersonal
communication and whatever establishes good relations between people. Mithra was called
the Mediator. Mithra was also the god of the sun, of the shining light that beholds
everything, and, hence, was invoked in oaths. The Greeks and Romans considered Mithra
as a sun god. He was probably also the god of kings. He was the god of mutual obligation
between the king and his warriors and, hence, the god of war. He was also the god of
justice, which was guaranteed by the king. Whenever people observed justice and contract,
they venerated Mithra.
MAJOR GODS
Mithra
Heliodromus (SOL OR SUN)
“The Fall of Phaeton”
Phaethon was said to be the son of the Oceanid Clymene and the solar deity Helios. Alternatively,
less common genealogies make him a son of Clymenus by Oceanid Merope, of Helios
and Rhodos (thus a full brother of the Heliadae) or of Helios and Prote.
Phaethon fell to earth and was killed in the process. Phaethon was the good friend
or lover of Cycnus (king of Liguria), who profoundly mourned his death and was turned into a
swan. Phaethon's seven sisters, the Heliades, also mourned his loss, keeping vigil where Phaethon
fell to Earth until the gods turned the sisters into poplar trees, and their tears into amber.
This myth of youthful courage and tragedy is referenced in four of Shakespeare’s dramas: Richard
II, Romeo and Juliet, Two Gentlemen of Verona and Henry VI. It has inspired a number of
composers, including Jean-Baptiste Lully, Camille Saint-Saëns, Paul Hindemith and Benjamin
Britten.
Pater (father) (SATURN)
Jupiter (from Latin: Iūpiter or Iuppiter [ˈjuppitɛr][1], from Proto-Italic *djous "day, sky" + *patēr
"father", thus "sky father"), also known as Jove was the god of the sky and thunder and king of
the gods in Ancient Roman religion and mythology. Jupiter was the chief deity of Roman state
religion throughout the Republican and Imperial eras, until Christianity became the dominant
religion of the Empire. In Roman mythology, he negotiates with Numa Pompilius, the second king
of Rome, to establish principles of Roman religion such as offering, or sacrifice.
Jupiter is usually thought to have originated as an aerial god. His identifying implement is
the thunderbolt and his primary sacred animal is the eagle,[2] which held precedence over other
birds in the taking of auspices[3] and became one of the most common symbols of the Roman
army (see Aquila).
The Romans regarded Jupiter as the equivalent of the Greek Zeus,[5] and in Latin
literature and Roman art, the myths and iconography of Zeus are adapted under the name Iuppiter.
In the Greek-influenced tradition, Jupiter was the brother of Neptune and Pluto, the Roman
equivalents of Poseidon and Hades respectively. Each presided over one of the three realms of the
universe: sky, the waters, and the underworld. The Italic Diespiter was also a sky god who
manifested himself in the daylight, usually identified with Jupiter.[6] Tinia is usually regarded as
his Etruscan counterpart.[7]
3 PRACTICES
Water Purification Ritual

“Purification through a ritualistic baptism was required of the faithful, who also took part in a
ceremony in which they drank wine and ate bread to symbolize the body and blood of the god.
Sundays were held sacred, and the birth of the god was celebrated annually on December the 25th.
After the earthly mission of this god had been accomplished, he took part in a Last Supper with
his companions before ascending to heaven, to forever protect the faithful from above.
Practices in Small Groups

The religion of Mithras was practiced in small groups, with ten to twelve participants. Initiates into
this secret cult immediately entered a priestly hierarchy, an order of seven grades, each with
specific planets, costumes, rituals, and disciplines aimed at self-advancement. Members of the cult
met in a mithraeum, an underground vaulted grotto with complex astronomical and planetary
symbolism. The small space of the cavern, the cult practices, and the ritual meal were modeled on
the original space and deeds of Mithras—the sacrifice of a bull and the eating of its flesh." [Source:
Claudia Moser, Metropolitan Museum of Art, April 2007
Sacrificial Offerings
Sacrificial offerings of cattle and birds were made to Mithras, along with libations of Haoma, a
hallucinogenic drink used by Zoroastrian and Hindu priests, equated with the infamous
hallucinogen 'Soma' described in the Vedic scriptures. Before daring to approach the altar to make
an offering to Mithras, Persian worshippers were obliged to purge themselves by repeating
purification rituals and flagellating themselves. These customs were continued in the initiation
ceremonies of the Roman neophytes.
3 BELIEF
Merkabah Mysticism
In the opinion of Gershom Scholem, such a mode of ascent, through which the soul ascends to its
original home, either after death or in a state of ecstasy while in the body, is certainly very old.
However, there is no evidence of the idea of the seven heavens prior to the end of the first century
AD, when it was probably invented, perhaps by Rabbi Akiva, the principle figure of early
Merkabah mysticism. About Rabbi Akiva the Talmud noted that among four men who engaged in
such mystical subjects, one died, one went mad, one apostatized, and only Rabbi Akiva had a true
visionary experience. Of the oldest literary sources of Merkabah are two Hekhaloth texts, the
Lesser attributed to Rabbi Akiva, and the Greater, to his colleague, Rabbi Ishmael ben Elisha. The
purpose of Merkabah mysticism, or Chariot Mysticism, is union with the highest god, interpreted
as the vision of the One Who sits on the Throne, described by Ezekial as a chariot.
Tauroctony
The most important element of the myth behind the Mithraic Mysteries was Mithras' killing of a
bull; this scene is also known as "tauroctony". It was believed that from the death of the bull - an
animal often seen as a symbol of strength and fertility - sprung new life. Rebirth was an essential
idea in the myth of Mithraic Mysteries. The sacrifice of the bull established a new cosmic order
and was also associated with the moon, which was also associated with fertility.
3 MAJOR FESTIVALS
3 SYMBOLS
Mosaic 1: Spade, sistrum, lightning bolt
 The sistrum is a brass or bronze musical instrument of the percussion family. The
rhythmical shaking of the sistrum, like the tambourine, is associated with religious
or ecstatic events
 The lightning bolts were also symbols of Zeus (Jupiter), the king of the gods
Mosaic 2: Sword, crescent moon, star, sickle
 The sickle is associated with the myth of the ancient god Uranus
Mosaic 3: Torch, crown, whip
 The Burning Torch was used by the priests of Ares (Mars) and carried burning
torches as the sign of battle to opposing armies
 Many ancient societies prior to Christianity, including the Egyptians, Indians and
Romans, used a halo or nimbus circular sign to suggest a supernatural force
 The symbol of the whip or sword represents the right of the goddess Nemesis to "to
give what is due"
Mithras Symbolism
Some of the items on the mosaics relate to objects used in religious ceremonies and rituals and
Mithras symbolism. Others were symbols or icons that can also be associated with ancient
Roman and Greek gods. The following notes might help with the interpretation of Mithras
symbolism.

References: http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat56/sub405/entry-6290.html
http://www.truthbeknown.com/mithra.htm
https://www.ancient.eu/Mithraic_Mysteries/
https://www.corax.com/tarot/
https://www.historytoday.com/archive/foundations/fate-phaeton

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DASALLA, Rose Mae

JOSE, Alyzza Bianca

Pater (father) (SATURN)

Water Purification Ritual

Practices in Small Groups

Mosaic 1: Spade, sistrum, lightning bolt

Mosaic 2: Sword, crescent moon, star, sickle

Mosaic 3: Torch, crown, whip

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