Mitannian beliefs and their influence on other religions
After the establishment of the Mitanni kingdom in the mid-fifteenth century BC, the Mitannians spread the worship of Indo-Aryan gods in the region, such as the gods (Indra), (Mitra), (Varuna), and the twins (Nasatya) and (Dasra) who are named (Ashvin).
In the famous treaty concluded between the Hittite ruler (Suppiluliuma) and the Mitannian king (Mattiwaza) around 1380 BC in (Boghazkoy), the oath was sworn in the name of the Mitannian gods (Indra), (Mitra), (Varuna), and (Nasatya) to witness this treaty (Source No. 1).
(Indra) – He is the king of the gods. He was a god of the Aryans before being a god in India. He is an Indo-European god and the cousin of the Germanic god (Wotan) who is equivalent to the father of the Norse gods (Odin), the king of the Greek gods (Zeus), and the king of the Roman gods (Jupiter). (Indra) symbolizes the perfection of the supreme human and his weapon is lightning. He loves to drink a lot.
In early religious texts, the god (Indra) plays various roles. As a king, he leads cattle raids against the (dasas or dasyus) who are the original inhabitants of the lands where his people graze cattle. He brings rain as the thunder god and he is the great warrior who triumphs over the enemy of the gods (Asuras). He also defeats the enemies of man and the enemies of the giant man whose number cannot be counted or numbered, the most famous of whom is (Vritra) who is a dragon and the leader of the (dasa). As a dragon, (Vritra) is accused of withholding water and rain, as a (dasa), (Vritra) is accused of stealing cows, and as an enemy of the gods, he is accused of hiding the sun (Source No. 2).
(Varuna) – According to Mitannian beliefs, the world was created by the god (Varuna) and he is the one who protects it. This god maintains moral systems and blesses those who maintain them and grants them gifts. Whoever does not follow good morals, (Varuna) will consider him guilty and punish him, and later the god Mitra will know about the matter. (Varuna) is the god of water and the celestial ocean, and he is also the god of law for the underwater world (Source No. 3). (Makara) is the mount of (Varuna). As the head of the (Adityas) (Adityas are the seven celestial gods who are the sons of Aditi), (Varuna) possesses solar divine aspects, yet, unlike (Mitra), he is the companion of the night, while (Mitra) accompanies the daylight. As a prominent god, he is mostly concerned with moral and social affairs rather than the deification of nature.
In Zoroastrianism, “Varuna” is one of the (101) names of Ahura Mazda which means “the Savior from Evil” (Source No. 3).
Ashvins (Nasatya and Dasra) – The (Ashvins) are twin gods, one of whom is named (Nasatya) and the second is named (Dasra). In the holy book (Rigveda), the word (Nasatya) means (merciful or helpful) and the word (Dasra) means (bestower of spiritual enlightenment). In Hindu mythology, these two gods are Vedic gods and holy twin horsemen. In the holy book (Rigveda) they are sons of (Saranya) {Saranya is the daughter of Vishwakarma who is the goddess of clouds and the wife of Surya in his phase as (Vivasvat)} (Source No. 4). These two gods symbolize the light of sunrise and sunset, appearing in the sky before dawn in a golden chariot, bringing treasures to men and warding off misfortune and disease. They are divine physicians and radiant spirits of ancient natural folk Indian medicine. They are represented as humans with a horse’s head. In the epic (Mahabharata), a son is granted to (Madri) who is the wife of King (Pandu), by each of the twin gods and she becomes pregnant with the twins (Nakula) and (Sahadeva) who are known with the sons of (Kunti) as the (Pandavas).
In Mithraic temples we see the two flames of the two gods known as (the Shepherds), where the direction of the first god’s flame is towards the sky which is a symbol of sunrise, while the direction of the second god’s flame is towards the earth which is an indication of sunset.
(Mitra) – Mitra was an important Indo-Iranian god, and he is the god of friendship, peace, communication, systems, reconciliation, and light (Source No. 5). His name is mentioned differently in ancient Indo-Aryan religions, as shown below:
Name and Title: (Mitra) is an Indian family name and is also used as a title, mainly among Bengalis.
Vedic Religion (ancient Indian religion): He is named in the sacred Hindu book (Rigveda) as (Mitra) (Sanskrit Mitrá-, Mitrá-ḥ). He appears frequently in the ancient Sanskrit text of the (Rigveda). The Vedic religion believes that the god (Mitra) leads human life to peace and order. The function of the god (Mitra) is to achieve the unity of humanity. He is the god of goodness and blessing and the owner of the greatest power, confronting evil deeds that appear among the peoples of the earth. The god (Mitra) is also strongly hostile to evil deeds, betrayal, and lying.
Zoroastrianism: The name of (Mitra) in Zoroastrianism is (Mithra) (Avestan Miθra, Miθrō), and he is the (yazata) mentioned in the holy Zoroastrian book (Avestan), which corresponds in New Persian to (Mīhr or Mehr) and in modern Kurdish to (Mir). (Mitra) is sanctified in Zoroastrianism, which was heavily influenced by Mithraism, especially regarding sun worship. Zoroaster says in the holy book (Avestan) the following: Ahuramazda said to Zoroaster Spitama “Thus I created (Mithra) of the wide pastures, who is also worthy of prayer and glory, just as I Ahuramazda am worthy of them” (Dr. Khalil Abdulرحمن: Avesta The Holy Book of the Zoroastrian Religion, 2nd edition, Rawafid for Culture and Arts, Yasht 10 Mihr Yasht “Hymn to Mithra”, page 459). As stated in the holy book, (Avestan) the following: I pray to powerful Mithra, the most powerful among creatures, and I offer him the Haoma sacrifice and venerate him and glorify him (same previous source page 460).
The name of the seventh month in the holy Zoroastrian book (Avestan), is (Mehr) which is (Mitra), where a special celebration is held on the sixteenth of this month which is called (Mitragan or Mehregan) which is a feast for sanctifying and glorifying the god (Mitra). The Arabs took the name of this Zoroastrian feast and corrupted it into the word (Mihrajan). This feast coincides with the second day of October (Tawfiq Wahbi: Yezidism Remnants of the Mithraic Religion. Translated by Shawkat Ismail Hassan, Sardam Printing and Publishing House, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan, 2010, page 15). Also, the Arabic word (Mihrab) is taken from the Indo-Aryan word “Mehr Ab” which is “the place of worship of the god Mitra”. (Mehr) which is the name of (Mitra), is pronounced in the modern Kurdish language as (Mir) (Tawfiq Wahbi: Yezidism Remnants of the Mithraic Religion. Translated by Shawkat Ismail Hassan, Sardam Printing and Publishing House, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan, 2010, page 8). This Aryan name was introduced into the Arabic language and was corrupted from (Mehr) or (Mir) to (Amir).
The traces of the influence of Mithraic beliefs on Zoroastrianism are very clear, for example, the worship of the sun and moon by Zoroastrians and the offering of sacrifices.
Buddhism: The name of (Mitra) in Buddhism is (Maitreya) or (bodhisattva). (Bodhisattva) is anyone who, motivated by great compassion, generates (bodhicitta), which is a spontaneous desire to make Buddhism beneficial to all sentient beings (Source No. 6), as in Buddhist traditions (Mitra) is the person who appears on earth and achieves complete enlightenment and teaches people the pure (Dharma). In Buddhist doctrine, (Dharma) means law and cosmic order and also means the teachings of the Buddha (Source No. 7). (Mitra) in Buddhism is the lights or light radiations that illuminate the universe.
Greco-Roman Religion: Mitra is called (Mithras) in the Greco-Roman religion. Mithraism is the main structure of the Greco-Roman religion.
It is said that the birth of the god (Mitra) was on the twenty-fifth of December, where his birthday was celebrated on this date. On December 25, the night is the longest in the year, after which the length of the night begins to decrease and the length of the day increases. Upon the birth of the god (Mitra) in a dark cave on this darkest day of the year, (Mitra) illuminated the universe with his light. Therefore, the Mitannians believed that with the birth of Mitra, the sun got rid of the grip of the god of darkness and began to ascend into the sky and illuminate the universe and life.
As we can see, the date of birth of Christ coincides with the exact date of birth of (Mitra), as after the spread of the Christian religion in Europe, especially in Rome, Christians made the date of birth of the god (Mitra) the date of birth of Jesus Christ (Source No. 8).
Biblical texts indicate that Jesus Christ was born in the spring, as the Gospel indicates that shepherds were grazing their flocks at night when they heard the news of the birth of Christ {(Luke 2:8)}. This suggests that the birth of Christ was in the spring season, as his birth coincided with the period of birth of lambs that happens in the spring season (Source No. 9). It is likely that Christ was born on March 28 (Source No. 10).
The inaccuracy of the birth date of Jesus Christ is not limited to his birth day, but his birth year is also incorrect, as Pope Benedict XVI mentions in one of his books published in 2012, that Christ was born many years before the date set for his birth (Source No. 11).
The Christian religion took the symbol of the cross from the ancestors of the Kurds, the Sumerians and the Mitannians. Images of the first use of the cross symbol by the Sumerians have been found at the archaeological site (Tell Khaiber) in Ur. It is believed that the age of one of the buildings at this site is about 4000 years, which means that the Sumerians used the cross symbol about 2000 years before the emergence of Christianity. The discovered Sumerian cross resembles the cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (Source No. 12).
The Mithraic cross may represent a device that was used in fire-lighting, and thus it is a symbol of releasing sacred fire or it is a symbol of the sun which indicates daily rotation. The cross has also been interpreted as representing lightning rituals or as a symbol of the storm god, or it is an emblem of the primitive Aryan gods and civilization (Source No. 13).
The swastika Mithraic cross is called in Sanskrit (svastika), which means “good luck” or “good health” (Quinn, Malcolm: The Swastika: Constructing the Symbol. London, Routledge, 1994; Source No. 14). (Swastika) is a term expressing the positive value of life. Drawings of this cross have been found engraved on many ceramic artifacts and other archaeological materials belonging to the Mitanni Empire which was known as (the Mithraic Wheel). The swastika may symbolize the movement of the sun in the sky. Also, the four arms of the cross symbolize the four sacred elements (water, fire, air, earth), where each arm of the cross symbolizes one of these elements (Source No. 15).
In fact, the roots of the Christian religion are Mithraic (Source No. 16). Also, the fingerprints of Mithraic influences are very clear in other religions, such as Judaism and Islam, where there is not enough space here to talk about this subject.
I would also like to mention that the Kurdish Yezidi, Alevi, Yarsani (Kakai or Ahl-e Haqq) and Druze religions are remnants of the Mithraic religion and these religions are older than Zoroastrianism, as these religions share with Mithraism the belief in the existence of two opposing forces which are good and evil as well as reincarnation, the sanctification of fire and the sun, offering vows to the living and the dead, and kissing the ground which is a religious ritual expressing human gratitude and love for the earth on which he lives and with which his existence is connected. In an independent study, I will talk about this subject in detail.
The Myth of the Castration of Anu
(The Myth of the Castration of Anu) is a Hurrian text dating back to the mid-second millennium BC. Here I convey a summary of this myth (Source No. 17):
In ancient times, (Alalus) was king in heaven. Throughout his period of sitting on the throne of heaven which lasted nine years, Anus (Anu) bowed at his feet and offered him the cup of drink. In the ninth year, (Anus) fought (Alalus) and defeated him in battle, so (Alalus) fled from heaven and descended to the dark netherworld and thus Anus sat on the throne in heaven. Throughout his period of sitting on the throne, which lasted nine years, the mighty (Kumarbi) offered him food and bowed at his feet and offered him the cup of drink. In the ninth year, (Kumarbi) fought (Anus) and defeated him, forcing (Anus) to flee and he flew up into the sky. (Kumarbi) chased him, caught his feet, dragged him, and then bit his penis so that his semen flowed into (Kumarbi)’s belly. (Kumarbi) became pregnant, carrying in his belly triplets, as he conceived the storm god, the river Tigris, and the vizier of the storm god (Tasmishu) (Source No. 17). After that (Anus) returned to heaven and hid there. (Kumarbi) spat out some of the semen onto the ground which he had swallowed, and from it, he gave birth to both (Tasmishu) and the river Tigris.
(Kumarbi) went to the Sumerian city of (Nippur) to consult the god of wisdom (Ea). (Kumarbi) stayed in (Nippur) waiting for the birth of the third twin, which is the storm god. After the completion of the pregnancy period, labor came upon him, but (Kumarbi) was a man and could not give birth naturally as happens to women. Labor pains intensified on him and the child in his belly could not find a way out of his “mother’s” belly safely. At this time (Anu) came from heaven to help get the storm god out of (Kumarbi)’s belly, as he was counting on him to take revenge on (Kumarbi). (Anu) found it difficult to choose a safe exit for the storm god from (Kumarbi)’s belly because exiting from any outlet would cause a malfunction in the operation of the corresponding body organ in the storm god after his birth. For example, if the child comes out of (Kumarbi)’s eye, it will blind the storm god, exiting from the ear will cause him deafness, and exiting from the head will result in a defect in the storm god’s mind. (Kumarbi)’s pains grew fiercer, so (Kumarbi) pleaded with the god (Ea). Then (Ea) asks for a group of sorcerers to come to perform special rituals to help the storm god get out of (Kumarbi)’s belly. The sorcerers come and perform sacrifices, read incantations, and work to prevent the storm god from coming out of Kumarbi’s anus. After that, the fetus heads towards the “good place” and the storm god is born by exiting from that place. The text mentions that (Anu) helped the storm god to dethrone his father and sit on the throne of heaven. The place from which the storm god emerged is the male penis based on the fact that the penis is the corresponding organ to the birth organ in a woman and that the penis has a role in the fertilization process (Source No. 18) as the storm god was also a god of fertility.
Sources
(Konow, S. (1921). Aryan gods of the Mitani people.
Tilak, Lokmanya Bâl Gangâdhar (2011). THE ARCTIC HOME IN THE VEDAS. Fourth edition, Arktos Media Ltd, United kingdom.
Schmidt, Hans-Peter (2006), “Mithra in: Mithra in Old Indian and Mithra in Old Iranian”, Encyclopaedia Iranica, New York: iranica.com (accessed April 2011).
The Bodhisattva Vow: A Practical Guide to Helping Others, page 1, Tharpa Publications (2nd. ed., 1995) ISBN 978-0-948006-50-0.
Sheler, Joseph L. placed Jesus s birth on March 28″. U.S. News & World Report. In: Search of Christmas, Dec. 23, 1996, p. 58).
Pop Benedict XVI (2012). Jesus of Nazareth: The infancy Narratives.
“Ur Region Archaeology Project”.
Marucchi, Orazio. “Archæology of the Cross and Crucifix.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908 Retrieved 13 February 2010. Cf. “Various objects, dating from periods long anterior to the Christian era, have been found, marked with crosses of different designs, in almost every part of the old world. India, Syria, Persia and Egypt have all yielded numberless examples… The use of the cross as a religious symbol in pre-Christian times and among non-Christian peoples may probably be regarded as almost universal, and in very many cases it was connected with some form of nature worship” (Encyclopaedia Britannica (1946), Vol. 6, p. 753.
