Persian Religious Ceremonies: Sacrifice

Mithraism, the pre-Zoroastrian religion of Iran, was based upon the worship of Mithra, the Iranian god of the sun, justice, contract and war. Prior to the arrival of ancient religious reformer Zarathustra (founder of the Zoroastrianism religion) in the 6th century BCE Mithra was the most important god among the Persians. As Herodotus in The Histories states, “At a later period they began the worship of Urania, which they borrowed from the Arabians and Assyrians. Mylitta is the name by which the Assyrians know this goddess, whom the Arabians call Alitta, and the Persians Mitra.”(Herodotus:On The Customs of the Persians). According to mythology, Mithras' killing a bull was one of the major elements of Mithraism. Bulls are often considered to represent strength and fertility and the death of this animal is believed to bring forth new life. Mithraic Mysteries emphasize the idea of rebirth as an important concept. Surprisingly, the Persian myths about Mithraism do not contain any reference to killing a bull (Thomé).

Herodotus describes Persian sacrifices as follows, “To these gods the Persians offer sacrifice in the following manner: they raise no altar, light no fire, pour no libations; there is no sound of the flute, no putting on of chaplets, no consecrated barley-cake; but the man who wishes to sacrifice brings his victim to a spot of ground which is pure from pollution, and there calls upon the name of the god to whom he intends to offer. It is usual to have the turban encircled with a wreath, most commonly of myrtle. The sacrificer is not allowed to pray for blessings on himself alone, but he prays for the welfare of the king, and of the whole Persian people, among whom he is of necessity included. He cuts the victim in pieces, and having boiled the flesh, he lays it out upon the tenderest herbage that he can find, trefoil especially. When all is ready, one of the Magi comes forward and chants a hymn, which they say recounts the origin of the gods. It is not lawful to offer sacrifice unless there is a Magus present. After waiting a short time, the sacrificer carries the flesh of the victim away with him, and makes whatever use of it he may please." (Herodotus:On The Customs of the Persians).

Mithraism was the precursor to Zoroastrianism. Out of Mithraism arose Zoroastrianism which is one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions and influenced the belief systems of Judaism, Christianity and Islam (Thomé). As no written narratives or theology of Mithraism survive today, I would venture back in time to understand how one single religion, one based and deriving from the sun, justice, contract and war, could have such an influence on the three most widely practiced religions today. Maybe by doing so, many of the mysteries, of God, the universe and worldwide religion could become more understandable.

Mithraism
Bavaria Verlag.Mithraism.Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mithraism#/media/1/386080/6606