Thracian mythology

Relief depicting a Thracian horseman (National History Museum of Bulgaria )

Thracian mythology represents the beliefs of the Thracians . Since the Thracians were an unwritten people, the idea of ​​their religion is mainly derived from Greek sources. So Herodotus tells of the four main gods of the Thracians, who correspond to the Greek gods Ares , Artemis , Dionysus and Hermes . They are compared with Thracian characters:

• Thracian horseman Geros, whose cult was preserved in the image of St. George ^[1] . The solar origin of Geros is confirmed by a mixture of his cult in the late Antiquity with elements of Mithraism ^[2]
• the horned god Sabazius , who became famous in Hellas as Dionysus ^[3] after the writing of the Iliad , where he is not. An important role in the Dionysian cult was played by alcohol consumption ^[4] , although Herodotus did not mention the spread of drunkenness among the Thracians. The priests of Sabazius-Dionysus were demons (in Hellas, the companions of Dionysus were interpreted as satyrs ). The cult of Dionysus was held in night meetings by torchlight, where women played a significant role. The participants threw themselves on animal skins and, under the sounds of flutes and tympans, drove themselves into a frenzy, after which they tore apart the sacrificial animal expressing Dionysus, and thus communed with his flesh ^[5] . The symbol of Dionysus was Labris ^[6]
• The “great goddess” Bendida is an analogue of Artemis or Hecate ^[7] , the sanctuary of which was located in Sarmisegetus and Beglik-Tash .
• Kotis - orgies were performed in his honor, and men were disguised as women.

The grassroots mythology of the Thracians was the cult of nymphs - mermaids ^[8]

In addition, the popular character of Greek mythology, Orpheus, the son of water Eagra , who was also the legendary founder of Orphism , had Thracian roots. Such a religious reformer Zalmoxis is known, which is sometimes identified with the heavenly god Gebeleisis . It was he who made the division of the Thracian religion into the north (Geto-Dacian), where there was a strongly patriarchal influence, and the south, where the features of matriarchy were preserved.

Some non-academic researchers ( V. Shcherbakov ) believe that the Thracian religion had a significant impact on Slavic paganism during the years of Chernyakhov’s culture ^[9]