Lands of Asia layouts (Eng) 26.11.21

3.2
Proponents of the second hypothesis, the ‘Danube hypothesis’, posited by the
Swedish Indologist Stig Wikander, believe that Mithraism originated in the region
of Pannonia, where it was formed and established as a religion, and from there
penetrated into Rome and other parts of the Empire. For example, according to P.
Beskow and E. Francis, an important role in the dissemination of Mithraism in Syria
and, in particular, in Dura-Europos, was played by Palmerian mercenary troops,
who were stationed on the Danubian frontier of the Roman Empire in early 2nd
century AD, and who then returned home to Syria. The same role is attributed to the
Legio XV Apollinaris, whose soldiers allegedly brought Mithraism to the Near East
from its place of origin – Pannonia.
There has been increasing support for the hypothesis of the Danubian origin
of Mithraism and its unique religious mysteries because it was in Pannonia, in the
famous Mithraeum in Carnuntum, that the earliest known dedication to Mithras was
found on an altar, which, judging by the inscription on it, was erected by a centurion
of the Legio XV Apollinaris.
In simple terms, Mithraism is based on the eternal struggle between good and
evil, with Mithras embodying the forces of good, and Ahriman the forces of evil.
The legend has it that Mithras was born from a rock in a cave with a dagger in
one hand and a torch in the other, and a Phrygian cap on his head (hence one of his
nicknames – theos ek petras (the god from the rock)).
Shepherds who happened to be nearby at the time were the first witnesses to
his birth, and they presented him with the first-born of their cattle and fruits. After
some time, following his earthly mission to destroy evil, Mithras began to wrestle
with a mighty bull, who represented the evil, coarse and dark forces of the universe.
The fierce and violent struggle between them ended in victory for Mithras, who
succeeded in wounding the bull with a dagger. Mithras then dragged the wounded
bull to the cave. This rite of passage, full of dangers and obstacles, came to be known
in Mithraism as the transitus dei (the transit of the god), and is an allegory for the
difficulties and vagaries of human life. However, the battle between Mithras and the
bull does not end there, as the bull escapes. The Sun sends a message through the
raven, ordering Mihtras to kill the bull, and he manages to do so with the help of his
dog. Following this, a great miracle occurs, as the death of the bull revives the good
forces of nature, and Mithras is transformed into the giver of all good things for man:
health-giving plants and herbs grow out of the bull’s body and tail, and vines from
the bull’s blood. The scene depicting Tauroctony (‘the slaying of the bull’) became
the main symbol of Mithraism and was erected in all Mithraic temples; it often also
depicted Mithras’ main companions: a serpent representing the Earth and drinking
the bull’s blood, a dog biting the bull and a scorpion attacking the bull’s testicles.
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