Who is he - the great god of hunting? It is definitely impossible to answer this question, since each nation has its own deity.
Hunting, along with gathering and fishing, is the oldest occupation of people. It is much older than agriculture and crafts, even older than wars. This is written in every textbook, reference book on the history of the ancient world. And there is not a single people whose ancestors would not be engaged in hunting. There is not a single ancient civilization in whose beliefs there was no deity patronizing hunters.
Who was the oldest deity?
It is very difficult to answer the question of how the gods and spirits of hunters looked in the deepest antiquity. Firstly, there were many of them, and secondly, researchers only know about people's ideas about these deities, and scientists do not know anything about what rituals were performed in their honor, how worship took place.
Such a specific limitation is due to the fact that knowledge aboutexternal representations are drawn from rock paintings left by primitive artists. One of the most famous ancient images of the hunting process are drawings in a French cave called Le Trois Frere.
All the characters in the drawings are busy hunting. One of the depicted figures is radically different from the rest, it is a kind of symbiosis of different animals and humans.
The figure shows the features of many animals - horns, tail, paws, beak, ears and so on. All of them are placed on a human figure with the characteristic anatomical features of a man. Not only the appearance of this character is interesting, but also his occupation. If the rest of the figures clearly perform any actions, then what this character is doing is not entirely clear. It looks like it's just there in the picture.
Similar rock paintings are found in other places. Therefore, it is quite possible to assert that the first god of hunting is depicted on them. History, of course, allows for other interpretations of such characters - the chief hunter of the tribe, the shaman. But it is impossible to argue with the fact that this figure stands out from the rest, and, accordingly, performs other functions and is endowed with a special meaning.
Which gods are remembered more often today?
Despite the fact that the patron gods of hunting were present in absolutely every culture, not all are well known. Many names of pagan deities have disappeared in the depths of time. For example, the deities included in the pantheon of small nations are not well known, onthere is no mention of them in the pages of history textbooks. The names of the gods of the African tribes, the indigenous peoples of both Americas and the Far East are not known to the general public.
When it comes to pagan deities, the first to come to mind are those mentioned in school history books. That is, about the gods that were worshiped in large ancient civilizations - Greek, Roman, Egyptian and others.
The most famous names of the hunting gods:
- Onuris.
- Artemis.
- Devana.
- Ull.
- Abdal.
- Apsati.
- Micoatl.
- Nodens.
- Diana.
These ancient deities had similar functions, but there were also significant differences between them, due to the specific characteristics of the territories in which the people who worshiped them lived.
Onuris
Onuris - Egyptian god of hunting, one of the most ancient in the pantheon. This deity has many names. The Greeks called him Ὄνουρις and drew an analogy of correspondence with the titan Iapetus, as well as with the god Ares. Curiously enough, the Greek version of the name of this Egyptian patron of hunting literally translates as "donkey's tail", and is also one of the names of the wild mallow. The Romans knew this deity under the names Ankhuret, Onkhur. The variant of the name Ankhara was less common.
Onuris patronized not only hunters, but also warriors. According to Egyptian mythology, this god was the son of Ra and Hathor. Ra is the supreme god who embodies light andthe sun, and Hathor is joy, holidays, dances, entertainment, happiness. This god of hunting was considered the patron of the ancient city of Tisza. The center of his cult is considered to be the city of Thinis. The patron of young hunters was depicted in white clothes with his hand raised up.
There are many myths about this god. One of them tells how the hunter god went to the desert and met a lioness there. It was Mehit, the goddess of the winds, who had escaped from the Egyptian lands. Onuris tamed her and brought her back to Egypt. They subsequently got married. The main mythological occupation of this deity, in addition to hunting, was to support Ra in his fight against Apophis, as well as to help Horus in opposing Set. The Egyptian god of hunting was often depicted wearing a crown adorned with four feathers. What exactly they symbolize is not clear to historians. According to one version, feathers correspond to parts of the world - east, west, south and north.
Devana
This goddess patronized the Slavic hunters. Devana's mother was Diva Podola, and her father was Perun himself. Accordingly, the goddess was Svarog's granddaughter. Her husband was Svyatobor, the god of forests, groves and partly the patron of hunters.
One of the symbols of this deity was an albino wolf. There was a belief among the Slavic tribes that if a person met or dreamed of a white wolf, then one should not hunt on that day, but Devan should be honored.
The Goddess patronized not only people engaged in hunting, but also all the inhabitants of the forests. If a person killed an animal or a bird not forfood or furs for clothes, then terrible punishments awaited him. According to mythological ideas, Devana sent poisonous snakes to lovers of bloody fun, from the bite of which people died in terrible agony.
The Slavs represented this goddess as a young beautiful woman with green eyes and red, copper-colored hair. She was dressed in outfits made of skins with a hood in the form of an animal head - a bear, a fox, a wolf. According to legend, Devana went hunting on calm nights with a full moon. People at that time did not enter the forests, so as not to anger her.
The image of the goddess is rather contradictory. According to legend, she fought for supreme power with Svarog himself, fought with Perun and lured people into the wilderness of forest thickets to a hut, from where she sent them straight to the afterlife. But all this Devana hunted before marriage. After, tired of her daughter's waywardness and deceit, Perun gave her to Svyatogor, the goddess abandoned her claims to power and ceased to annoy people who wandered into the forest thickets.
Artemis
As soon as it comes to who the god of hunting is in Greek mythology, almost all people immediately think of Artemis without hesitation. This Olympian goddess not only patronizes hunters and nature, she has much more extensive functions, including:
- protection of young maidens;
- message and healing of women's diseases;
- preservation of fertility and chastity.
Artemis is the twin of Apollo. However, unlike her brother, sheprefers to be active at night, spending time under the moon among the plains, mountains, fields and groves. Therefore, her cult combines many things - the moon, punishment for dishonor, soil fertility, festivities and, of course, hunting.
The goddess was depicted in a short tunic, invariably with a bow and arrows. Her companions could be various animals, including snakes and bears. Like her twin brother, Artemis was one of the most ancient and revered deities. And her temple complex in the west of modern Turkey, in ancient Ephesus, was one of the famous wonders of the world.
Ull
This is the Scandinavian god of hunting, the patron of archers and the embodiment of winter. In addition, Ull also personified death. According to the myths, he took part in the Wild Hunt. The deity's weapon was a huge bow, and ice skis served as a shield.
This ancient severe god lived in the sacred yew valley, in Idalir. He was the patron of time, which began at the end of November and ended on the day when the sun entered the constellation Sagittarius. During the winter months, Ull stood in for Odin. At this time, the god covered Asgard with snow and ice.
According to Scandinavian myths, Ull was the adopted son of Thor. His mother was Siv, and his own father is not mentioned in any of the legends, myths or sagas that have survived to this day. Many researchers of northern folklore believe that Ull's father is one of the giants living in the ice, mentioned in the oldest Scandinavian legends.
Abdal
This god of hunting lives in the Caucasus. Apart frompatronage of those who extract game, he is busy protecting tours, wild pigs and goats. The deity was depicted in different ways. Abdal could appear as a beautiful tour or as a white man.
Like many other gods, he protected nature and severely punished those who hunted beyond need. After butchering the carcasses, hearts and livers were brought to the altar of Abdal. Animal bones were not thrown away. They were also sacrificed to the deity, believing that he would revive the animals, give them new life.
The ability to revive animals killed by hunters is a unique feature not found in most gods. It makes the Caucasian hunting patron unique. In addition, people believed that Abdal was endowed with the ability to extract children from the mother's womb. It was believed that they became shepherds of wild aurochs.
Apsati
Apsati is another deity from the Caucasus. This god patronized both hunters and shepherds. That is, he cared not only for wild animals, but also for domestic ones. This distinguishes the Georgian patron of hunters from all other gods with similar functions.
The deity is very ancient. Historians believe that Apsati, portrayed as a man, appeared at the moment when the matriarchal society was replaced by patriarchy. That is, he replaced the more ancient goddess Dali, who combined many functions, in addition to patronizing hunters and animals.
According to mythology, Apsati appears as her husband. In some legends, God is considered the son of Dali.
Micoatl
This is the great god of hunting among the ancient tribes of Mesoamerica. He became known to historians mainlythanks to the study of the heritage of the Aztecs. In addition to hunting, the god personified the stars - the Polar, the Milky Way. He also embodied clouds, clouds. The very name of the deity is translated as "Cloud Serpent".
Micoatl is an ancient god who, according to legend, was born by the Earth and the Sun, along with his sisters and brothers. This deity was depicted with an unchanged black mask on his face in the area of the eyes and a general military coloring in red and white.
This god is able to change his incarnations. In a number of myths, it is represented as fire. There are also different versions of its origin. In addition to the main one, which says about the birth from the union of the Earth and the Sun, the legends say that the god became a descendant of the Moon and Stars. He was revered in the 14th month, that is, starting from October 30 and ending on November 18.
It was in this month that a woman and a man were brought to the altar of Mixcoatl. First, the priests killed the woman (simultaneously in four different ways). After her death, the man showed the audience her severed head, and at that moment the priest tore out his heart.
Nodens
This is the god of hunting of the ancient Celts. Nodens patronized not only hunters, but also the seas, rivers, and dogs. The cult of Nodens existed in Britain and, as scholars suggest, in Gaul. According to legends, this god was the first ruler of the human tribes. He lost his power, having lost his arm in one of the battles, but regained it after the healer Kekht healed the wounds, and the blacksmith Kreydne made a silver prosthesis. After that, the epithet "Airgetlam" joined the name of the deity,in translation meaning "silver hand". The largest sanctuary discovered by historians is located in Gloucestershire, on the territory of Lydney Park.
One of the finds made by archaeologists at the site of the sanctuary is curious. Scientists have discovered a curse tablet, which tells that a certain Sylvan calls a curse on the heads of those who stole the ring from the temple. The curse was to last until the ring returned to the sanctuary. Scholars believe that this tablet refers to a mysterious ring discovered in Basingstoke, on Vine Manor, located nearby. It was it that became the prototype of the ring of Omnipotence from the tale of the hobbits.
Diana
Roman Diana is an analogue of the Greek Artemis. This is the deity of the moon, hunting and night. She provides patronage to healers, sorceresses and hunters, protects forests and their inhabitants. The goddess has influence on Earth, in Heaven and in the afterlife. She patronizes the seriously ill and dying, suffering injustice, the oppressed and suffering from resentment.
The most famous of the temple complexes of Diana was located in Rome, on the Aventine Hill. The origin and appearance of the goddess are completely similar to Artemis. Her parents were Jupiter and Leto. Diana protected female chastity and opposed Venus. It was believed that she wore an enchanted shield that protected her from Cupid's arrows.
