“Reindeer are more followed than herded, showing us how we moved from hunting to herding societies.” -Questioner

My response: Cosmic hunt mythology involves bears and horned animals. The change happened in Turkey in the Middle East. They hunted, then herded, then horned sheep, goats, and cattle. The change in dominance of animals changed the way mythology was approached. Our power over nature, rather than our power because of nature, to me.

AI Overview: The Cosmic Hunt is an ancient, widely distributed family of myths found across Northern Eurasia and the Americas, dating back over 15,000 years. These narratives typically involve hunters pursuing a large animal—often a bear, a horned animal, or a hybrid of both—that is ultimately transformed into a constellation, most commonly Ursa Major (the Big Dipper).

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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“Hunting Cult” (Cosmic Hunt) becomes “Herding Cult” Paganism

“Herding societies are nearly always that of a true hierarchical chiefdom rather than of an egalitarian society. Horticulture mixed with the domestication of animals seems to have predominated until even the least cultivable zones were filled. Sometimes, a complete symbiosis between a tribe/clan of herders and an adjacent tribe/clan of horticulturalists occurs to the point that they resemble a single society composed of two specialized castes, the herders occupying the superior position. Fully committed pastoralists manifest a considerable degree of cultural uniformity in economics, social organization, political order, and even in religion. Full pastoralism, with its powerful equestrian warriors, seems to have developed around 1500 to 1000 BCE, or around 3,500 to 3,000 years ago, in Inner Asia. Herders are likely to raid settled villages and frequently raid other herders as well.” ref

“To the extent that pastoral nomadic societies achieve wealth and success in herding and in war, they tend to solidify and extend their chiefdom structure. They also add to their religious organization a hierarchical principle, together with the content known as ancestor worship. Much of the mythology by which a primitive people explains itself and its customs comes in this way to have an ingredient familiar to readers of the Old Testament. Sometimes the significance of herding leads not only to the glorification of herds and herding, but even to a religious taboo against planting. Taboos, such as a belief that plowing and planting may defile the earth spirit. Or herders, in time of need, may engage in horticulture, but it is considered degrading to toil in farming, whereas herding is a very prideful occupation.” ref

Cult, herding, and ‘pilgrimage’

Cattle Cult and Genesis 

1. Körtiktepe (12,000 years ago) link link
2. Göbekli Tepe (11,500 years ago) link
3. Balıklıgöl statue “Urfa man” (11,000 years ago) link
4. Karahan Tepe (11,000 years ago) link
5. Sayburç (11,000 years ago) link
6. Nevalı Çori (10,400) link link
7. Tell Fekheriye (11,000 years ago) link

Ganj Dareh link

Goat, Sheep, and Cattle Domestication link & link

Cosmic Hunt link

Master of Animals link

“Hunting Cult” (Cosmic Hunt) becomes “Herding Cult” Paganism in the Middle East 12,000 to 11,000 years ago

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With Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

“The Heavenly Shepherd” or “Gigant Great Hunter”

“Depictions of the consistently phallic Egyptian god, Min, show the deity in a standing position in a stance that closely follows the Orion constellation. In Egyptian mythology, the god Min, associated with fertility, harvest, and male virility, was linked to the constellation Orion. Depictions of Min, often with an erect phallus, visually resemble the Orion constellation, particularly the alignment of stars in Orion’s belt.” refref

“In ancient Egypt, the stars of Orion were regarded as a god, called Sah, representing a constellation that encompassed the stars in Orion and Lepus, as well as stars found in some neighboring modern constellations.” refref

“The Babylonian star constellations of the Late Bronze Age named Orion meant, “The Heavenly Shepherd” or “True Shepherd of Anu,” Anu being the chief god of the heavenly realms. The True Shepherd of Anu (i.e., Orion) … is a human figure, clothed, bearded, and the Twins (i.e., Gemini), who stand in front of the True Shepherd of Anu…, are two human figures, clothed. The celestial body that stands below the True Shepherd of Anu is the Rooster (Lepus). Orion served several roles in ancient Greek culture. The story of the adventures of Orion, the hunter, is the one for which there is the most evidence (and even for that, not very much); he is also the personification of the constellation of the same name; he was venerated as a hero, in the Greek sense. The Seri people of northwestern Mexico call the three stars in the belt of Orion Hapj (a name denoting a hunter), which consists of three stars, and in China, Orion is related to Sieu, which, literally meaning “three,” refers to the stars of Orion’s Belt. In Siberia, the Chukchi people see Orion as a hunter, and in old Hungarian tradition, Orion is called Nimrod (Hungarian: Nimród), the greatest hunter, father of the twins Hunor and Magor.” refref 

“In Greek mythology, Orion is a hunter, with hunting dogs (Canis Major and Minor) that mirror the Wild Hunt’s entourage. And whenever Scorpius appears, Orion hides away, for the two are never to be seen together. The Wild Hunt is a folklore motif occurring across various northern, western, and eastern European societies. The Wild Hunt typically involves a chase led by a mythological figure, escorted by ghostly or supernatural hunters engaged in pursuit.” ref

My updated thoughts on the Evolution of Gods?
 
Animal protector tutelary deities at least 13,000/12,000 years ago, from old totems/spirit animal beliefs (tutelary animal spirits as protectors are at least 30,000 years old, as seen with dogs or dog-like animals) come first to me. Next, human sky/star/constellation deities focused representation on life-size or large nude male statues 11,000/10,000 years ago (Sky Father?), as well as small female figurines and female animal statues (Sky Mother?). Then, males (Hunter/Hurder) seem to lose some importance (Agriculture reliance may explain why), and the rise of Earth Mother (Gatherer becomes more important/powerful) female goddesses develop and are in control around 8,000 years ago. Women as the main power did not last long. Then male gods came roaring back about 7,000 to 5,000 years ago with clan wars. The “male god” seems to have forcefully become prominent/dominant around 7,000 years ago (Supreme Gods?). The “King of the Gods” idea likely is from the time of priest-kings 6,000 years ago. Whereas the now favored monotheism “male god” is more like after 4,000 years ago or so. Moralistic gods seem to relate to around 5,000/4,000 years ago, and monotheistic gods are last at around 4,000/3,000 years ago. Many monotheism-themed religions started in henotheism, emerging out of polytheism/paganism.
 
Gods?
“Animism” is needed to begin supernatural thinking.
“Totemism” is needed for supernatural thinking connecting human actions & related to clan/tribe.
“Shamanism” is needed for supernatural thinking to be controllable/changeable by special persons.
Together = Gods/paganism
 
Gods, like religions in general, are cultural products. To me, high gods, like “Sky Father” (Sun or Blue Sky usually, or Storm deities on the deity’s “dark side” like Yin and Yang) or “Sky Mother” (Moon or Stars) myths beliefs are at 39% when tested, in hunter-gatherers the world over.
The Evolution of Deities was not a one-and-done?
 
To me, the God of Sky, relating to stars 12,000 to 11,000 years ago, is older than the sun god of the sky 10,000 to maybe 11,000 years ago, but 10,000 seems more evident. Likewise, to me, the Mother Goddess of the sky was first 10,000 to maybe 11,000 years ago. All in the Middle East. Then, around 9,000 to 8,000, seemingly more evident 8,000 years ago, is the Earth Goddesses, also from the Middle East, likely once the Dawn goddesses or another goddess of the sky, possibly the night. Who dies in the childbirth of the Twins and by going to the underworld, is associated with the earth? Or is believed to live in the Earth at night, making her an Earth Goddess. These ideas were spread in several different ways, which impacted the entire world both directly and indirectly. It involved several different languages and DNA moving in different directions at various times. It is complicated and moving in different ways, even back and forth with different ideas moving both back and forth, especially in and out of the Middle East and Siberia.

Around 10,000 years ago, ideas went into Africa. Around 10,000 to 9,000 years ago, these ideas from the Middle East were in Siberia then moved to China and to the Americas by around 9,000 years ago. Religious ideas also left the Middle East from 9,000 to 8,000 years ago to Europe. Around 8,000 years ago, new ideas got to Ukraine but didn’t spread far. From 8,000 to 7,000 years ago, ideas again entered Africa with evolved beliefs from the Middle East. By 7,000 years ago, evolved deities from the Middle East moved again to Europe and Ukraine. And 7,000 years ago, the Siberian sun god of the sky, with a warrior culture, armed forts, and pre-kurgans, moved from Siberia to Ukraine and then returned to the Middle East around 6,000 years ago, influencing the Sumerian religious ideas. 6,000 to 5,000 years ago, these new Siberian influenced ideas from the Middle East were also in Africa. Then new evolved ideas moved back out of from Ukraine to the East by 5,500 to 5,000 years ago to Siberia, then China, and the Americas. Ideas from Ukraine went into Europe as well. Then, 5,000 to 4,000 years ago, the new ideas, now somewhat evolved again, from Siberia headed back to Europe, and so did ideas from the Middle East. ETC. This is just a rough outline to grasp some of the details, as I feel I understand them. There is a bit more, but this gives a good idea of how complicated it was.

Evidence relating to the Origins of the first human form Deities? 

I think the person, snakes, and two birds seen at Körtik Tepe is the oldest known Neolithic archaeological site in Turkey, more than 12,000 years old, were likely related to the Orion constellation as a shamanic figure holding a snake, referencing the use of the Milky Way to communicate with the gods and ancestors, as well as soul travel via the Milky Way. The big snake to me would reference the Milky Way itself and the two birds, either the star Venus and the moon, or some aspect of the sun, and the moon, but the sun aspect was likely not the noon sun by itself, as I see that as gaining prominence at a later date. And I think the other figures, also related to the Orion constellation, either as a deity or a deity of the stars, put Orion there. I assume, as seen at Tell Fekheriye, Syria, 11,000 to 9,000 years old, involving two standing figures on “step stools of power” that by 11,000 years ago were at least two sky deities, such as something similar to both a sky father and a sky mother deity, at this time, related to the stars, or planets (also seen as stars or star-like). But we must remember that planets were seen as star-related in mythology.

Some think the Sun was the first god…
To Damien, the first god was related to stars, not the sun. From the 8-pointed Star of Ishtar, to the Dingir symbol in Sumerian cuneiform representing an 8-pointed star, not the sun, meaning “god.” Or in Egypt, an eight-pointed star symbolized the Ogdoad, eight primordial deities. I do think the sun god is very old, at least 6,000 to 7,000 years ago, and maybe older, but not the first. Certainly, the Sky father/sun god/sky god (“blue sky” thus “daytime sky” with the Sun at its most represented) is a universal archetype seen around the World in many different cultural mythologies and shares relatedness. Also commonly paired with an Earth mother goddess archetype.
Sun as three gods and goddesses?
The three parts/beings of the sun in a mythological perspective?
Many cultures, unaware that the morning, noon, and evening sun appearances were the same object, gave them distinct names and associations. Was the Sun seen as a star sometimes or all the time? Well, a common belief held that Venus was both a morning and an evening star related to the morning and/or evening sun. But sometimes Venus was seen as only one, and sometimes related to male rather than female deities/divine beings. Unlike the morning and evening sun expressions, the noon sun isn’t typically seen as a star but rather as a powerful deity or celestial being. When I talk about the stars being related to the first deities but not the sun, I am referring to the noon sun/blue sky-related gods. The noon sun was sometimes depicted as a powerful, radiant star pattern, like the eight-pointed Star of Ishtar (linked to the planet Venus) or the sun-disc with rays.
And the noon Sun disc in art may be depicted as a radiant orb, a winged disk, or a star-like disc with rays. But all a symbol used does make the noon Sun a star god, even though we today understand the sun in all its expressions is one thing and is a star like other stars. It could be said a star symbolized all Sumerian gods, yet all gods were not star deities. The Dingir symbol in ancient Sumerian cuneiform was a sign shaped like an eight-pointed star, signifying “deity,” and was used before divine names of different deities to establish them as deities, but not specifically as star gods.

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“The identity of the character depicted in the Coptos colossi and their chronology have become two controversial points in the study of these works of art. Soon after they were discovered, the idea that they could be a primitive representation of the god Min was proposed. Their location within the perimeter of the temple of Coptos, as well as the presence of certain iconographic motifs, led a priori to that conclusion. Nevertheless, some later works have opposed that hypothesis. Whether these statues belong to the Egyptian artistic environment or not has been the starting point of the formal and comparative study developed in the first part of this paper. Within the iconographic field, we have, in the second part of this study, evaluated every one of the motifs inscribed on the statues. Through the results provided by the evidence, we have concluded that the Coptos colossi were early representations of the god Min. Early because they belong to a chronological period situated between the end of Naqada II and the beginning of Naqada III. The differences in content between historical images of the god Min arise from representing an entity that ruled over the desert and the sea—a different Min, pertaining to the so-called “Preformal tradition”, which we consider a former sculptural symbol of the same principle, namely Fertility.” ref

Min: the most popular deity in the Eastern Desert?

“The Naqada period was first divided by the British Egyptologist William Matthew Flinders Petrie, who explored the site in 1894, into three sub-periods:

“Petrie’s chronology was superseded by that of Werner Kaiser in 1957. Kaiser’s chronology began c. 4000 BC, but the modern version has been adjusted slightly, as follows:

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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“The Master of Animals or Lord of Animals is a motif in ancient art showing a human between and grasping two confronted animals. It is very widespread in the art of the Ancient Near East and Egypt. The figure is normally male, but not always, the animals may be realistic or fantastical, and the figure may have animal elements such as horns, or an animal’s upper body. Unless he is shown with specific divine attributes, he is typically described as a hero, although what the motif represented to the cultures which created the works probably varies greatly. The motif is so widespread and visually effective that many depictions were probably conceived as decoration with only a vague meaning attached to them. The Master of Animals is the “favorite motif of Achaemenian official seals“, but the figures in these cases should be understood as the king.” ref

“The human figure may be standing, found from the 4th millennium BC, or kneeling on one knee, these latter found from the 3rd millennium BC. They are usually shown looking frontally, but in Assyrian pieces typically shown from the side. Sometimes the animals are clearly alive, whether fairly passive and tamed, or still struggling or attacking. In other pieces, they may represent dead hunter’s prey. Other associated representations show a figure controlling or “taming” a single animal, usually to the right of the figure. But the many representations of heroes or kings killing an animal are distinguished from these. One of the earliest known depictions of the Master of Animals appears on stamp seals of the Ubaid period in Mesopotamia. The motif appears on a terracotta stamp seal from Tell Telloh, ancient Girsu, at the end of the prehistoric Ubaid period of Mesopotamia, c. 4000 BCE or 6,020 years ago.” ref

“The motif also takes pride of place at the top of the famous Gebel el-Arak Knife in the Louvre, an ivory and flint knife dating from the Naqada II d period of Egyptian prehistory, which began c. 3450 BC. Here a figure in the Mesopotamian dress, often taken to be a god, grapples with two lions. It has been connected to the famous Pashupati seal from the Indus Valley Civilization (2500-1500 BC), showing a figure seated in a yoga-like posture, with a horned headdress (or horns), and surrounded by animals. This in turn is related to a figure on the Gundestrup cauldron, who sits with legs part-crossed, has antlers, is surrounded by animals, and grasps a snake in one hand and a torc in the other. This famous and puzzling object probably dates to 200 BC, or possibly as late as 300 AD, and though found in Denmark was perhaps made in Thrace. A form of the master of animals motif appears on an Early Medieval belt buckle from Kanton Wallis, Switzerland, which depicts the biblical figure of Daniel between two lions.” ref

“The purse-lid from the Sutton Hoo burial of about 620 AD has two plaques with a man between two wolves, and the motif is common in Anglo-Saxon art and related Early Medieval styles, where the animals generally remain aggressive. Other notable examples of the motif in Germanic art include one of the Torslunda plates, and helmets from Vendel and Valsgärde. In the art of Mesopotamia the motif appears very early, usually with a “naked hero”, for example at Uruk in the Uruk period (c. 4000 to 3100 BC), but was “outmoded in Mesopotamia by the seventh century BC”. In Luristan bronzes the motif is extremely common, and often highly stylized. In terms of its composition, the Master of Animals motif compares with another very common motif in the art of the ancient Near East and Mediterranean, that of two confronted animals flanking and grazing on a Tree of Life.” ref

Master of Animals: Deity figures

“Although such figures are not all, or even usually, deities, the term can also be a generic name for a number of deities from a variety of cultures with close relationships to the animal kingdom or in part animal form (in cultures where that is not the norm). These figures control animals, usually wild ones, and are responsible for their continued reproduction and availability for hunters. They sometimes also have female equivalents, the so-called Mistress of the Animals. Many Mesopotamian examples may represent Enkidu, a central figure in the Ancient Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh. They may all have a Stone Age precursor who was probably a hunter’s deity. Many relate to the horned deity of the hunt, another common type, typified by Cernunnos, and a variety of stag, bull, ram, and goat gods. Horned gods are not universal, however, and in some cultures bear gods, like Arktos might take the role, or even the more anthropomorphic deities who lead the Wild Hunt. Such figures are also often referred to as ‘Lord of the forest’* or ‘Lord of the mountain’. The Greek god seen as a “Master of Animals” is usually Apollo, the god of hunting. Shiva has the epithet Pashupati meaning the “Lord of animals”, and these figures may derive from an archetype. Chapter 39 of the Book of Job has been interpreted as an assertion of the God of the Hebrew Bible as Master of Animals.” ref

“Master of the animals, is generally a supernatural figure regarded as the protector of game in the traditions of foraging peoples. The name was devised by Western scholars who have studied such hunting and gathering societies. In some traditions, the master of the animals is believed to be the ruler of the forest and guardian of all animals; in others, he is the ruler of only one species, usually a large animal of economic or social importance to the tribe. Thus, among Eurasian peoples the animal most frequently is the bear; among the reindeer cultures of the tundra, the reindeer; among the northern coastal peoples of Eurasia and America, the whale, the seal, or the walrus; among the North American Indians, the bear, the beaver, or the caribou; and among Mesoamerican and South American Indians, the wild pig, jaguar, deer, or tapir. In some traditions he is pictured in human form, at times having animal attributes or riding an animal; in other traditions, he is a giant animal or can assume animal form at will.” ref

“A complex system of customs governs the relationship between the master of the animals, the game animal, and the hunter. The master controls the game animals or their spirits (in many myths, by penning them). He releases a certain number to humans as food. Only the allotted number may be killed, and the slain animals must be treated with respect. The master of the animals, if properly invoked, will also guide the hunter to the kill. The souls of the animals, when slain, return to the master’s pens and give him a report of their treatment. If this system is violated, the master will avenge an animal improperly slain, usually by withholding game. A ceremony then must be held to remove the offense or a shaman (a religious personage with healing and psychic transformation powers) sent to placate the master.” ref

“In Minoan and Mycenaean mythological and religious iconography appears a male deity, called later by the Greeks, Master of Animals. He is a counterpart of the Mistress of Wild Animals (Potnia theron) portrayed with wild animals, mainly lions, and exerting his power over them. Some authors suppose that the Master of Animals could represent a hunting deity and protector of nature, or even a nature god. But sometimes this deity, accompanied by a lion, is armed with a spear and a shield and at other times he is again armed, but without the company of animals. M.P. Nilsson posed an interesting observation about the close relationship between the Master of Animals and the armed god, as a hunter and war god. He believed, that the spear and the shield became a religious symbol of this god.” ref

“The Master of Animals could represent, at least, from the beginning of the Late Helladic period, a nature god who is related to hunting. The Mycenaeans took this type from the Minoan belief system, which was the origin of this deity. After 1500 BCE and during the fourteenth century BCE the nature of this figure changed. The warlike tendency of the Mycenaean society was growing, and this could be the reason why their male god had to assume another responsibility. His attributes, mainly the shield, became frequent decorative motives in Mycenaean art and pottery production. Thus it is possible that the male god, depicted from the beginning primarily with animals, and later on with a spear and a shield, could be Enyalius (Enualios), known from Linear B script, and who is equated in Greek literature with Ares, the god of war.” ref

“On seals and ring-reliefs, the Master of Animals is depicted in the Minoan manner, wearing only a small cloth around his slim waist and turning his body to show his muscular torso in a frontal position. The head, usually with a beard and rich hair, has a strong facial expression. A gem from Kydonia and the Mycenaean seal ring illustrates him as such, while the well-known Aegina Treasure-pendant represents the Master of Animals with an Egyptian influence. The motif is created in a completely different way. The deity looks like an Egyptian, holding waterbirds in his hands and his surroundings consists of double snakes and papyrus flowers. Oriental seals from the Palace of Cadmus in Thiva show the Master of Animals with goats, some vegetation, and various symbols from Syrian and Mesopotamian mythology.” ref

Paganism 12,000 years old: related to (Pre-Capitalism): LINK

Paganism 7,000-5,000 years old: related to (Capitalism) (World War 0) Elite & their slaves: LINK

Paganism 5,000 years old: progressed organized religion and the state: related to (Kings and the Rise of the State): LINK

Paganism 4,000 years old: related to (First Moralistic gods, then the Origin time of Monotheism): LINK

KING OF BEASTS: Master of Animals “Ritual” Motif, around 6,000 years old or older…

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With Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Male statues and male power: from Nevalı Çori, Turkey, to other areas, Egypt, Sumerian, Europe, and then Siberia.

I think emerging herding paganism was male-focused at the beginning, around 12,000/13,000 years ago, it was a shift from the older, more female shaman-focused tradition that had been the norm from 25,000 to 12,000 years ago, respectively, from Central Europe to the Middle East. After 12,000 years, the process in northern Mesopotamia of shamanism evolving into or emerging to become herding paganism with its Master of Animals. I believe it had at least three animals as deities: the bird, the bull, and the snake, and at least two deities in anthropomorphic form as the sky father/sun/day sky and the sky mother/moon/night sky.

AI Overview: Evolution of the Orion Myth in my “Hunting Cult” (Cosmic Hunt) to “Herding Cult” theme change:

Orion transitions from a cosmic “Hunting Cult” figure, celebrated in Greek myth as a giant hunter chasing Taurus and the Pleiades, to a “Herding Cult” symbol. This shift mirrors ancient societal shifts from nomadic hunting to agricultural, pastoral, and herd-focused lifestyles, transforming the stellar hunter into a seasonal guardian of herds. This evolution from a “hunter” to a “herder” in myth reflects a fundamental shift in human history from relying on the hunt to relying on managed, domesticated herds.

  • The Cosmic Hunter (Hunting Cult): In Greek mythology, Orion is a giant hunter, often accompanied by his dogs (Canis Major/Minor), eternally chasing the Pleiades sisters and Taurus the Bull. This representation highlights a, perhaps, earlier, more predatory relationship with nature.
  • The Seasonal Guide (Herding Cult): As societies moved toward agriculture and herding, the constellation’s appearance became tied to pastoral tasks. Its rising and setting guided seasonal movements, linking the hunter figure to the protection and management of livestock (herding).

The Cosmic Hunt Narrative and Orion

Global Folklore: The Orion-associated cosmic hunt exists in traditions from Siberia to the Americas, often featuring three in-line stars (the belt) as hunters or animals.

Variants: In some traditions, the belt stars represent three hunters, or an animal being hunted, with the Orion Nebula sometimes representing the prey.

Associated Groups: Often involves nearby constellations, such as the Pleiades, which are sometimes seen as the animals being chased by Orion.

The Orion constellation is interpreted as a hunter in the indigenous mythologies of Siberia, particularly among the Chukchi people. In addition to Siberia, the constellation is often depicted in various cultures as a hunter, a warrior, or a heroic figure.
  • Siberian Interpretation: While in Greek mythology Orion is a giant hunter, Siberian, Central-Eurasian, and North American traditions often view the three stars of Orion’s Belt as three deer, mountain sheep, or elk being hunted.
  • The “Cosmic Hunt”: A common narrative in this region is that the hunter is pursuing game across the sky. In some versions, the hunter is represented by the star Rigel, and his arrow, which has pierced the game, is represented by Betelgeuse or other stars in the constellation.
  • Cultural Significance: These traditions are part of a broader, ancient “cosmic hunt” myth that extends from the Arctic regions of Europe and Asia into North America.
The Cosmic Hunt Myth
  • Ancient Origins: The “Cosmic Hunt” is a widespread myth family in Eurasia and the Americas, involving hunters pursuing a large animal (bear/ungulate).
  • Celestial Connection: The animal becomes a constellation (often the Big Dipper’s bowl), and its falling blood/grease explains autumn colors or causes other phenomena.
  • Orion’s Role: In some variants, Orion or the Pleiades are involved in this hunt, linking the Greek myth to this older, broader narrative.

AI Overview: Orion constellation and Myth

The Orion constellation, recognized globally, is primarily personified in Greek mythology as a giant, supernaturally strong, and handsome hunter, often associated with Poseidon as his father. He represents a divine hunter, a protector, or a symbol of resurrection, with diverse interpretations across Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Native American cultures. Orion, the prominent winter constellation, is best known through Greek mythology as a giant, boastful hunter placed in the sky after being killed by a scorpion, forever chasing the Pleiades sisters, with his dogs (Canis Major/Minor) nearby, but other European myths link Orion’s Belt (the ‘distaff’) to Norse figures like Freyja/Frigg, while Finns see it as Kaleva’s Sword, reflecting a shared ancient warrior/divine figure across cultures, with the stars forming shapes of a hunter with a shield/club facing Taurus the Bull. 

Orion, the giant hunter, is a prominent figure near the Milky Way in many mythologies, often depicted chasing the Pleiades (the Seven Sisters) across the sky, who flee into the starry river. In Greek myth, he’s the hunter slain by a scorpion (Scorpius). Other cultures see Orion’s belt as a canoe or road for the dead, with the Milky Way as the river or path, linking Orion to celestial journeys, divine messengers, or ancestral spirits, representing themes from hunter to divine attendant to soul guide, all tied to the cosmic stream. The ancient Sumerians saw the constellation Orion as their great hero, Gilgamesh. The Sumerian name for the constellation was Uru An-na, which translates to “Light of Heaven”. In their mythology, Gilgamesh is depicted in a constant battle with the “Bull of Heaven,” which is the adjacent constellation of Taurus. This conflict is central to the Epic of Gilgamesh, the earliest surviving work of heroic literature.

A Cosmic Battle: The celestial arrangement of Orion and Taurus facing each other in the night sky was interpreted as a physical representation of this ancient mythic conflict, a story that predates the Greek and Roman mythologies later associated with these constellations. This interpretation highlights the deep historical roots of constellation mythology, predating the well-known Greek stories by thousands of years.

Taurus, the Bull constellation, symbolizes strength and change, primarily linked to Zeus transforming into a white bull to abduct Princess Europa to Crete in Greek mythology, a story echoed in Roman mythology with Jupiter/Jove. Other myths involve Io transformed into a heifer, the Bull of Heaven in Babylonian tales battling Gilgamesh, and Egyptian associations with the god Apis, making it a significant figure across ancient cultures, marking the spring equinox in early astronomy. Taurus was crucial for timekeeping, marking the Sun’s position during the spring equinox in the Early Bronze Age.

While Taurus is a globally recognized constellation linked to bull myths in many ancient cultures (Sumerian, Greek, Egyptian), specific, detailed Siberian myths directly identifying Taurus as a bull are less documented in general sources; however, Siberian Indigenous groups, like other world cultures, have rich lore for the Pleiades (the Seven Sisters cluster in Taurus), often connecting them to animal figures and important cultural narratives, suggesting the V-shape and Pleiades held deep, if varied, significance, even if not always a “bull”. The Pleiades (Seven Sisters/Bull’s Shoulder) are prominent across many cultures, including Indigenous Australians and North Americans, suggesting shared ancient observation. Siberian Indigenous groups, such as the Yakuts, Evenki, and others, have their own names and stories for star clusters like the Pleiades (often “Seven Hunters” or “Seven Deer”) and the Hyades (sometimes “Head of the Reindeer”). While “Bull” isn’t universal for Taurus in Siberia, the constellations often represent significant local animals or figures, playing roles in shamanic journeys, seasonal calendars, and creation stories.

Hunting Companions: He’s often accompanied by his hunting dogs (Canis Major/Minor) and chases the Pleiades (Seven Sisters) across the sky.

The Canoe & Salmon: The Shinnecock people saw Orion’s Belt as a canoe racing to catch salmon (stars) in the “Big River” (Milky Way).

Road of Souls: Other Midwestern tribes viewed the Milky Way as a path for souls, with Orion (Nanabush) and Leo (Misha Peshu) as key figures on this spiritual journey.

Orion’s Place Near the Milky WayOrion sits on the edge or banks of the Milky Way, making it a celestial landmark and connecting its myths to the river of stars, whether it’s a road for the dead, a river of creation, or a cosmic boundary. 

Key Mythological Aspects of the Orion Deity:

  • Greek Mythology (The Hunter): Known as a giant huntsman, he boasted he could kill any animal, prompting Gaia to send a scorpion to kill him. He was placed in the sky by Artemis or Zeus, often depicted pursuing the Pleiades or fleeing Scorpius.
  • Egyptian Mythology (Osiris/Sah): Associated with Osiris, the god of resurrection, Orion’s belt was considered the resting place of his soul, symbolizing eternal life.
  • Babylonian Mythology (True Shepherd of Anu): Known as «Uru An-Na» or the “True Shepherd of Anu,” he was linked to the god Marduk, representing fertility, agriculture, and the divine shepherd.
  • Sumeria/Babylon: Linked to the hero Gilgamesh, fighting Taurus (the Bull).
  • Native American: Varies by tribe, but often a great warrior, hunter, or celestial canoe. Native American cultures saw Orion differently, with some, like the Lakota, associating its belt and sword with a giant celestial Hand or arm, representing a chief or warrior, while others saw canoes, hunters, or animals, connecting it deeply to their lands, seasons, and stories, illustrating a universal human tendency to find meaning in the stars.
  • Maori/New Zealand: The belt stars were a canoe, important for navigation,
  • In the Book of Job (9:9, 38:31), the Orion constellation is referred to in Hebrew as Kesil, meaning “fool” or “insolent one,” often interpreted as a giant or strong, defiant hunter. God highlights Kesil (Orion) to emphasize His sovereignty, asking Job if he can “loose the cords/bands of Orion,” signifying that only God has the power to control the cosmos.

Job 9:9 in the Bible highlights God’s power as the Creator of the cosmos, specifically mentioning constellations like Arcturus (the Bear/Big Dipper), Orion, Pleiades, and the “chambers of the south”. It emphasizes God’s sovereignty over the stars and His role in shaping the universe. The verse is part of Job’s response to Bildad, where he acknowledges God’s supreme power and wisdom, noting that human beings cannot successfully challenge or argue with Him.

Constellations Named in Job

Arcturus/The Bear: Often identified as Ursa Major.
Orion: A prominent, recognizable constellation.
Pleiades: A star cluster, also known as the Seven Stars.
Chambers of the South: Refers to the constellations in the southern hemisphere, which are hidden from view in the north.

Job 9:9 Meaning: The verse highlights God as the one who “makes” or governs the rising and setting of these heavenly bodies. Various translations (KJV, NIV, NLT) use different terms for these constellations, such as “Big Dipper” or “the Bear” (for Arcturus), but the focus remains on God as the maker of the stars.

Orion is a prominent constellation named after a giant hunter in Greek mythology, known for his hunting prowess, tragic love affairs (especially with Artemis), and eventual placement in the stars alongside his hunting dogs (Canis Major & Canis Minor) after his death, often by a scorpion sent by Apollo or Gaia, making him a celestial figure forever chasing the Pleiades (Seven Sisters) and Taurus the Bull across the winter sky, though other cultures like Egyptians (Osiris) and Sumerians (Gilgamesh) also saw great figures there. 

Death by Scorpion/Apollo:

    • One story says Gaia sent a giant scorpion to sting him.
    • Another (popularized by Britannica and Night Sky Tourist) claims Apollo, jealous of Artemis’s love for Orion, challenged her to shoot a distant speck (Orion swimming).
  • Celestial Placement: To honor him, Artemis placed Orion in the sky as a constellation, forever hunting the Pleiades and chased by the Scorpion (Scorpius), Frosty Drew Observatory. 
    Greek & Roman Mythology
    • The Hunter: A giant, son of Poseidon, known for his hunting prowess, boasting he could kill any animal.
    • His Demise: Angered Gaia (Earth goddess) or Artemis, who sent a scorpion to sting his heel, killing him.
    • Celestial Placement: Placed in the sky opposite the Scorpius constellation so they never meet, with his hunting dogs (Sirius and Procyon) at his heels.
    • The Chase: He endlessly pursues the Pleiades (Seven Sisters), who became doves to escape him, with Taurus the Bull blocking his path. 
    Norse & Germanic Traditions
    • Freyja’s/Frigg‘s Distaff: In pre-Christian Scandinavia, the belt stars were known as Frigg’s or Freyja’s Distaff, a spindle used for weaving fate, linking the constellation to powerful goddesses.
    • Warrior Figure: The entire constellation represented a warrior, with the belt as armor, placed opposite Scorpio as an ancient Germanic version of the Greek myth. 
    Finnish Mythology (Kalevala)
    • Kaleva‘s Sword (Kalevanmiekka): The belt stars are known as Kaleva’s Sword, a significant warrior’s weapon from the national epic, the Kalevala, highlighting Orion’s role as a celestial warrior. 
    Common European Themes
    • Hunter/Warrior: The dominant theme across Europe is Orion as a powerful, often prideful, hunter or warrior.
    • Celestial Battle: The eternal chase or opposition with the Scorpion and Bull is a widespread motif. 
    In Asia, Orion mythology varies: China sees Orion’s Belt as three gods of fortune (Shen) or a celestial hunter, while Japan views it as symbolic objects like a drum or loom parts, and Hindu mythology links it to Prajapati or a deer, showing a focus on celestial figures, symbols, or divine narratives rather than the single Greek hunter.
    China
    • The Hunter (Shen): Known as Shen, representing a great celestial hunter or warrior, similar to the Western idea, especially around the hunting season.
    • Three Gods: The belt stars (Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka) symbolize the three gods of fortune, prosperity, and longevity, marking the New Year.
    • Celestial Hunter: The entire constellation is the “Hunter Constellation” (猎户座, liè hù zuò).
    Japan
    • Symbolic Objects: Often seen as practical tools like a Japanese drum (with belt stars as cords) or weaving machine parts, varying by region.
    • Clan Symbols: During the 12th-century Genpei War, the Rigel star symbolized the Taira clan, and Betelgeuse the Minamoto clan, representing their division.
    India (Hindu Mythology)
    • Prajapati: Orion is sometimes identified with Prajapati (the creator) or a cruel hermit, often depicted with hunting dogs (Canis Major) and a deer (Rohini star).

    Characteristics of Orion as a Deity:

    • Divine Hunter/Warrior: A prominent protector or warrior figure roaming the heavens.
    • Resurrection/Rebirth: Egyptian belief saw him as a herald of rebirth.
    • Agricultural Herald: His rising heralded the spring planting season.

    AI Overview: In ancient Mesopotamian astronomy, the constellation Orion was known as Sipazianna (or MUL.SIPA.ZI.AN.NA), which translates to “The True Shepherd of Anu” or “Heavenly Shepherd”. This constellation was considered the astral form or symbol of the sukkal (divine messenger or attendant deity) known as Papsukkal (or Ninshubur).

    “Sukkal (conventionally translated from Sumerian as “vizier“) was a term which could denote both a type of official and a class of deities in ancient Mesopotamia.” ref

    Sukkal as a type of deity

    “In Mesopotamian religion, some deities were designated as sukkals and functioned as a divine counterpart of the human officials. Due to more direct evidence present in myths compared to economic and administrative texts, their functions are better known than those of their human namesakes. The historical sukkals were responsible for overseeing the execution of various commands of the kings and acted as diplomatic envoys and translators for foreign dignitaries. The deities referred to as sukkals fulfilled a similar role in mythology, acting as servants, advisors, and envoys of the main gods of the Mesopotamian pantheon, such as Enlil or Inanna.” ref

    “The best known sukkal is the goddess Ninshubur. In art, they were depicted carrying staves, most likely understood as their attribute. They could function as intercessory deities, believed to mediate between worshipers and the major gods. The office sukkal is also known from various areas to the west and east of Mesopotamia, including the Hurrian kingdom Arrapha, Syrian Alalakh and Mari and Elam under the rule of the Sukkalmah Dynasty, while the concept of divine sukkals was incorporated into Hurrian religion, in which major gods such as Kumarbi or Hebat commonly appear in company of their sukkals, similar to their Mesopotamian counterparts.” ref

    “Due to more direct evidence present in myths compared to economic and administrative texts, their functions are better known than these of their human namesakes. A sukkal was the highest-ranked member of a deity’s court, and in some cases in god lists could appear even before their children. At the same time, not every servant deity was a sukkal. Three distinct classes of divine servants can be found in various documents: advisers and representatives (including the sukkal), deities dealing with the personal needs of a god, and finally those tasked with upkeep of their household, such as divine cooks or gardeners.” ref

    “In myths, sukkals act both as traveling envoys of their masters, and as their advisors at home. Wisdom was frequently regarded as a trait of this class of deities. While most deities had courtiers, usually only these whose position in the pantheon was well established had sukkals, and sukkals of the major city gods were likely the oldest deities of this type. Instances of a sukkal having a sukkal of their own, while known, should be regarded as an anomaly according to Richard L. Litke. For example, Niĝgina, a sukkal of the sun god Utu, had her own sukkal, as did Alammuš, the sukkal of the moon god Nanna.” ref

    “The goddess Ninshubur is regarded by Assyriologists as “the earliest and most important” sukkal, the “archetypal vizier of the gods.” The attribute associated with all sukkals was a staff. Papsukkal could be called bēl ḫaṭṭi, “lord of the staff.” Similarly, Nuska bore the Sumerian epithet en-ĝidri, “lord of the scepter.” AllaIsimud and Ninshubur were depicted holding staffs too. One possible depiction of Ninshubur carrying a staff is present on the seal of Lugal-ushumgal, governor of Lagash during the reigns of Naram-Sin of Akkad and his son Shar-Kali-Sharri. A sukkal was expected to walk in front of their master, leading the way with their staff. Sukkals could be associated with doors as well. In literary texts, they could be tasked with screening visitors who wanted to see their master.” ref

    “The title of sukkalmaḫ could be applied to divine sukkals, though there is no evidence that a divine sukkalmaḫ was in charge of regular sukkals, and in some cases a deity had multiple sukkals but none of them was referred as a sukkalmaḫ, while in other a sukkalmaḫ was the only sukkal of their master. Most likely addressing a deity as a sukkalmaḫ was only meant to highlight the high position of their master in the pantheon. Deities addressed as sukkalmaḫs include Nuska (the sukkal of Enlil), Ara (one of the two sukkals of Enki), Ninpirig (one of the sukkals of Utu), Ninshubur (the sukkal of Inanna) and Alammuš (the sukkal of Nanna). A further title used to describe some of the divine sukkals was SAL.ḪÚB2. In most of the texts where this word is attested, it occurs in parallel with “sukkal.” It only ever designates gods, not human officials, and only a handful of attestations are known. It is assumed that it referred to a sukkal particularly emotionally close to their master.” ref

    “Deities referred to this way include Ninshubur (both male and female), Bunene, Ninpirig, Nabu and Muduggasa’a (in a bilingual text where he occurs as the equivalent of the former), and Innimanizi. The number of references to each of them is not equal, and only Ninshubur is referred to as SAL.ḪÚB2 more than once or twice, with seven recorded instances currently known. In one case, she was labeled as the “beloved SAL.ḪÚB2 of Inanna,” and appears right after Dumuzi in an enumeration of deities associated with her mistress, before some of her family members, for example her sister in law Geshtinanna. In some cases, terms such as MUNUS.SUKKAL (for example in the case of Sililitum) or nin-sukkal (in the case of Ninshubur and Amasagnudi) was used to indicate a sukkal was female.” ref

    “It has been argued that many sukkals simply represented the effect of their masters’ actions: the fire god Gibil was served by a deified flame, Nablum, while the weather god Ishkur by a deified lightning, Nimgir. Other seem to be personifications of specific commands, for example Eturammi (“do not slacken”), Nēr-ē-tagmil (“kill, spare not”) or Ugur (“destroy”). However, Frans Wiggermann points out that neither explanation is suitable for the sukkals of particularly well established deities: Ninshubur, Nuska, Bunene, Isimud and Alammuš, whose character was independent from that of their masters. It is sometimes argued that a sukkal had to match the gender for their master. However, NamtarEreshkigal‘s sukkal, was male. The sukkal of the medicine goddess Gula, Urmašum, was a male deity too. Amasagnudi, regarded as a goddess, appears as the sukkal of Anu in a single lexical text.” ref

    “Sukkals could act as intercessory deities, leading to comparisons between them and another class of minor deities, lamma, in modern scholarship. Both of them could be depicted in similar scenes on cylinder seals, leading a human visitor to their divine master. The goddess Lammašaga was identified both as a sukkal and a lamma. A third class of deities involved in intercession were wives of major gods, and on occasion comparisons are made between them and sukkals too, for example the role of a mediator between a major deity and worshipers played by Ninshubur in the cult of Inanna has been compared to that played by the spouses of other major gods, Aya in the cult of Shamash or Shala in Adad’s. Sukkals have also been compared to angels in comparative scholarship, and some researchers, for example Jan van Dijk and Frans Wiggermann, tentatively label study of sukkals as “Sumerian angelology.” Similarly, it has been argued that the nature of Lamma deities can be compared to modern idea of guardian angels.” ref

    Here are the key details regarding the Orion constellation as a sukkal:

    Role as Messenger: Papsukkal was the messenger of Anu, the god of the sky, and also served as a messenger for the general pantheon of gods.

    Symbolism in the Sky: In Babylonian star maps, the constellation Orion (Sipazianna) represented Papsukkal as a shepherd or attendant with his left foot forward and a staff in his hand, walking in front of his master (Anu).

    Relationship to Ninshubur: Papsukkal often assumed the roles of other messenger figures, such as Ninshubur, and was fully identified with them in later “antiquarian theology” from Uruk.

    Associated Symbol: While represented by the stars of Orion, Papsukkal was also symbolized on boundary stones (kudurru) as a walking bird.

    Context: The appearance of this constellation in the night sky was linked to the spring planting season. The identification of Orion with a “True Shepherd” or “Messenger” differs significantly from the Greek, which views the constellation as a hunter.

    AI Overview: In ancient Iranian (Persian) and broader Near Eastern traditions, the constellation known in the West as Orion was recognized and linked to mythological figures, though not typically worshipped as a “deity” in the same way Ahura Mazda was. While Orion was not a supreme deity, it was considered a major, powerful celestial entity in ancient Iranian astronomy—often viewed as a cosmic giant, shepherd, or a representation of the constellation’s celestial “warrior” role.
    • Rashnawand (Sogdian/Persian): In ancient Iranian/Sogdian astronomy, the constellation was known as Rashnawand.
    • The “Giant” (Al-Jauzah/Al-Jabbar): In later, post-Islamic Persian and Arabic astronomy, Orion was often called Al-Jauzah (“The Central One”) or Al-Jabbar (“The Giant”).
    • The “Three Stars” (Tištriia): The belt of Orion is connected to the Zoroastrian star-champion Tištriia (associated with Sirius, but often confused with or linked to the wider constellation context), who brings rain and fights drought.
    • Babylonian Influence: Early Iranian astrology was heavily influenced by Babylonian traditions, where Orion was known as MUL.SIPA.ZI.AN.NA, the “True Shepherd of Anu” (the sky god).
    • Mithras Connection: Some interpretations link Orion to the Persian god Mithra, specifically in his role as a cosmic judge or as the slayer of the Bull of Heaven (Taurus), which sits directly in front of Orion in the sky.
    AI Overview: African mythology features rich stories for the Orion constellation, with its belt often seen as three zebras or warthogs being hunted by a celestial hunter (Orion himself), while the stars also represent a staircase to heaven for the Dogon people, a hunting dog spirit (muta) for the Tshokwe, and even powerful lions for some groups, highlighting Orion’s prominence across diverse cultures as animals, hunters, or celestial pathways, sometimes linked to agricultural seasons or creation myths. In essence, while the Greek hunter myth is well-known, African traditions offer varied, deeply embedded stories that transform Orion into a dynamic part of the cosmos, reflecting local cultures, environments, and spiritual beliefs. 
    Key African Mythologies of Orion
    • San (Bushmen) & Nama (South Africa): The three belt stars are three zebras (a stallion and two mares) or three warthogs, hunted by a great hunter.
    • The Hunter’s Tale: In some traditions, the hunter (Orion) missed his shot (Orion’s Sword/Nebula), couldn’t retrieve his arrow due to a lion (Betelgeuse), and was sent to Earth as zebras, or he remains frozen in the sky, shivering and thirsty.
    • Dogon (Mali): Orion’s Belt is a staircase for the soul to reach heaven, symbolizing wisdom.
    • Tswana (Southern Africa): Orion’s belt stars are “three pigs” (warthogs), with Orion’s sword stars representing three dogs chasing them, tying into the birth of warthog litters when Orion is visible.
    • Tshokwe (Angola/Zambia): The middle belt star is muta, a dog spirit of the first hunter, Cimbundu, linked to fertility and successful hunts.
    • Venda (South Africa): The stars are suspended orbs, connected to the world’s dome by invisible strings. 
    General Themes & Significance
    • Hunting & Animals: Common themes involve cosmic hunts, with Orion representing the hunter or the hunted animals.
    • Celestial Tools: Stars often mark planting seasons (like the Pleiades in relation to Orion’s Belt) or serve as navigation guides.
    • Creation & Morality: Stories explain natural phenomena, like the origin of zebras or the creation of the Milky Way.
    AI Overview: Siberian & North Asian Interpretations of Orion: In Siberian mythology, particularly among the Evenk people, views Orion (and sometimes the Pleiades) as celestial hunters pursuing a mountain sheep or elk, a variation of a widespread “cosmic hunt” theme seen from Siberia to North America, with different stars representing the hunters and the hunted animal, often linked to hunting tools or spirit figures rather than the Greek hunter. 
    • Evenk (Tungus): The three stars of Orion’s Belt are often seen as hunters, while the Pleiades constellation nearby might be a mountain sheep or elk being chased across the sky.
    • Orochon Evenk, Udeghe, Oroch: These groups, from the Russian Far East, share this “cosmic hunt” myth, seeing the Big Dipper handle as hunters and the stars of the dipper as the animal or a storehouse.
    • Hocąk (Winnebago): A complex myth features Zcorushika and his two loyal brothers, who become Orion’s Belt stars after killing a bad spirit, while other stars might represent a dog or enemies.
    • Ket: Looking for specific myths about the “Winter Hunter” or “Great Bear” (which some cultures link to Orion). The Ket people are indigenous to Siberia, with rich shamanistic traditions. While Greek myth defines Orion, it’s a universal constellation, and Ket traditions likely hold their own powerful, perhaps shamanistic, interpretations of this celestial hunter. While they have their own cosmology, the prominent celestial figures often reflect broader Siberian or Uralic traditions. The Ket view of Orion is likely tied to their hunter-gatherer lifestyle and respect for powerful celestial beings, possibly resembling other Siberian constellations of hunters or animals.
      Key Themes in Siberian Orion Myths
      • Cosmic Hunt: The core narrative involves hunters and prey, often tied to important animals like elk or sheep, reflecting daily life and spiritual beliefs.
      • Spiritual Beings: The stars aren’t just figures but can represent powerful spirits or ancestors, sometimes battling evil entities.
      • Connection to the Big Dipper: The Orion complex is often linked to the Big Dipper (Ursa Major), forming a larger celestial hunting scene. 

      AI Overview: In ancient Anatolia (modern Turkey), the Hittites linked the Orion constellation to Aqhat, a legendary hunter, in a myth where the war goddess Anat’s desire for his bow leads to his death and placement in the sky, mirroring the astronomical disappearance of Orion as Scorpio rises, connecting Hittite lore with broader Near Eastern traditions.

      • The Hunter: Aqhat was a famous hunter in Anatolian mythology, celebrated for his skill.
      • The Goddess: The war goddess Anat fell in love with Aqhat and wanted his powerful bow.
      • The Conflict: When Aqhat refused to give her the bow, Anat sent someone to steal it.
      • The Death: The attempt to steal the bow went wrong, resulting in Aqhat’s death and the bow being lost at sea.
      • Celestial Connection: This myth explains why Orion (representing Aqhat) disappears below the horizon for a few months in late spring and early summer, as if dropping into the sea after the failed theft. 
      Broader Connections
      • Near Eastern Roots: This myth shares themes with other ancient stories, such as the Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh and Egyptian myths, which also feature powerful hunters and celestial punishment, often involving a scorpion (Scorpio constellation).
      • Astronomical Significance: The story reflects the ancient observation that the constellation of Orion and the constellation Scorpio rise and set at opposite times, with the scorpion appearing as Orion vanishes. 

      AI Overview: While the dominant mythology for Orion is Greek (a giant hunter slain by a scorpion or Apollo), ancient Georgian culture, known for its rich astronomical traditions, likely had its own interpretations, though specific Georgian myths for Orion aren’t as widely documented as Greek or Egyptian ones, focusing more on stars as guides or deities, with potential ties to Georgian figures like the hunter “Amiran” or local deities, as seen in Georgian folklore where constellations often represent heroes or celestial protectors, but more research into Georgian ethnography is needed for definitive links. 

      Georgian Connections (Folkloric Interpretations)
      • Amiran: Georgia’s own mythical hero, Amiran (similar to Prometheus), faced immense suffering, and some scholars suggest potential celestial links to constellations, although direct Orion identification is debated.
      • ** Georgian Astronomy:** Georgians historically tracked seasons and navigated by stars, embedding cultural values into the sky, but specific constellation names vary.

      AI Overview: In Ukrainian and broader Eastern European folklore, Orion isn’t typically the Greek hunter but often seen as a Plowman (Orach), with the belt stars as the plow’s handle, signifying agricultural seasons, or sometimes a Reaper, linking to harvest time, while ancient cultures globally saw Orion as hunters, giants, or celestial figures, with Orion’s Belt sometimes representing seal hunters or dancers, showing shared human sky interpretation across cultures.

      Ukrainian/Eastern European Interpretations

      • The Plowman (Orach): In ancient Macedonia, and also common among Bulgarians, Serbians, Romanians, and Ukrainians, the constellation was viewed as a plow.
      • Agricultural Significance: The rising of Betelgeuse (Orion’s shoulder) in late summer marked the time for men to go to the fields for plowing, connecting the celestial figure to practical farming life.
      • Orion’s Belt as the Plow Handle: The three stars of Orion’s Belt were seen as the handle of this celestial plow, making the constellation a key marker for seasons.

      AI Overview: While Orion is famously linked to Greek myths of a great hunter, specific Baltic mythology connections are scarce in common records, though related Finno-Ugric traditions (like Finnish Kalevala) name Orion’s Belt “Väinämöinen’s Belt” and Orion’s Sword “Kaleva’s Sword,” referencing powerful figures from their epic. The broader region, including Baltic areas, shared sky lore with Finns, often seeing Orion as a celestial hunter or weapon, reflecting cultural values and seasonal timekeeping, but distinct “Baltic” stories are less documented than Finnish ones.

      Key Interpretations in Related Cultures:

      • Finland (Kalevala):
        • Orion: Väinämöinen (The Hero/Shaman), a wise, magical old man.
        • Orion’s Belt: Väinämöinen’s Belt (Väinämöisen vyö).
        • Orion’s Sword: Kaleva’s Sword (Kalevanmiekka).
      • General Sky Lore:
        • Hunter/Weapon Motif: Many cultures, including some near Baltic regions, saw Orion as a hunter (like the Greek myth) or a weapon, a common theme for seasonal tracking.
        • Seasonal Significance: Like other constellations, Orion’s appearance marked seasons, holding spiritual and practical meaning. 
      AI Overview: In Sami mythology, the Orion constellation (specifically Orion’s Belt) represents the Gállábártnit, three skilled hunter brothers or mythical figures known for inventing skis, often depicted with their hunting tools (knife, spear, pot) as the stars below the belt, participating in a cosmic elk hunt alongside the hunter Fávdna (Arcturus) and Ursa Major as his bow, serving as guides for navigation, time, and weather prediction.
      Key Sami Interpretations of Orion:
      • Gállábártnit (The Belt): These three stars are the celebrated brothers, master skiers, and hunters who invented skis, ensuring their place in the stars as they continue their eternal hunt.
      • Fávdna (Arcturus): A prominent hunter figure, with the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) forming his bow, hunting alongside the Gállábártnit.
      • Cosmic Hunt: The entire constellation, including the stars of the belt (the brothers) and Fávdna, represents a celestial hunt for a cosmic elk, a crucial narrative in Sami sky lore for understanding seasons and survival.
      • Navigation & Time: The stars of Orion, along with other constellations, were vital tools for the Sami to navigate, tell time, and forecast the harsh Arctic weather, notes this University of Oregon page. 

      AI Overview: While Celtic mythology doesn’t have a single, direct equivalent for the Greek hunter Orion, some scholars suggest links to figures like the god Lugh or warrior Cúchulainn, with Irish folklore sometimes naming Orion’s stars after an “armed king” or “ghost,” and other theories connecting it to figures like the giant Daithí Bán, highlighting its recognition as a significant winter sky presence for the ancient Celts.

      Potential Celtic Connections & Interpretations

      • An Bodach (The Old Man/Ghost): Irish folklore refers to Orion as An Bodach, meaning “the man” or “ghost,” with its bright stars potentially representing his spear (Rigel) and sword (Betelgeuse).
      • Armed KingAn old Irish folk term for Orion was “Koi c A O M A I,” meaning “the armed king,” with the belt stars as his sword and the upright stars as his spear.
      • Daithí Bán: The legend of this giant hunter from Mayo, who hunted salmon and met a watery end, is sometimes linked to Orion, who appears as a hunter in the winter sky.
      • Lugh or Cúchulainn: Some theories propose Orion’s prominent shape inspired figures like the god Lugh or the warrior Cúchulainn, as storytellers often didn’t explicitly name constellations but embodied them in myths. 
      Why the Connection is Diffuse
      • Oral Tradition: Irish storytellers rarely named constellations directly, making direct links difficult.
      • Universal Symbolism: Like many cultures, the Celts recognized Orion as a significant sky figure, likely associating it with powerful hunters, warriors, or supernatural beings.

      AI Overview: While specific, detailed myths about the Orion constellation within Scythian mythology are scarce in mainstream sources, the Scythians, known for their warrior culture and sky interpretations, likely saw Orion as a powerful hunter or warrior figure, similar to the Greek hunter, as evidenced by depictions of armed figures in their art, but their unique myths focused on earthly heroes, gods, and shamanic journeys rather than explicitly mapping Orion to a specific god or legend, unlike the Greeks’ elaborate tales of the giant hunter. In essence, while Scythians observed the stars and likely saw a hunter in Orion, their cultural interpretations focused more on their own rich pantheon and earthly heroes, leaving Orion as a celestial figure without a dedicated, detailed Scythian myth in our current understanding. 

      • Warrior Culture: The Scythians were nomadic Iranian people renowned for their horseback archery and warrior skills, often depicted in their art.
      • Symbolism: Scythian art, found in tombs and artifacts, features anthropomorphic figures with weapons like short swords (acinaces) and quivers, aligning with the hunter/warrior imagery of Orion.
      • Shamanism: Scythian beliefs involved shamanic journeys to the underworld and celestial realms, suggesting they interpreted stars and constellations, but specific stories for Orion are not well-documented.
      Why the Difference?
      • Oral Traditions: Much Scythian lore was oral and not written down by Greeks or Romans, making it harder to trace.
      • Focus on Earthly Power: Their myths often centered on earthly heroes, animals, and shamanic power rather than detailed celestial narratives like the Greeks, says Night Sky Tourist.

      AI Overview: Turkic/Shamanistic Roots: Before Islam, Turkic peoples (like the Huns, Seljuk Turks) had their own sky lore, often revolving around nature, animals, and shamanistic figures, with constellations like Orion potentially representing celestial hunters, animals, or markers for seasons. 

      • The Hunter/Shepherd: While Greek myth made Orion the hunter, Islamic traditions saw some stars as a “Herdsman” or “Shepherd” (Rāʽi) watching over the Jawza.
      • Celestial Markers: The belt stars served as crucial navigational and seasonal markers for nomadic peoples, including Turks.
      • In essence: Turkish interpretations of Orion are a blend of its deep roots in ancient Mesopotamian astronomy (like the Babylonian “Heavenly Shepherd”) and the later, widespread Arabic astronomical and naming traditions, rather than a distinct, singular Turkish myth. 
      AI Overview: In Mongolian mythology, the Orion constellation is often depicted as a celestial hunt, with its stars representing King Khukhdei (Sirius), a skilled hunter on his white horse, chasing a herd of Three Red Does (Orion’s Belt and Nebula), accompanied by his hunting dogs (perhaps other stars), symbolizing a timeless chase across the winter sky, connecting to shamanistic beliefs and reverence for nature.
      Key Elements in the Mongolian Orion Myth:
      • King Khukhdei (Sirius): A legendary archer and hunter, often associated with the bright star Sirius, representing the hunter.
      • The Three Red Does (Orion’s Belt & Nebula): The three stars of Orion’s Belt and the faint nebula below them form a group of red does that Khukhdei pursues.
      • The Chase: The constellation portrays the ongoing hunt, a central theme in nomadic life, reflecting natural cycles and the skill of the hunter.
      • Symbolism: The myth embodies the hunter’s prowess and respect for the animals, linking earthly hunts to cosmic events and the vastness of the steppe.
      Connection to other constellations:
      • While Orion is distinct, related myths mention Sirius as the hunter, and other stars, like those in the Big Dipper (Ursa Major), are linked to different figures, such as the seven sons of the Big Dipper, showing a rich tapestry of celestial storytelling in Mongolian culture. 
      AI Overview: Native American cultures view Orion (the Hunter) with diverse stories, often as a hunter, warrior, or significant figure like the Navajo’s “First Slender One,” the Lakota’s bison spine, or the Ojibwe’s “Wintermaker,” featuring different meanings for its belt and sword, from racing canoes to a celestial hand, representing themes of protection, journeys, seasons, and cultural values, unlike the singular Greek hunter myth.
      Examples of Orion’s Significance
      • Tewa (New Mexico): Orion is “Long Sash,” who led their people on a significant journey.
      • Navajo (Diné): Á tse A ts’oosí (First Slender One), a hunter with a bow protecting children (Dilyéhé constellation); his belt stars align with sacred mountains.
      • Ojibwe (Anishinaabe): Biboonkeonini (Wintermaker), representing winter’s arrival, connected to the great hero Ojiig the Fisher.
      • Wasco/Pacific Northwest: The belt stars are fishermen in canoes racing for salmon, with the sword as another canoe or a dead salmon, symbolizing cold and Chinook winds.
      • Cahuilla (California): The belt stars are mountain sheep, the sword is an arrow, and Rigel is the hunter shooting it.
      • Cree (Ininewuk): Mistapiw (Giant), a trickster/hero figure, also known as Wesakechak, teaching through stories.
      Common Themes
      • Hunting/Fishing: Many stories depict hunters, fishermen, or animals like bison, deer, or mountain sheep.
      • Celestial Canoes: A common theme in the Pacific Northwest depicts canoes racing or traveling.
      • Seasonal Markers: Orion often signals winter’s arrival or serves as a guide for seasonal activities.
      • Protection & Guidance: The constellation can represent protectors, guides, or significant figures leading people.

      ref, ref, ref

      Orion constellation and Native American/Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) mythology?

      “The Ojibwe constellation of Biboonkeonini, the Wintermaker, includes the familiar stars of our Orion, but his outstretched arms reach to include Procyon in Canis Minor and Aldebaran in Taurus. The painting depicts the Ojibwe way of seeing star figures — both their inner spirit and outer form. The Wintermaker, a skilled canoeist, ushers in the cold and winds that characterize the season. Northern hemisphere skywatchers associate these same qualities with hunterly Orion, but the western character and myth have no direct seasonal connection like the Ojibwe constellation. Still, it’s fascinating that both figures are formed of nearly identical stars, testimony to the striking pattern and strong impression Orion–Wintermaker made on two very different cultures.” ref

      AI Overview: Biboonkeonini, meaning the “Wintermaker,” is the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) name for the constellation Orion, a prominent winter figure in their celestial lore, representing the powerful spirit that brings cold and snow, whose arrival is marked by its rising in the autumn and dominance through winter before waning in spring, often associated with stories of Nanaboujou (Nanabozho) tricking him into leaving by overeating at a feast. This constellation includes Orion’s Belt and is often seen with parts of Taurus and Canis Minor, appearing as a giant figure with outstretched arms, heralding winter’s arrival.

      Signals the start of winter, a time for stories, and is part of the larger Ojibwe understanding of seasonal constellations. Dominated by Orion, with its recognizable belt and sword, sometimes including stars from Taurus (like Aldebaran) and Canis Minor (Procyon). A popular story tells how Nanaboujou tricked the Wintermaker into eating so much at a feast that he sweated, melted snow, and left, though he always promises to return. Rises earlier as winter approaches, stands tall overhead in mid-winter (January), and appears to fall as it sets in the west by spring, signifying winter’s departure. In essence, Biboonkeonini is the celestial embodiment of winter for the Anishinaabe people, a familiar sight in the winter sky that carries deep cultural meaning and seasonal narrative.

      Orion as a Dying and Rising god-like Archetype

      AI Overview: Orion operates as a potent “dying and rising” god-like archetype through his dual existence as a mortal, giant hunter in Greek mythology, and a celestial figure (constellation) associated with resurrection in Egyptian and Near Eastern traditions. His narrative cycles between earthly life, tragic death, and immortality in the night sky, paralleling agricultural and seasonal renewal. While the “dying-and-rising” label has been criticized in modern scholarship regarding some Near Eastern figures, the figure of Orion frequently fits this pattern through his transformation from a mortal giant to an immortal, recurring constellation. Orion functions as a potent, albeit complex, example of the “dying and rising god” archetype, blending elements of a mortal hero, a seasonal deity, and a celestial symbol of rebirth. While often classified primarily as a giant hunter in Greek mythology, his narrative arcs—particularly in Egyptian and, to a lesser extent, Greek traditions—align with the pattern of death, descent, and resurrection.

      Orion as a Dying-and-Rising Archetype

      The Dying Hunter (Greek Myth): In Greek mythology, Orion is a giant, exceptionally skilled hunter who threatens to kill every animal on Earth, wounding Mother Earth (Gaea). In response, Gaea sends a giant scorpion to slay him, a death-by-punishment that mirrors the “passion” or struggle phase of dying-and-rising figures.

      Rebirth in the Stars: Following his death, Orion is placed into the stars by Artemis or Zeus, where he is destined to rise and set, chasing the Pleiades and fleeing from Scorpio. This eternal, repeating cycle in the sky represents his resurrection and immortality.

      Seasonal Symbolism: As a constellation, Orion appears, vanishes (dies/descends), and reappears (rises) with the seasons, making him a symbol of the agricultural cycle. The rising and setting of the Orion constellation in the winter sky (January–April in the Northern Hemisphere) was historically used to mark time, with his appearance linked to storms and the inevitable return of the seasons.

      Egyptian Association with Osiris

      The “Sah” Figure: In ancient Egypt, the constellation Orion was identified as Sah, which was closely associated with Osiris, the quintessential Egyptian god of death and resurrection.
      Resurrection Cycle: Egyptians believed Orion was the abode of Osiris following his murder and rebirth. As the constellation reappeared, it signaled the annual flooding of the Nile, representing fertility and rebirth.

      Other Mythological Parallels

      Solar Cycle: Similar to the solar-hero archetype, Orion is sometimes depicted as being blinded or destroyed at dusk (death) and regaining his sight/life at dawn (rising).

      Rainmaker/Fertility: Because of his association with winter storms (known as imbrifer or nimbosus in Latin), Orion acts as a fertility figure whose death and return are necessary for the renewal of water and life.

      Symbolic Themes

      The Huntress and the Hunted: The tension between Orion and Artemis often ends in tragedy, reinforcing the “dying” aspect of his character, where he is sacrificed or killed.

      Regeneration: The, sometimes, 70-day period where Orion/Sirius is not visible was viewed by Egyptians as a purification period before his rising, directly connecting him to the regeneration cycle.

      Heroic Archetype: Similar to figures like Heracles, Orion represents the mortal who achieves divinity through trials, death, and elevation to the stars.

      “A dying-and-rising god, life–death–rebirth deity, or resurrection deity is a religious motif in which a god or goddess dies and is resurrected.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dying-and-rising_god

      AI Overview: Odin is considered a dying-and-rising god, through his self-inflicted hanging on the world tree, Yggdrasil, for 9 days to gain cosmic wisdom. In this ordeal, part of him dies, allowing him to be reborn or resurrected as a more powerful, all-knowing deity.

      Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

      Many people think they understand religions or mythology, but have a flat or limited concept, not grasping the true depth or evolution in the world of mythological beings labeled deities or gods and goddesses…

      When many people think of Zeus (Chief deity/King of the gods/All-Father/Father of many gods) or even Odin (Chief deity/King of the gods/All-Father/Father of many gods) they think of father or the gods or king of the god/deity motifs. At the same time, there may be a connection to such thinking: in reality, these are actually younger gods in a mythological sense, part of a third generation in a larger genealogical god evolution mythology mindset. Religion and its gods are an evolved product, moved through cultural migrations, and are more related to a larger mythological dynamic that most grasp.

      Gods to the Third and Fourth generations?

      But is Atlantis real?

      No. Atlantis (an allegory: “fake story” interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning) can’t be found any more than one can locate the Jolly Green Giant that is said to watch over frozen vegetables. Lol

      ref

      May Reason Set You Free

      There are a lot of truly great things said by anarchists in history, and also some deeply vile things, too, from not supporting Women’s rights to Anti-Semitism. There are those who also reject those supporting women’s rights as well as fight anti-Semitism. This is why I push reason as my only master, not anarchist thinking, though anarchism, to me, should see all humans everywhere as equal in dignity and rights.

      We—Cory and Damien—are following the greatness that can be found in anarchist thinking.

      As an Anarchist Educator, Damien strives to teach the plain truth. Damien does not support violence as my method to change. Rather, I choose education that builds Enlightenment and Empowerment. I champion Dignity and Equality. We rise by helping each other. What is the price of a tear? What is the cost of a smile? How can we see clearly when others pay the cost of our indifference and fear? We should help people in need. Why is that so hard for some people? Rich Ghouls must End. Damien wants “billionaires” to stop being a thing. Tax then into equality. To Damien, there is no debate, Capitalism is unethical. Moreover, as an Anarchist Educator, Damien knows violence is not the way to inspire lasting positive change. But we are not limited to violence, we have education, one of the most lasting and powerful ways to improve the world. We empower the world by championing Truth and its supporters.

      Anarchism and Education

      “Various alternatives to education and their problems have been proposed by anarchists which have gone from alternative education systems and environments, self-education, advocacy of youth and children rights, and freethought activism.” ref

      “Historical accounts of anarchist educational experiments to explore how their pedagogical practices, organization, and content constituted a radical alternative to mainstream forms of educational provision in different historical periods.” ref

      “The Ferrer school was an early 20th century libertarian school inspired by the anarchist pedagogy of Francisco Ferrer. He was a proponent of rationalist, secular education that emphasized reason, dignity, self-reliance, and scientific observation. The Ferrer movement’s philosophy had two distinct tendencies: non-didactic freedom from dogma and the more didactic fostering of counter-hegemonic beliefs. Towards non-didactic freedom from dogma, and fulfilled the child-centered tradition.” ref

      Teach Real History: all our lives depend on it.

      #SupportRealArchaeology

      #RejectPseudoarchaeology

      Damien sees lies about history as crimes against humanity. And we all must help humanity by addressing “any and all” who make harmful lies about history.

      Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

      ref

      My favorite “Graham Hancock” Quote?

      “In what archaeologists have studied, yes, we can say there is NO Evidence of an advanced civilization.” – (Time 1:27) Joe Rogan Experience #2136 – Graham Hancock & Flint Dibble

      Help the Valentine fight against pseudoarchaeology!!!
       
      In a world of “Hancocks” supporting evidence lacking claims, be a “John Hoopes” supporting what evidence explains.
       
      #SupportEvidenceNotWishfullThinking
       
      Graham Hancock: @Graham__Hancock
      John Hoopes: @KUHoopes

      Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

      People don’t commonly teach religious history, even that of their own claimed religion. No, rather they teach a limited “pro their religion” history of their religion from a religious perspective favorable to the religion of choice. 

      Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

      Do you truly think “Religious Belief” is only a matter of some personal choice?

      Do you not see how coercive one’s world of choice is limited to the obvious hereditary belief, in most religious choices available to the child of religious parents or caregivers? Religion is more commonly like a family, culture, society, etc. available belief that limits the belief choices of the child and that is when “Religious Belief” is not only a matter of some personal choice and when it becomes hereditary faith, not because of the quality of its alleged facts or proposed truths but because everyone else important to the child believes similarly so they do as well simply mimicking authority beliefs handed to them. Because children are raised in religion rather than being presented all possible choices but rather one limited dogmatic brand of “Religious Belief” where children only have a choice of following the belief as instructed, and then personally claim the faith hereditary belief seen in the confirming to the belief they have held themselves all their lives. This is obvious in statements asked and answered by children claiming a faith they barely understand but they do understand that their family believes “this or that” faith, so they feel obligated to believe it too. While I do agree that “Religious Belief” should only be a matter of some personal choice, it rarely is… End Hereditary Religion!

      Opposition to Imposed Hereditary Religion

      Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

      refrefrefref 

      Animism: Respecting the Living World by Graham Harvey 

      “How have human cultures engaged with and thought about animals, plants, rocks, clouds, and other elements in their natural surroundings? Do animals and other natural objects have a spirit or soul? What is their relationship to humans? In this new study, Graham Harvey explores current and past animistic beliefs and practices of Native Americans, Maori, Aboriginal Australians, and eco-pagans. He considers the varieties of animism found in these cultures as well as their shared desire to live respectfully within larger natural communities. Drawing on his extensive casework, Harvey also considers the linguistic, performative, ecological, and activist implications of these different animisms.” ref

      Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

      We are like believing machines we vacuum up ideas, like Velcro sticks to almost everything. We accumulate beliefs that we allow to negatively influence our lives, often without realizing it. Our willingness must be to alter skewed beliefs that impend our balance or reason, which allows us to achieve new positive thinking and accurate outcomes.

      My thoughts on Religion Evolution with external links for more info:

      “Religion is an Evolved Product” and Yes, Religion is Like Fear Given Wings…

      Atheists talk about gods and religions for the same reason doctors talk about cancer, they are looking for a cure, or a firefighter talks about fires because they burn people and they care to stop them. We atheists too often feel a need to help the victims of mental slavery, held in the bondage that is the false beliefs of gods and the conspiracy theories of reality found in religions.

      “Understanding Religion Evolution: Animism, Totemism, Shamanism, Paganism & Progressed organized religion”

      Understanding Religion Evolution:

      “An Archaeological/Anthropological Understanding of Religion Evolution”

      It seems ancient peoples had to survived amazing threats in a “dangerous universe (by superstition perceived as good and evil),” and human “immorality or imperfection of the soul” which was thought to affect the still living, leading to ancestor worship. This ancestor worship presumably led to the belief in supernatural beings, and then some of these were turned into the belief in gods. This feeble myth called gods were just a human conceived “made from nothing into something over and over, changing, again and again, taking on more as they evolve, all the while they are thought to be special,” but it is just supernatural animistic spirit-belief perceived as sacred.

       

      Quick Evolution of Religion?

      Pre-Animism (at least 300,000 years ago) pre-religion is a beginning that evolves into later Animism. So, Religion as we think of it, to me, all starts in a general way with Animism (Africa: 100,000 years ago) (theoretical belief in supernatural powers/spirits), then this is physically expressed in or with Totemism (Europe: 50,000 years ago) (theoretical belief in mythical relationship with powers/spirits through a totem item), which then enlists a full-time specific person to do this worship and believed interacting Shamanism (Siberia/Russia: 30,000 years ago) (theoretical belief in access and influence with spirits through ritual), and then there is the further employment of myths and gods added to all the above giving you Paganism (Turkey: 12,000 years ago) (often a lot more nature-based than most current top world religions, thus hinting to their close link to more ancient religious thinking it stems from). My hypothesis is expressed with an explanation of the building of a theatrical house (modern religions development). Progressed organized religion (Egypt: 5,000 years ago)  with CURRENT “World” RELIGIONS (after 4,000 years ago).

      Historically, in large city-state societies (such as Egypt or Iraq) starting around 5,000 years ago culminated to make religion something kind of new, a sociocultural-governmental-religious monarchy, where all or at least many of the people of such large city-state societies seem familiar with and committed to the existence of “religion” as the integrated life identity package of control dynamics with a fixed closed magical doctrine, but this juggernaut integrated religion identity package of Dogmatic-Propaganda certainly did not exist or if developed to an extent it was highly limited in most smaller prehistoric societies as they seem to lack most of the strong control dynamics with a fixed closed magical doctrine (magical beliefs could be at times be added or removed). Many people just want to see developed religious dynamics everywhere even if it is not. Instead, all that is found is largely fragments until the domestication of religion.

      Religions, as we think of them today, are a new fad, even if they go back to around 6,000 years in the timeline of human existence, this amounts to almost nothing when seen in the long slow evolution of religion at least around 70,000 years ago with one of the oldest ritual worship. Stone Snake of South Africa: “first human worship” 70,000 years ago. This message of how religion and gods among them are clearly a man-made thing that was developed slowly as it was invented and then implemented peace by peace discrediting them all. Which seems to be a simple point some are just not grasping how devastating to any claims of truth when we can see the lie clearly in the archeological sites.

      I wish people fought as hard for the actual values as they fight for the group/clan names political or otherwise they think support values. Every amount spent on war is theft to children in need of food or the homeless kept from shelter.

      Here are several of my blog posts on history:

      I am not an academic. I am a revolutionary that teaches in public, in places like social media, and in the streets. I am not a leader by some title given but from my commanding leadership style of simply to start teaching everywhere to everyone, all manner of positive education. 

      Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

      To me, Animism starts in Southern Africa, then to West Europe, and becomes Totemism. Another split goes near the Russia and Siberia border becoming Shamanism, which heads into Central Europe meeting up with Totemism, which also had moved there, mixing the two which then heads to Lake Baikal in Siberia. From there this Shamanism-Totemism heads to Turkey where it becomes Paganism.

      Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

      refrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefref 

      Not all “Religions” or “Religious Persuasions” have a god(s) but

      All can be said to believe in some imaginary beings or imaginary things like spirits, afterlives, etc.

      Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

      ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref 

      Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

      ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref

      Low Gods “Earth” or Tutelary deity and High Gods “Sky” or Supreme deity

      “An Earth goddess is a deification of the Earth. Earth goddesses are often associated with the “chthonic” deities of the underworldKi and Ninhursag are Mesopotamian earth goddesses. In Greek mythology, the Earth is personified as Gaia, corresponding to Roman Terra, Indic Prithvi/Bhūmi, etc. traced to an “Earth Mother” complementary to the “Sky Father” in Proto-Indo-European religionEgyptian mythology exceptionally has a sky goddess and an Earth god.” ref

      “A mother goddess is a goddess who represents or is a personification of naturemotherhoodfertilitycreationdestruction or who embodies the bounty of the Earth. When equated with the Earth or the natural world, such goddesses are sometimes referred to as Mother Earth or as the Earth Mother. In some religious traditions or movements, Heavenly Mother (also referred to as Mother in Heaven or Sky Mother) is the wife or feminine counterpart of the Sky father or God the Father.” ref

      Any masculine sky god is often also king of the gods, taking the position of patriarch within a pantheon. Such king gods are collectively categorized as “sky father” deities, with a polarity between sky and earth often being expressed by pairing a “sky father” god with an “earth mother” goddess (pairings of a sky mother with an earth father are less frequent). A main sky goddess is often the queen of the gods and may be an air/sky goddess in her own right, though she usually has other functions as well with “sky” not being her main. In antiquity, several sky goddesses in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Near East were called Queen of Heaven. Neopagans often apply it with impunity to sky goddesses from other regions who were never associated with the term historically. The sky often has important religious significance. Many religions, both polytheistic and monotheistic, have deities associated with the sky.” ref

      “In comparative mythology, sky father is a term for a recurring concept in polytheistic religions of a sky god who is addressed as a “father”, often the father of a pantheon and is often either a reigning or former King of the Gods. The concept of “sky father” may also be taken to include Sun gods with similar characteristics, such as Ra. The concept is complementary to an “earth mother“. “Sky Father” is a direct translation of the Vedic Dyaus Pita, etymologically descended from the same Proto-Indo-European deity name as the Greek Zeûs Pater and Roman Jupiter and Germanic Týr, Tir or Tiwaz, all of which are reflexes of the same Proto-Indo-European deity’s name, *Dyēus Ph₂tḗr. While there are numerous parallels adduced from outside of Indo-European mythology, there are exceptions (e.g. In Egyptian mythology, Nut is the sky mother and Geb is the earth father).” ref

      Tutelary deity

      “A tutelary (also tutelar) is a deity or spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of “tutelary” expresses the concept of safety and thus of guardianship. In late Greek and Roman religion, one type of tutelary deity, the genius, functions as the personal deity or daimon of an individual from birth to death. Another form of personal tutelary spirit is the familiar spirit of European folklore.” ref

      “A tutelary (also tutelar) iKorean shamanismjangseung and sotdae were placed at the edge of villages to frighten off demons. They were also worshiped as deities. Seonangshin is the patron deity of the village in Korean tradition and was believed to embody the SeonangdangIn Philippine animism, Diwata or Lambana are deities or spirits that inhabit sacred places like mountains and mounds and serve as guardians. Such as: Maria Makiling is the deity who guards Mt. Makiling and Maria Cacao and Maria Sinukuan. In Shinto, the spirits, or kami, which give life to human bodies come from nature and return to it after death. Ancestors are therefore themselves tutelaries to be worshiped. And similarly, Native American beliefs such as Tonás, tutelary animal spirit among the Zapotec and Totems, familial or clan spirits among the Ojibwe, can be animals.” ref

      “A tutelary (also tutelar) in Austronesian beliefs such as: Atua (gods and spirits of the Polynesian peoples such as the Māori or the Hawaiians), Hanitu (Bunun of Taiwan‘s term for spirit), Hyang (KawiSundaneseJavanese, and Balinese Supreme Being, in ancient Java and Bali mythology and this spiritual entity, can be either divine or ancestral), Kaitiaki (New Zealand Māori term used for the concept of guardianship, for the sky, the sea, and the land), Kawas (mythology) (divided into 6 groups: gods, ancestors, souls of the living, spirits of living things, spirits of lifeless objects, and ghosts), Tiki (Māori mythologyTiki is the first man created by either Tūmatauenga or Tāne and represents deified ancestors found in most Polynesian cultures). ” ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref

      Mesopotamian Tutelary Deities can be seen as ones related to City-States 

      “Historical city-states included Sumerian cities such as Uruk and UrAncient Egyptian city-states, such as Thebes and Memphis; the Phoenician cities (such as Tyre and Sidon); the five Philistine city-states; the Berber city-states of the Garamantes; the city-states of ancient Greece (the poleis such as AthensSpartaThebes, and Corinth); the Roman Republic (which grew from a city-state into a vast empire); the Italian city-states from the Middle Ages to the early modern period, such as FlorenceSienaFerraraMilan (which as they grew in power began to dominate neighboring cities) and Genoa and Venice, which became powerful thalassocracies; the Mayan and other cultures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica (including cities such as Chichen ItzaTikalCopán and Monte Albán); the central Asian cities along the Silk Road; the city-states of the Swahili coastRagusa; states of the medieval Russian lands such as Novgorod and Pskov; and many others.” ref

      “The Uruk period (ca. 4000 to 3100 BCE; also known as Protoliterate period) of Mesopotamia, named after the Sumerian city of Uruk, this period saw the emergence of urban life in Mesopotamia and the Sumerian civilization. City-States like Uruk and others had a patron tutelary City Deity along with a Priest-King.” ref

      Chinese folk religion, both past, and present, includes myriad tutelary deities. Exceptional individuals, highly cultivated sages, and prominent ancestors can be deified and honored after death. Lord Guan is the patron of military personnel and police, while Mazu is the patron of fishermen and sailors. Such as Tu Di Gong (Earth Deity) is the tutelary deity of a locality, and each individual locality has its own Earth Deity and Cheng Huang Gong (City God) is the guardian deity of an individual city, worshipped by local officials and locals since imperial times.” ref

      “A tutelary (also tutelar) in Hinduism, personal tutelary deities are known as ishta-devata, while family tutelary deities are known as Kuladevata. Gramadevata are guardian deities of villages. Devas can also be seen as tutelary. Shiva is the patron of yogis and renunciants. City goddesses include: Mumbadevi (Mumbai), Sachchika (Osian); Kuladevis include: Ambika (Porwad), and Mahalakshmi. In NorthEast India Meitei mythology and religion (Sanamahism) of Manipur, there are various types of tutelary deities, among which Lam Lais are the most predominant ones. Tibetan Buddhism has Yidam as a tutelary deity. Dakini is the patron of those who seek knowledge.” ref

      “A tutelary (also tutelar) The Greeks also thought deities guarded specific places: for instance, Athena was the patron goddess of the city of Athens. Socrates spoke of hearing the voice of his personal spirit or daimonion:

      You have often heard me speak of an oracle or sign which comes to me … . This sign I have had ever since I was a child. The sign is a voice which comes to me and always forbids me to do something which I am going to do, but never commands me to do anything, and this is what stands in the way of my being a politician.” ref

      “Tutelary deities who guard and preserve a place or a person are fundamental to ancient Roman religion. The tutelary deity of a man was his Genius, that of a woman her Juno. In the Imperial era, the Genius of the Emperor was a focus of Imperial cult. An emperor might also adopt a major deity as his personal patron or tutelary, as Augustus did Apollo. Precedents for claiming the personal protection of a deity were established in the Republican era, when for instance the Roman dictator Sulla advertised the goddess Victory as his tutelary by holding public games (ludi) in her honor.” ref

      “Each town or city had one or more tutelary deities, whose protection was considered particularly vital in time of war and siege. Rome itself was protected by a goddess whose name was to be kept ritually secret on pain of death (for a supposed case, see Quintus Valerius Soranus). The Capitoline Triad of Juno, Jupiter, and Minerva were also tutelaries of Rome. The Italic towns had their own tutelary deities. Juno often had this function, as at the Latin town of Lanuvium and the Etruscan city of Veii, and was often housed in an especially grand temple on the arx (citadel) or other prominent or central location. The tutelary deity of Praeneste was Fortuna, whose oracle was renowned.” ref

      “The Roman ritual of evocatio was premised on the belief that a town could be made vulnerable to military defeat if the power of its tutelary deity were diverted outside the city, perhaps by the offer of superior cult at Rome. The depiction of some goddesses such as the Magna Mater (Great Mother, or Cybele) as “tower-crowned” represents their capacity to preserve the city. A town in the provinces might adopt a deity from within the Roman religious sphere to serve as its guardian, or syncretize its own tutelary with such; for instance, a community within the civitas of the Remi in Gaul adopted Apollo as its tutelary, and at the capital of the Remi (present-day Rheims), the tutelary was Mars Camulus.” ref 

      Household deity (a kind of or related to a Tutelary deity)

      “A household deity is a deity or spirit that protects the home, looking after the entire household or certain key members. It has been a common belief in paganism as well as in folklore across many parts of the world. Household deities fit into two types; firstly, a specific deity – typically a goddess – often referred to as a hearth goddess or domestic goddess who is associated with the home and hearth, such as the ancient Greek Hestia.” ref

      “The second type of household deities are those that are not one singular deity, but a type, or species of animistic deity, who usually have lesser powers than major deities. This type was common in the religions of antiquity, such as the Lares of ancient Roman religion, the Gashin of Korean shamanism, and Cofgodas of Anglo-Saxon paganism. These survived Christianisation as fairy-like creatures existing in folklore, such as the Anglo-Scottish Brownie and Slavic Domovoy.” ref

      “Household deities were usually worshipped not in temples but in the home, where they would be represented by small idols (such as the teraphim of the Bible, often translated as “household gods” in Genesis 31:19 for example), amulets, paintings, or reliefs. They could also be found on domestic objects, such as cosmetic articles in the case of Tawaret. The more prosperous houses might have a small shrine to the household god(s); the lararium served this purpose in the case of the Romans. The gods would be treated as members of the family and invited to join in meals, or be given offerings of food and drink.” ref

      “In many religions, both ancient and modern, a god would preside over the home. Certain species, or types, of household deities, existed. An example of this was the Roman Lares. Many European cultures retained house spirits into the modern period. Some examples of these include:

      “Although the cosmic status of household deities was not as lofty as that of the Twelve Olympians or the Aesir, they were also jealous of their dignity and also had to be appeased with shrines and offerings, however humble. Because of their immediacy they had arguably more influence on the day-to-day affairs of men than the remote gods did. Vestiges of their worship persisted long after Christianity and other major religions extirpated nearly every trace of the major pagan pantheons. Elements of the practice can be seen even today, with Christian accretions, where statues to various saints (such as St. Francis) protect gardens and grottos. Even the gargoyles found on older churches, could be viewed as guardians partitioning a sacred space.” ref

      “For centuries, Christianity fought a mop-up war against these lingering minor pagan deities, but they proved tenacious. For example, Martin Luther‘s Tischreden have numerous – quite serious – references to dealing with kobolds. Eventually, rationalism and the Industrial Revolution threatened to erase most of these minor deities, until the advent of romantic nationalism rehabilitated them and embellished them into objects of literary curiosity in the 19th century. Since the 20th century this literature has been mined for characters for role-playing games, video games, and other fantasy personae, not infrequently invested with invented traits and hierarchies somewhat different from their mythological and folkloric roots.” ref

      “In contradistinction to both Herbert Spencer and Edward Burnett Tylor, who defended theories of animistic origins of ancestor worship, Émile Durkheim saw its origin in totemism. In reality, this distinction is somewhat academic, since totemism may be regarded as a particularized manifestation of animism, and something of a synthesis of the two positions was attempted by Sigmund Freud. In Freud’s Totem and Taboo, both totem and taboo are outward expressions or manifestations of the same psychological tendency, a concept which is complementary to, or which rather reconciles, the apparent conflict. Freud preferred to emphasize the psychoanalytic implications of the reification of metaphysical forces, but with particular emphasis on its familial nature. This emphasis underscores, rather than weakens, the ancestral component.” ref

      William Edward Hearn, a noted classicist, and jurist, traced the origin of domestic deities from the earliest stages as an expression of animism, a belief system thought to have existed also in the neolithic, and the forerunner of Indo-European religion. In his analysis of the Indo-European household, in Chapter II “The House Spirit”, Section 1, he states:

      The belief which guided the conduct of our forefathers was … the spirit rule of dead ancestors.” ref

      “In Section 2 he proceeds to elaborate:

      It is thus certain that the worship of deceased ancestors is a vera causa, and not a mere hypothesis. …

      In the other European nations, the Slavs, the Teutons, and the Kelts, the House Spirit appears with no less distinctness. … [T]he existence of that worship does not admit of doubt. … The House Spirits had a multitude of other names which it is needless here to enumerate, but all of which are more or less expressive of their friendly relations with man. … In [England] … [h]e is the Brownie. … In Scotland this same Brownie is well known. He is usually described as attached to particular families, with whom he has been known to reside for centuries, threshing the corn, cleaning the house, and performing similar household tasks. His favorite gratification was milk and honey.” ref

      Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

      refrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefref

      “These ideas are my speculations from the evidence.”

      I am still researching the “god‘s origins” all over the world. So you know, it is very complicated but I am smart and willing to look, DEEP, if necessary, which going very deep does seem to be needed here, when trying to actually understand the evolution of gods and goddesses. I am sure of a few things and less sure of others, but even in stuff I am not fully grasping I still am slowly figuring it out, to explain it to others. But as I research more I am understanding things a little better, though I am still working on understanding it all or something close and thus always figuring out more. 

      Sky Father/Sky God?

      “Egyptian: (Nut) Sky Mother and (Geb) Earth Father” (Egypt is different but similar)

      Turkic/Mongolic: (Tengri/Tenger Etseg) Sky Father and (Eje/Gazar Eej) Earth Mother *Transeurasian*

      Hawaiian: (Wākea) Sky Father and (Papahānaumoku) Earth Mother *Austronesian*

      New Zealand/ Māori: (Ranginui) Sky Father and (Papatūānuku) Earth Mother *Austronesian*

      Proto-Indo-European: (Dyus/Dyus phtr) Sky Father and (Dʰéǵʰōm/Plethwih) Earth Mother

      Indo-Aryan: (Dyaus Pita) Sky Father and (Prithvi Mata) Earth Mother *Indo-European*

      Italic: (Jupiter) Sky Father and (Juno) Sky Mother *Indo-European*

      Etruscan: (Tinia) Sky Father and (Uni) Sky Mother *Tyrsenian/Italy Pre–Indo-European*

      Hellenic/Greek: (Zeus) Sky Father and (Hera) Sky Mother who started as an “Earth Goddess” *Indo-European*

      Nordic: (Dagr) Sky Father and (Nótt) Sky Mother *Indo-European*

      Slavic: (Perun) Sky Father and (Mokosh) Earth Mother *Indo-European*

      Illyrian: (Deipaturos) Sky Father and (Messapic Damatura’s “earth-mother” maybe) Earth Mother *Indo-European*

      Albanian: (Zojz) Sky Father and (?) *Indo-European*

      Baltic: (Perkūnas) Sky Father and (Saulė) Sky Mother *Indo-European*

      Germanic: (Týr) Sky Father and (?) *Indo-European*

      Colombian-Muisca: (Bochica) Sky Father and (Huythaca) Sky Mother *Chibchan*

      Aztec: (Quetzalcoatl) Sky Father and (Xochiquetzal) Sky Mother *Uto-Aztecan*

      Incan: (Viracocha) Sky Father and (Mama Runtucaya) Sky Mother *Quechuan*

      China: (Tian/Shangdi) Sky Father and (Dì) Earth Mother *Sino-Tibetan*

      Sumerian, Assyrian and Babylonian: (An/Anu) Sky Father and (Ki) Earth Mother

      Finnish: (Ukko) Sky Father and (Akka) Earth Mother *Finno-Ugric*

      Sami: (Horagalles) Sky Father and (Ravdna) Earth Mother *Finno-Ugric*

      Puebloan-Zuni: (Ápoyan Ta’chu) Sky Father and (Áwitelin Tsíta) Earth Mother

      Puebloan-Hopi: (Tawa) Sky Father and (Kokyangwuti/Spider Woman/Grandmother) Earth Mother *Uto-Aztecan*

      Puebloan-Navajo: (Tsohanoai) Sky Father and (Estsanatlehi) Earth Mother *Na-Dene*

      refrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefrefref 

      Sky Father/Sky Mother “High Gods” or similar gods/goddesses of the sky more loosely connected, seeming arcane mythology across the earth seen in Siberia, China, Europe, Native Americans/First Nations People and Mesopotamia, etc.

      Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

      ref, ref

      Hinduism around 3,700 to 3,500 years old. ref

       Judaism around 3,450 or 3,250 years old. (The first writing in the bible was “Paleo-Hebrew” dated to around 3,000 years ago Khirbet Qeiyafa is the site of an ancient fortress city overlooking the Elah Valley. And many believe the religious Jewish texts were completed around 2,500) ref, ref

      Judaism is around 3,450 or 3,250 years old. (“Paleo-Hebrew” 3,000 years ago and Torah 2,500 years ago)

      “Judaism is an Abrahamic, its roots as an organized religion in the Middle East during the Bronze Age. Some scholars argue that modern Judaism evolved from Yahwism, the religion of ancient Israel and Judah, by the late 6th century BCE, and is thus considered to be one of the oldest monotheistic religions.” ref

      “Yahwism is the name given by modern scholars to the religion of ancient Israel, essentially polytheistic, with a plethora of gods and goddesses. Heading the pantheon was Yahweh, the national god of the Israelite kingdoms of Israel and Judah, with his consort, the goddess Asherah; below them were second-tier gods and goddesses such as Baal, Shamash, Yarikh, Mot, and Astarte, all of whom had their own priests and prophets and numbered royalty among their devotees, and a third and fourth tier of minor divine beings, including the mal’ak, the messengers of the higher gods, who in later times became the angels of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Yahweh, however, was not the ‘original’ god of Israel “Isra-El”; it is El, the head of the Canaanite pantheon, whose name forms the basis of the name “Israel”, and none of the Old Testament patriarchs, the tribes of Israel, the Judges, or the earliest monarchs, have a Yahwistic theophoric name (i.e., one incorporating the name of Yahweh).” ref

      “El is a Northwest Semitic word meaning “god” or “deity“, or referring (as a proper name) to any one of multiple major ancient Near Eastern deities. A rarer form, ‘ila, represents the predicate form in Old Akkadian and in Amorite. The word is derived from the Proto-Semitic *ʔil-, meaning “god”. Specific deities known as ‘El or ‘Il include the supreme god of the ancient Canaanite religion and the supreme god of East Semitic speakers in Mesopotamia’s Early Dynastic Period. ʼĒl is listed at the head of many pantheons. In some Canaanite and Ugaritic sources, ʼĒl played a role as father of the gods, of creation, or both. For example, in the Ugaritic texts, ʾil mlk is understood to mean “ʼĒl the King” but ʾil hd as “the god Hadad“. The Semitic root ʾlh (Arabic ʾilāh, Aramaic ʾAlāh, ʾElāh, Hebrew ʾelōah) may be ʾl with a parasitic h, and ʾl may be an abbreviated form of ʾlh. In Ugaritic the plural form meaning “gods” is ʾilhm, equivalent to Hebrew ʾelōhîm “powers”. In the Hebrew texts this word is interpreted as being semantically singular for “god” by biblical commentators. However the documentary hypothesis for the Old Testament (corresponds to the Jewish Torah) developed originally in the 1870s, identifies these that different authors – the Jahwist, Elohist, Deuteronomist, and the Priestly source – were responsible for editing stories from a polytheistic religion into those of a monotheistic religion. Inconsistencies that arise between monotheism and polytheism in the texts are reflective of this hypothesis.” ref

       

      Jainism around 2,599 – 2,527 years old. ref

      Confucianism around 2,600 – 2,551 years old. ref

      Buddhism around 2,563/2,480 – 2,483/2,400 years old. ref

      Christianity around 2,o00 years old. ref

      Shinto around 1,305 years old. ref

      Islam around 1407–1385 years old. ref

      Sikhism around 548–478 years old. ref

      Bahá’í around 200–125 years old. ref

      Knowledge to Ponder: 

      Stars/Astrology:

      • Possibly, around 30,000 years ago (in simpler form) to 6,000 years ago, Stars/Astrology are connected to Ancestors, Spirit Animals, and Deities.
      • The star also seems to be a possible proto-star for Star of Ishtar, Star of Inanna, or Star of Venus.
      • Around 7,000 to 6,000 years ago, Star Constellations/Astrology have connections to the “Kurgan phenomenon” of below-ground “mound” stone/wood burial structures and “Dolmen phenomenon” of above-ground stone burial structures.
      • Around 6,500–5,800 years ago, The Northern Levant migrations into Jordon and Israel in the Southern Levant brought new cultural and religious transfer from Turkey and Iran.
      • “The Ghassulian Star,” a mysterious 6,000-year-old mural from Jordan may have connections to the European paganstic kurgan/dolmens phenomenon.

      “Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Different cultures have employed forms of astrology since at least the 2nd millennium BCE, these practices having originated in calendrical systems used to predict seasonal shifts and to interpret celestial cycles as signs of divine communications. Most, if not all, cultures have attached importance to what they observed in the sky, and some—such as the HindusChinese, and the Maya—developed elaborate systems for predicting terrestrial events from celestial observations. Western astrology, one of the oldest astrological systems still in use, can trace its roots to 19th–17th century BCE Mesopotamia, from where it spread to Ancient GreeceRome, the Islamicate world and eventually Central and Western Europe. Contemporary Western astrology is often associated with systems of horoscopes that purport to explain aspects of a person’s personality and predict significant events in their lives based on the positions of celestial objects; the majority of professional astrologers rely on such systems.” ref 

      Around 5,500 years ago, Science evolves, The first evidence of science was 5,500 years ago and was demonstrated by a body of empirical, theoretical, and practical knowledge about the natural world. ref

      Around 5,000 years ago, Origin of Logics is a Naturalistic Observation (principles of valid reasoning, inference, & demonstration) ref

      Around 4,150 to 4,000 years ago: The earliest surviving versions of the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh, which was originally titled “He who Saw the Deep” (Sha naqba īmuru) or “Surpassing All Other Kings” (Shūtur eli sharrī) were written. ref

      Hinduism:

      • 3,700 years ago or so, the oldest of the Hindu Vedas (scriptures), the Rig Veda was composed.
      • 3,500 years ago or so, the Vedic Age began in India after the collapse of the Indus Valley Civilization.

      Judaism:

      • around 3,000 years ago, the first writing in the bible was “Paleo-Hebrew”
      • around 2,500 years ago, many believe the religious Jewish texts were completed

      Myths: The bible inspired religion is not just one religion or one myth but a grouping of several religions and myths

      • Around 3,450 or 3,250 years ago, according to legend, is the traditionally accepted period in which the Israelite lawgiver, Moses, provided the Ten Commandments.
      • Around 2,500 to 2,400 years ago, a collection of ancient religious writings by the Israelites based primarily upon the Hebrew Bible, Tanakh, or Old Testament is the first part of Christianity’s bible.
      • Around 2,400 years ago, the most accepted hypothesis is that the canon was formed in stages, first the Pentateuch (Torah).
      • Around 2,140 to 2,116 years ago, the Prophets was written during the Hasmonean dynasty, and finally the remaining books.
      • Christians traditionally divide the Old Testament into four sections:
      • The first five books or Pentateuch (Torah).
      • The proposed history books telling the history of the Israelites from their conquest of Canaan to their defeat and exile in Babylon.
      • The poetic and proposed “Wisdom books” dealing, in various forms, with questions of good and evil in the world.
      • The books of the biblical prophets, warning of the consequences of turning away from God:
      • Henotheism:
      • Exodus 20:23 “You shall not make other gods besides Me (not saying there are no other gods just not to worship them); gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves.”
      • Polytheism:
      • Judges 10:6 “Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him.”
      • 1 Corinthians 8:5 “For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords.”
      • Monotheism:
      • Isaiah 43:10 “You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.

      Around 2,570 to 2,270 Years Ago, there is a confirmation of atheistic doubting as well as atheistic thinking, mainly by Greek philosophers. However, doubting gods is likely as old as the invention of gods and should destroy the thinking that belief in god(s) is the “default belief”. The Greek word is apistos (a “not” and pistos “faithful,”), thus not faithful or faithless because one is unpersuaded and unconvinced by a god(s) claim. Short Definition: unbelieving, unbeliever, or unbelief.

      Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

      Expressions of Atheistic Thinking:

      • Around 2,600 years ago, Ajita Kesakambali, ancient Indian philosopher, who is the first known proponent of Indian materialism. ref
      • Around 2,535 to 2,475 years ago, Heraclitus, Greek pre-Socratic philosopher, a native of the Greek city Ephesus, Ionia, on the coast of Anatolia, also known as Asia Minor or modern Turkey. ref
      • Around 2,500 to 2,400 years ago, according to The Story of Civilization book series certain African pygmy tribes have no identifiable gods, spirits, or religious beliefs or rituals, and even what burials accrue are without ceremony. ref
      • Around 2,490 to 2,430 years ago, Empedocles, Greek pre-Socratic philosopher and a citizen of Agrigentum, a Greek city in Sicily. ref
      • Around 2,460 to 2,370 years ago, Democritus, Greek pre-Socratic philosopher considered to be the “father of modern science” possibly had some disbelief amounting to atheism. ref
      • Around 2,399 years ago or so, Socrates, a famous Greek philosopher was tried for sinfulness by teaching doubt of state gods. ref
      • Around 2,341 to 2,270 years ago, Epicurus, a Greek philosopher known for composing atheistic critics and famously stated, “Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him god?” ref

      This last expression by Epicurus, seems to be an expression of Axiological Atheism. To understand and utilize value or actually possess “Value Conscious/Consciousness” to both give a strong moral “axiological” argument (the problem of evil) as well as use it to fortify humanism and positive ethical persuasion of human helping and care responsibilities. Because value-blindness gives rise to sociopathic/psychopathic evil.

      “Theists, there has to be a god, as something can not come from nothing.”

      Well, thus something (unknown) happened and then there was something. This does not tell us what the something that may have been involved with something coming from nothing. A supposed first cause, thus something (unknown) happened and then there was something is not an open invitation to claim it as known, neither is it justified to call or label such an unknown as anything, especially an unsubstantiated magical thinking belief born of mythology and religious storytelling.

      How do they even know if there was nothing as a start outside our universe, could there not be other universes outside our own?
       
      For all, we know there may have always been something past the supposed Big Bang we can’t see beyond, like our universe as one part of a mega system.

      Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

      While hallucinogens are associated with shamanism, it is alcohol that is associated with paganism.

      The Atheist-Humanist-Leftist Revolutionaries Shows in the prehistory series:

      Show one: Prehistory: related to “Anarchism and Socialism” the division of labor, power, rights, and recourses.

      Show two: Pre-animism 300,000 years old and animism 100,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism”

      Show tree: Totemism 50,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism”

      Show four: Shamanism 30,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism”

      Show five: Paganism 12,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism”

      Show six: Emergence of hierarchy, sexism, slavery, and the new male god dominance: Paganism 7,000-5,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism” (Capitalism) (World War 0) Elite and their slaves!

      Show seven: Paganism 5,000 years old: progressed organized religion and the state: related to “Anarchism and Socialism” (Kings and the Rise of the State)

      Show eight: Paganism 4,000 years old: Moralistic gods after the rise of Statism and often support Statism/Kings: related to “Anarchism and Socialism” (First Moralistic gods, then the Origin time of Monotheism)

      Prehistory: related to “Anarchism and Socialism” the division of labor, power, rights, and recourses: VIDEO

      Pre-animism 300,000 years old and animism 100,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism”: VIDEO

      Totemism 50,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism”: VIDEO

      Shamanism 30,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism”: VIDEO

      Paganism 12,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism” (Pre-Capitalism): VIDEO

      Paganism 7,000-5,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism” (Capitalism) (World War 0) Elite and their slaves: VIEDO

      Paganism 5,000 years old: progressed organized religion and the state: related to “Anarchism and Socialism” (Kings and the Rise of the State): VIEDO

      Paganism 4,000 years old: related to “Anarchism and Socialism” (First Moralistic gods, then the Origin time of Monotheism): VIEDO

      I do not hate simply because I challenge and expose myths or lies any more than others being thought of as loving simply because of the protection and hiding from challenge their favored myths or lies.

      The truth is best championed in the sunlight of challenge.

      An archaeologist once said to me “Damien religion and culture are very different”

      My response, So are you saying that was always that way, such as would you say Native Americans’ cultures are separate from their religions? And do you think it always was the way you believe?

      I had said that religion was a cultural product. That is still how I see it and there are other archaeologists that think close to me as well. Gods too are the myths of cultures that did not understand science or the world around them, seeing magic/supernatural everywhere.

      I personally think there is a goddess and not enough evidence to support a male god at Çatalhöyük but if there was both a male and female god and goddess then I know the kind of gods they were like Proto-Indo-European mythology.

      This series idea was addressed in, Anarchist Teaching as Free Public Education or Free Education in the Public: VIDEO

      Our 12 video series: Organized Oppression: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of power (9,000-4,000 years ago), is adapted from: The Complete and Concise History of the Sumerians and Early Bronze Age Mesopotamia (7000-2000 BC): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szFjxmY7jQA by “History with Cy

      Show #1: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Samarra, Halaf, Ubaid)

      Show #2: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Eridu: First City of Power)

      Show #3: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Uruk and the First Cities)

      Show #4: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (First Kings)

      Show #5: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Early Dynastic Period)

      Show #6: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (King Lugalzagesi and the First Empire)

      Show #7: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Sargon and Akkadian Rule)

      Show #8: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Naram-Sin, Post-Akkadian Rule, and the Gutians)

      Show #9: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Gudea of Lagash and Utu-hegal)

      Show #10: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Third Dynasty of Ur / Neo-Sumerian Empire)

      Show #11: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Amorites, Elamites, and the End of an Era)

      Show #12: Mesopotamian State Force and the Politics of Power (Aftermath and Legacy of Sumer)

      Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

      The “Atheist-Humanist-Leftist Revolutionaries”

      Cory Johnston ☭ Ⓐ Atheist Leftist @Skepticallefty & I (Damien Marie AtHope) @AthopeMarie (my YouTube & related blog) are working jointly in atheist, antitheist, antireligionist, antifascist, anarchist, socialist, and humanist endeavors in our videos together, generally, every other Saturday.

      Why Does Power Bring Responsibility?

      Think, how often is it the powerless that start wars, oppress others, or commit genocide? So, I guess the question is to us all, to ask, how can power not carry responsibility in a humanity concept? I know I see the deep ethical responsibility that if there is power their must be a humanistic responsibility of ethical and empathic stewardship of that power. Will I be brave enough to be kind? Will I possess enough courage to be compassionate? Will my valor reach its height of empathy? I as everyone, earns our justified respect by our actions, that are good, ethical, just, protecting, and kind. Do I have enough self-respect to put my love for humanity’s flushing, over being brought down by some of its bad actors? May we all be the ones doing good actions in the world, to help human flourishing.

      I create the world I want to live in, striving for flourishing. Which is not a place but a positive potential involvement and promotion; a life of humanist goal precision. To master oneself, also means mastering positive prosocial behaviors needed for human flourishing. I may have lost a god myth as an atheist, but I am happy to tell you, my friend, it is exactly because of that, leaving the mental terrorizer, god belief, that I truly regained my connected ethical as well as kind humanity.

      Cory and I will talk about prehistory and theism, addressing the relevance to atheism, anarchism, and socialism.

      At the same time as the rise of the male god, 7,000 years ago, there was also the very time there was the rise of violence, war, and clans to kingdoms, then empires, then states. It is all connected back to 7,000 years ago, and it moved across the world.

      Cory Johnston: https://damienmarieathope.com/2021/04/cory-johnston-mind-of-a-skeptical-leftist/?v=32aec8db952d  

      The Mind of a Skeptical Leftist (YouTube)

      Cory Johnston: Mind of a Skeptical Leftist @Skepticallefty

      The Mind of a Skeptical Leftist By Cory Johnston: “Promoting critical thinking, social justice, and left-wing politics by covering current events and talking to a variety of people. Cory Johnston has been thoughtfully talking to people and attempting to promote critical thinking, social justice, and left-wing politics.” http://anchor.fm/skepticalleft

      Cory needs our support. We rise by helping each other.

      Cory Johnston ☭ Ⓐ @Skepticallefty Evidence-based atheist leftist (he/him) Producer, host, and co-host of 4 podcasts @skeptarchy @skpoliticspod and @AthopeMarie

      Damien Marie AtHope (“At Hope”) Axiological Atheist, Anti-theist, Anti-religionist, Secular Humanist. Rationalist, Writer, Artist, Poet, Philosopher, Advocate, Activist, Psychology, and Armchair Archaeology/Anthropology/Historian.

      Damien is interested in: Freedom, Liberty, Justice, Equality, Ethics, Humanism, Science, Atheism, Antiteism, Antireligionism, Ignosticism, Left-Libertarianism, Anarchism, Socialism, Mutualism, Axiology, Metaphysics, LGBTQI, Philosophy, Advocacy, Activism, Mental Health, Psychology, Archaeology, Social Work, Sexual Rights, Marriage Rights, Woman’s Rights, Gender Rights, Child Rights, Secular Rights, Race Equality, Ageism/Disability Equality, Etc. And a far-leftist, “Anarcho-Humanist.”

      I am not a good fit in the atheist movement that is mostly pro-capitalist, I am anti-capitalist. Mostly pro-skeptic, I am a rationalist not valuing skepticism. Mostly pro-agnostic, I am anti-agnostic. Mostly limited to anti-Abrahamic religions, I am an anti-religionist.

      My updated thoughts on the Evolution of Gods?
       
      Animal protector tutelary deities at least 13,000/12,000 years ago, from old totems/spirit animal beliefs (tutelary animal spirits as protectors are at least 30,000 years old, as seen with dogs or dog-like animals) come first to me. Next, human sky/star/constellation deities focused representation on life-size or large nude male statues 11,000/10,000 years ago (Sky Father?), as well as small female figurines and female animal statues (Sky Mother?). Then, males (Hunter/Hurder) seem to lose some importance (Agriculture reliance may explain why), and the rise of Earth Mother (Gatherer becomes more important/powerful) female goddesses develop and are in control around 8,000 years ago. Women as the main power did not last long. Then male gods came roaring back about 7,000 to 5,000 years ago with clan wars. The “male god” seems to have forcefully become prominent/dominant around 7,000 years ago (Supreme Gods?). The “King of the Gods” idea likely is from the time of priest-kings 6,000 years ago. Whereas the now favored monotheism “male god” is more like after 4,000 years ago or so. Moralistic gods seem to relate to around 5,000/4,000 years ago, and monotheistic gods are last at around 4,000/3,000 years ago. Many monotheism-themed religions started in henotheism, emerging out of polytheism/paganism.
       
      Gods?
      “Animism” is needed to begin supernatural thinking.
      “Totemism” is needed for supernatural thinking connecting human actions & related to clan/tribe.
      “Shamanism” is needed for supernatural thinking to be controllable/changeable by special persons.
      Together = Gods/paganism
       
      Gods, like religions in general, are cultural products. To me, high gods, like “Sky Father” (Sun or Blue Sky usually, or Storm deities on the deity’s “dark side” like Yin and Yang) or “Sky Mother” (Moon or Stars) myths beliefs are at 39% when tested, in hunter-gatherers the world over.
      The Evolution of Deities was not a one-and-done?
       
      To me, the God of Sky, relating to stars 12,000 to 11,000 years ago, is older than the sun god of the sky 10,000 to maybe 11,000 years ago, but 10,000 seems more evident. Likewise, to me, the Mother Goddess of the sky was first 10,000 to maybe 11,000 years ago. All in the Middle East. Then, around 9,000 to 8,000, seemingly more evident 8,000 years ago, is the Earth Goddesses, also from the Middle East, likely once the Dawn goddesses or another goddess of the sky, possibly the night. Who dies in the childbirth of the Twins and by going to the underworld, is associated with the earth? Or is believed to live in the Earth at night, making her an Earth Goddess. These ideas were spread in several different ways, which impacted the entire world both directly and indirectly. It involved several different languages and DNA moving in different directions at various times. It is complicated and moving in different ways, even back and forth with different ideas moving both back and forth, especially in and out of the Middle East and Siberia.

      Around 10,000 years ago, ideas went into Africa. Around 10,000 to 9,000 years ago, these ideas from the Middle East were in Siberia then moved to China and to the Americas by around 9,000 years ago. Religious ideas also left the Middle East from 9,000 to 8,000 years ago to Europe. Around 8,000 years ago, new ideas got to Ukraine but didn’t spread far. From 8,000 to 7,000 years ago, ideas again entered Africa with evolved beliefs from the Middle East. By 7,000 years ago, evolved deities from the Middle East moved again to Europe and Ukraine. And 7,000 years ago, the Siberian sun god of the sky, with a warrior culture, armed forts, and pre-kurgans, moved from Siberia to Ukraine and then returned to the Middle East around 6,000 years ago, influencing the Sumerian religious ideas. 6,000 to 5,000 years ago, these new Siberian influenced ideas from the Middle East were also in Africa. Then new evolved ideas moved back out of from Ukraine to the East by 5,500 to 5,000 years ago to Siberia, then China, and the Americas. Ideas from Ukraine went into Europe as well. Then, 5,000 to 4,000 years ago, the new ideas, now somewhat evolved again, from Siberia headed back to Europe, and so did ideas from the Middle East. ETC. This is just a rough outline to grasp some of the details, as I feel I understand them. There is a bit more, but this gives a good idea of how complicated it was.

      Evidence relating to the Origins of the first human form Deities?
       

      I think the person, snakes, and two birds seen at Körtik Tepe is the oldest known Neolithic archaeological site in Turkey, more than 12,000 years old, were likely related to the Orion constellation as a shamanic figure holding a snake, referencing the use of the Milky Way to communicate with the gods and ancestors, as well as soul travel via the Milky Way. The big snake to me would reference the Milky Way itself and the two birds, either the star Venus and the moon, or some aspect of the sun, and the moon, but the sun aspect was likely not the noon sun by itself, as I see that as gaining prominence at a later date. And I think the other figures, also related to the Orion constellation, either as a deity or a deity of the stars, put Orion there. I assume, as seen at Tell Fekheriye, Syria, 11,000 to 9,000 years old, involving two standing figures on “step stools of power” that by 11,000 years ago were at least two sky deities, such as something similar to both a sky father and a sky mother deity, at this time, related to the stars, or planets (also seen as stars or star-like). But we must remember that planets were seen as star-related in mythology.

      Some think the Sun was the first god…
      To Damien, the first god was related to stars, not the sun. From the 8-pointed Star of Ishtar, to the Dingir symbol in Sumerian cuneiform representing an 8-pointed star, not the sun, meaning “god.” Or in Egypt, an eight-pointed star symbolized the Ogdoad, eight primordial deities. I do think the sun god is very old, at least 6,000 to 7,000 years ago, and maybe older, but not the first. Certainly, the Sky father/sun god/sky god (“blue sky” thus “daytime sky” with the Sun at its most represented) is a universal archetype seen around the World in many different cultural mythologies and shares relatedness. Also commonly paired with an Earth mother goddess archetype.
      Sun as three gods and goddesses?
      The three parts/beings of the sun in a mythological perspective?
      Many cultures, unaware that the morning, noon, and evening sun appearances were the same object, gave them distinct names and associations. Was the Sun seen as a star sometimes or all the time? Well, a common belief held that Venus was both a morning and an evening star related to the morning and/or evening sun. But sometimes Venus was seen as only one, and sometimes related to male rather than female deities/divine beings. Unlike the morning and evening sun expressions, the noon sun isn’t typically seen as a star but rather as a powerful deity or celestial being. When I talk about the stars being related to the first deities but not the sun, I am referring to the noon sun/blue sky-related gods. The noon sun was sometimes depicted as a powerful, radiant star pattern, like the eight-pointed Star of Ishtar (linked to the planet Venus) or the sun-disc with rays.
      And the noon Sun disc in art may be depicted as a radiant orb, a winged disk, or a star-like disc with rays. But all a symbol used does make the noon Sun a star god, even though we today understand the sun in all its expressions is one thing and is a star like other stars. It could be said a star symbolized all Sumerian gods, yet all gods were not star deities. The Dingir symbol in ancient Sumerian cuneiform was a sign shaped like an eight-pointed star, signifying “deity,” and was used before divine names of different deities to establish them as deities, but not specifically as star gods.

      Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

      Damien Marie AtHope (Said as “At” “Hope”)/(Autodidact Polymath but not good at math):

      Axiological Atheist, Anti-theist, Anti-religionist, Secular Humanist, Rationalist, Writer, Artist, Jeweler, Poet, “autodidact” Philosopher, schooled in Psychology, and “autodidact” Armchair Archaeology/Anthropology/Pre-Historian (Knowledgeable in the range of: 1 million to 5,000/4,000 years ago). I am an anarchist socialist politically. Reasons for or Types of Atheism

      My Website, My Blog, & Short-writing or QuotesMy YouTube, Twitter: @AthopeMarie, and My Email: damien.marie.athope@gmail.com

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