Category:Zingaran Pantheon

In Zingara, Mitra is the head of the pantheon, since the melting pot of Zingara has also produced a melting pot of religions. Mitra, as the god of the last conquerors, now rules supreme over the other gods in a Zeus-like role. The saints have vanished, but the legions of heaven and hell remain. A variant of Ishtar (Mahri) serves as his consort in a court that contains Shemitish and Pictish deities, all with portfolios of power in a complex fashion duplicating the complicated Zingaran court.

The Zingaran Difference & Mitra's regions of Influence
While Mitra is worshipped in other areas, such as Aquilonia, Argos, Corinthia, Nemedia and Ophir. Zingara has a very different dynamic of worship. For details on worship of Mitra in other cultures, see the Mitra entry in A-Z. However, Mitraism in Zingara includes the worship of the celestial pantheon known as the Sabaoth.

Mitra’s first worshippers were the soldiers of the Hyborian nation of Aquilonia. The religion spread to the warriors and soldiers of Poitain, Nemedia and Hyborian lands. For many centuries the Mitran religion remained a religion of soldiery until it spread throughout the entire Hyborian culture.

Mitra is regarded as the one true god to those that worship him in Hyborian lands, standing in the universe without pantheon and consort — except for Zingara; the Zingarans have given Mitra a mate and lesser deities. However, the Hyborians acknowledge a host of Mitran saints.

Mitra's Creation of the Sabaoth
Mitra is the one unknowable god and from him came the archons known as the Sabaoth, god-like entities who comprise the celestial host. For Zingarans, Mitra is a warrior god, holy to soldiers and knights, which might have influenced the origin of chivalry among the Zingarans. Mahri, one of the Sabaoth is Mitra’s mate and is a variant on the Shemitish Ishtar, although she is less obviously sensual and more chaste.

The Sabaoth are the celestial beings sprung from Mitra’s essence. In the past they were erroneously worshiped as gods, but Epemitreus the Sage established their true nature to the Zingarans.

Divine Relationships - Religious Opposition
Asura. Set and Set's Pantheon, and Bori are all considered enemies of Mitra. King Bull is thought of as demonic, and is therefore disliked. Any demonic or beastial religion is probably frowned upon by Mitrans. Such as Jhebbal Sag.

Asura, who, according to Mitrans, planted the seeds of evil among men, is Mitra’s enemy, as well as Set and his demonic forces. In Messantia and coastal cities, Mitra’s followers are usually apt to tolerate other cults, although the worship of Set is still viewed with extreme suspicion and anger. Rural Hyborian lands are intolerant toward other religions.

Belief and Taboos in Zingara
It is the obligation of each individual to follow the tenets of the faith of Mitra, which include truthfulness, honor and trustworthiness. In Mitra’s tenets, telling a lie or betraying a friend are mortal sins.

Ritual practices: Mitra demands that his worshippers stand upright before him rather than prostrating themselves and does not require either man or beast in sacrifice.

Sacrifice to Mitra are bloodless. Blood represents physical life, which is a lie propagated by Asura, and contains magic that can be used for evil. The temple takes extensive tithes in money and services. According to Mitraic belief, each person is called to a virtuous life.

Places of Worship, the Mitraea - the sanctuaries of Mitra, are usually in caves, which represent empty tombs and the promise of eternal life offered in the Mysteries of Mitra. A Mitraeum is usually rectangular with a vaulted ceiling. The walls, ceiling and floor are usually white marble. Behind an altar of clear green jade, unstained with sacrifice, stands the pedestal whereon sits the idol of Mitra.

Religious Taboos - The religion of Mitra has seven heavens and nine hells. It defines the Hyborian culture, teaching that only through Mitra and his rituals can a person be happy and free of sin. It also includes taboos on sex and any kind of behavior seen as boorish and barbaric.

Sexual Tabboos: Women are believed to be related to sin: they cause lust and passion in men and so contact with women should be kept to a reproductive-base minimum. Chastity is expected for at least three days before engaging in important religious rituals. Anyone who had sexual intercourse the night before may not approach a Mitran altar or enter into a Mitraeum. Anyone who cooks or handles bee hives must be chaste before doing it.

Lifestyle Taboos: such as exist in other regions are not necessarily the same in Zingara. Leathermaking is considered an important industry, thus any Zingaran Mitran can wear hide or leather. Whereas Mitrans from other regions. will not wear leather or hide clothing or armour because it amounts to wearing the skin of an animal, which could turn the wearer into a lycanthrope. While the casual worshipper can imbibe alcohol or other mind-altering drugs, any initiated clergy member (5th Mystery or Higher) cannot. See the Inner Mysteries & The Clergy.

Slavery in Zingara: Even though kingdoms that have adopted Mitraism usually have at the very least some kind of minimal human rights that apply even to the lowliest of peasants, the Zingarans get around this with some complex theology to allow them to continue owning slaves. Slaves have a right of sanctuary in Mitraeum, but are not allowed to enter the area where worship is to take place unless they have been slapped in the face by one of the faithful, which transfers some of the faithful’s freedom to the slave.

The Celestials (Sabaoth) by Name

 * Abrazas (Stability, Dualism)
 * Ahriman (Anger and Discord)
 * Aletheia (Secrets and True Knowledge)
 * Atophys (Inner Natures/Corruption/Virtue);
 * Azâzêl (Metalworking, War, Cosmetics, Beauty, Torture)
 * Elaios (Peace, Agriculture)
 * Hedone (Pleasure)
 * Iadabaoth (Past/Present/Future, alchemy)
 * Macaria (Happiness, Martyrdom)
 * Mahri (Creation/Destruction, Wisdom, Fate)
 * Nous (Mental Will, Power of the mind)
 * Semjâzâ and Seven Saints* (Enchantment, Herbalism *Divination, Omens,)
 * Sraosha (Voice of Mitra, Messages/Communication);
 * Urci (Creation);
 * Nameless, called Zurvan (Infinity, Time, Space)
 * Epemitreus the Sage (Is not exactly considered a celestial, but part of the Pantheon.)