I would enjoy knowing more about the cave paintings regions and how they evolved bull interactions to modern day. Also Mithras, due to its empire wide usage and duration.
There's honestly so much connection between cattle and religion of many cultures. I would love to hear you go into the precession of the equinox and the "Age" ot Taurus or "The Bull" and its placement in the northern skies relative to the cave art, the last ice age and migration periods that occurred therein. Excellent video as always, and I look forward to your videos to come.
Ngl, cows do just naturally seem like an optimally sacrificial animal. Bigger, cleaner, easier to slaughter. Big and strong, but.... idk... I wouldnt sacrifice a horse XD ... It just feels right Goats and lambs could work. Birds are too small. Pigs too dirty. Cows, for the sacrifice!
There is something people always miss that makes missed connections and shifts perspective. Cow manure is a source of fire. It burns better than wood, more fire per pound of material, by far due to the low weight of dry cow pat, and makes less smoke. Allowing comfortable use in small areas like huts and tents. Understanding how ancient people equated cows with fire and the sun was an epiphany for me
quite right! One of my favorite RUclips channels is a farmer in Siberia who dries his cow's dung to fuel the stoves they use to keep their dwelling warm
One of the most popular folktales in Iceland is the story of Búkolla. Búkolla sounds Celtic and is about skessur (female trolls) stealing the cow of a farm and the son or the daughter retrieving the cow. The cow is magical and helps in the escape. I wonder after watching your videos about the mythical context.
Lovely. Why are Nordic myths and legends always so charming? Maybe I have some cultural bias as a white North American with fairly strong heritage from the Germanic-speaking north (and English retains strong traces of Celtic culture.). But I'm far from alone in thinking this. Consider these tales some of your best cultural heritage. I'm sure Icelandic people already do, but it never hurts to hear a foreigner confirm the thought, right?
The cow was also a symbol of Egyptian royalty in the lines of pharaohs. The cow headed versions of the goddesses Isis and Hathor also come to mind sometimes also depicted with human female faces with cow ears.
In the Odyssey, Ulysses'men are killed by a storm because they ate Helios'cattle, the Sun god. Of course, they had been warned to not touch the bovines and they ate with neither sacrifice nor any ritual.
regarding the last segment, I think you are correct. Many Native American cultures worship the Buffalo in a similarly high sacred place (i.e. the White Buffalo woman). Given that the Buffalo is to the Americas what the Cow is to the Eurasian/African region it make sense.
Interesting piece of information about the hero of the cattle raiding myth. In Romanian folktales, the hero and slayer of the Zmeu, a serpent-like figure, is almost always the youngest of three brothers, who also saves the princess and brings her back, and I remember one of your videos where you explain how she replaced the cow in myths. Altough the hero's name, Prâslea, meaning the youngest, does not cognate with Third, he is the third born. Thank you for this video!
Hermes is first, Pan second and Apollo third (basically 3 inner planets) Apollo is a kind of tricker or juggler. a bold one or baldur bald meaning bold of chin thus a beardless youngster Ufus meaning bold and Rufus meaning 'redhead' , a Twin. curly Crispus and wooly Cirrus (cyrus)
Here in Mindanao Philippines bulls, cows and carabaos are still very important animals, not just for food and milk, but also as draught animals. Many farmers use either cattle or carabaos to pull the plough when getting the field ready for planting. Undoubtedly this practice would have developed among farming communities in the Middle East as soon as the plough was invented. This would be an added dimension to the importance of the bovine.
Great video and a very interesting topic! Hooved animals play a big part in Caucasus mythologies, especially Rams, Deer and of course Cattle. Rams and goats and sheep were sacred animals of fertility and the wild shepherd Godess of the hunt Dali and fertility god Bochi. Deer were the ones who carried the sun in their horns and were guardians of the woods. but Cattle played a huge role in Every Caucasian culture. Nart Sagas are ether about going to steal cattle, avenging the stolen cattle or going on a quest for more cattle. 80% of nart stories are about something something horses and cattle, at the end someone gets sculped or brutally murdered in some fashion. Similar myths are Found in highlander Georgian culture, where ether Evil Giant Devi steal/eat the cattle or how Godsons go down into the underworld to steal magic cattle from Qaji the race of underworld mages. But I think Georgia has the most variety of Cattle myths. Native Caucasians in General but Kartvelians especially are devided into 2 ancient influences, as modern day Georgia is made up of 2 Ancient kingdoms (Colchis and Iberia) that came from 2 different cultures, east is Caucasian hunters and west is Anatolian farmer, so we see different regional myths divided by that line. in more AF influenced parts of Georgia we have bull as the symbol of agriculture, as they were used to plow the fields and till the soil. It was a symbol of the royal family and kingship. marriage rituals involved cattle with candles on their horns and you and your partner were put in Yokes to symbolize your unity, to this day you call your partner "yoke buddy". We can see that most clearly with Colchian royal family in Greek mythology. Aeetes puts Jason to work with a fire bull and of course his sister Pasiphae, Wife of Minos does weird with a cow and gives birth to Minotaur. we have Kuruli, which is bull wrestling in western Georgia, 2 young men would arrogate and then wrestle a calf or a bull on a feast day for the god, still done to this day. but a story you might find more familiar and interesting is the legend of Manuka and Januka! (cognates to Manu and Iaman) Manuka and Januka were 2 brothers and they had a "Land bull". for some reason he kept coming back late, tired and covered in scars. one day brothers followed him to see what was wrong. they watched as their prize bull went high up into the mountains and went to the deepest lake. from there emerged a "water bull", a terrible dragon, so the two bulls did battle, until land bull had to retreat wounded. so the blacksmith brothers decided to help their beast of burden to win, so they forged him magical horns. once more, two bulls went to brawl, but now land bull had the power to pierce the water bulls scales. Sea bulls blood colored the waters dark so (there are different versions from now on): 1. ether water bull died, made lake foul and it overflowed and drowned the village. 2. blood angered the Veshap, (in this version dragon and bull are seperate) and the water dragon ran out, causing the destruction and flooding. 3. land bull just won. he was then sacrificed to the god. 4. lake still floods the village (village also means the world BTW) but an old crone has a vision and some people survive. 5. only a baby in a mange survives. so its a twin myth+ cattle raid myth+ battle with leviathan myth+ flood myth all in one. this story is found in many parts of Georgia but most interestingly in highlands were the people were more or less isolated from outside influence, compared to the lowlands. there's also a fairytale about Tsiqara the magic bull that raises and protects a little boy. I think thats more Mithraic in origin. conclusion: cows are cool and don't let dragons bully them.
@sarot2002 honestly I don't know, as I just found a PDF some time ago and read from there, it's in Georgian though. Maybe just search it on pdf sites, especially on uni online libraries if you can and hopefully you'll get lucky too.
There is also good evidence that the Proto-Indo-Europeans originated among South Caucasus too as DNA from there is found in Anatolian Indo-Europeans and in Western Steppe Herders. Perhaps they got these myths from these Caucasian folks?
@shanegooding4839 Proto indo Europeans were Caucasians. people like to argue for North or south theory, but why can't they imagine that the horse riding nomads can move arround. Especially considering Maykop culture was on both sides of the Caucasus line. They got horses, they can move arround.
One thing that we have in Portugal is the Forcados, where after most of the bullfighting is done, and the bull is bloodied and tired, a group of men gather and try to stop the charging bull head on. No idea where the tradition came from, or when did it start, but then again I'm not a huge fan of bullfighting, and we don't really have those here up north.
When discussing the bucrania at Catal Huyuck, reference is often made to the similarity of that form to the human uterus. This suggests a fairly direct connection to ideas of fertility.
Your videos are amazing. This talk about the bull and Dionysius, Orphism…recalled me of Çatalhöyük and the fascinating theory of the pre-historian Mary Settegast. A video about the symbolism of the art in Çatalhöyük would be amazing!
Hey Crecganford, i wanted to ask if it would be possible for you to make a comparative mythology video on Sisyphus? He is one of the most unique and fascinating myths i have read and i would like to know if there are other myths in other cultures that reflect this story. It is one of my favourite myths and i would love for you to cover it. Thank you for the great videos!
The worship/depiction of bulls, rams, and fish in the ancient world tracks directly with the Zodiacal sign of that period. I can't believe this was not mentioned.
This was an introduction to myth, the zodiacal signs I have spoken about in another video. But could talk more about it if enough people show interest.
Oui!!! I've been asking myself why neolithic square houses had bull faces,horns.. later on, elsewhere the cult of Mitra, etc why is it so central,so shocking to early mankind. Thank you. And brilliant title you have in this video with sacred cows being referred to. It's just everywhere. I feel we need to understand.
I grew up on a small cattle ranch in the American midwest and didn't realize until I left home how alien that life was to most of my contemporaries. One thing I didn't hear in this video l heard every morning and evening growing up: my father and all the other males of the extended family calling the cattle up to the barn with their cow horn bugles. All out on horseback of course. Could you put together something on the use of the horns of cattle across cultures and eras? Or the cultures where cattle culture depended on horse culture? I know I'll be listening to this video again. Love this channel.
Regarding Semitic Gods the God "el/al " ( plural elohim ) must have derived its name from the horned animal ( cow ) ,therefore the first letter of Phoenician Alphabet i.e. aleph ( alpha ) denotes and depicts a cow's head .
Creg I like your opinion on something. In many indo European mythologies the sun god also seem to be the god that oversees oaths and treaties, and the root of their name many times go back to "bind". Such as in the Celtic Lugh : "Most modern scholars think that it derives from the Proto Indo-European root word 'leugh' which means 'to bind by oath. ' This ties in with the theories that he was also the god of oaths, truth, and contracts." Or Mithras : "Together with the Vedic common noun mitra, the Avestan common noun miθra derives from Proto-Indo-Iranian *mitrám (Mitra), from the root *mi- "to bind", with the "tool suffix" -tra- "causing to". Thus, etymologically mitra/miθra means "that which causes binding", preserved in the Avestan word for "Covenant, Contract, Oath"." Now my proposition is that that Tyr/Tiwaz does not go back to Deywos but instead to a common root with Mithra (to bind) for he was the god that binds and oversees people to oaths. His sacrifice is also the reason the gods were also able to bind Fenrir. We know the western Anatolian people also worshipped a god called Tiwaz, who was the god of oaths and also from the sun. We know a lot more about him than the Germanic Tiwaz. Now why I think the proposed morphology is wrong is because : 1 : he wasn't the most important god in the Anatolian pantheons. So the etymology of Tiwaz meaning "god" or skyfather makes little sense. 2 : there is also a Sius god in Anatolia (and as well in South Germany), which does make sense going back to Deywos for he is the chief deity. 3 : In many Germanic languages there is a close variant on the word "(to) tie", I think we should look for the root of Tiwaz in this word. Therefore I think the Ziu/Sius name has a different root than Tiwaz. So we have Lugh, Tiwaz and Mithra(s), who are all sun and treatie/justice overseeing gods. Why would they all go back to "Binder" except for Tiwaz? It makes no sense. So perhaps if we understand Lugh, Anatolian Tiwaz and Mithra(s) better we can learn a lot about the vaguely attested Germanic Tiwaz/Tyr and perhaps even the Roman Mithras.
@@Crecganford Yes, I can easily see the letter shift from "Ti" from Tiwaz/Tir to "Mi" from Mithras/Mihr (Armenian Mithras) or the other way around. The Armenian Mithras underwent the same change as Tyr/Tir, where it dropped the last part of the name. Given that the root "Mi" means 'to bind' in the Iranian branch of the language family I can easily see "Ti" being it in Germanic/Anatolian branch. Especially since a lot of things that are used to bind things together even to this day start with Ti/To in Germanic languages, such as Tie, or Tow (which comes from Tou (rope)), Tijgen (Dutch for binding something to something) and I bet there are much more. Tiwaz would simply mean : the binder/tier (as in tying a rope or people together) Edit : I once read that in old Germanic traditions the hands of a couple getting married would be bound together while pledging their oath to eachother. Which would be done in a "thing" which was some kind of community place where they could all come together. Tyr/Tiwaz was the god that oversaw the "thing" and the commitments/oaths/justice being spoken there. So once again an indication his name can be related to "binder".
Would you consider doing on video on the Fates, the trio of goddesses who weave destiny in Proto-Indo-European mythology? (Moirai in ancient Greece, Parcae in Rome, Norns in Norse, Wyrds in English/Germanic)
Great video, anything that you do that relates to Ireland (in this instance cattle and their role in society) really interests me as I am fascinated with Irish history from the Neolithic to the late medieval. Thanks.
In beginning of Gathas there is a word from Avestan that translates to "soul of the universe". But literally it means "soul of the cow" or "soul of the cattle". So cow was really important in ancient Iranian culture that the word cow became synonymous with universe.
Yay! Another masterpiece! Its time to prepare my coffee :)) I would love a video about figurines behind you, their connections with the myths (some appear in your videos already), and how we can obtain accurate reproductions for ourselves :)
FIRST PEOPLE (Andrew Smith) The Lost History of the Khoisan. Chapter 5: The first domesticated animals arrived to Africa from the Middle East around 8,000 years ago (Sahara was a grassland). It seems that at first there were sheep, then cattle. He goes into explain not only the archeological record but also the genetic record ,as there is a gene - marker which is the lactate resistance, etc. He tracks the whole migration from the North of Africa to South Africa during the next Millenia, for the Sahara became a desert and wild animals have pathogens mortal to domesticated animals; the tse tse flies, etc.
Hi, I'm from Italy and I study linguistics. In our language we have a popular phrase which could be translated as "let's cut the bull's head" ("Tagliare la testa al toro"). It means to resolve a problem or a situation of stall, maybe in an argument or when having to decide over something. So I was just curious if someone knows if there are similar expressions involving the bull in other romance or indoeuropean languages.
Well not Indoeuropean, but the modern Chinese Internet slang 牛逼 Niú bī where 牛Niú is cow and 逼 bī is vag, which means f**king awesome. For example someone does something awesome online and everyone comments with it. Though it can also be used sarcastically.
a video about european neolithic farmers mythology would be great Maybe even broader neolithic farmer mytology since anatolia it would be algo a great opportunity to shed light over some similarities between some semitic and IE gods like El and Dyeus Phter, Perkwunos and Yahweh
The cow was domesticated* at around 8500 BC, somewhere in the range of the upper Euphrates valley. I should think that it is in this area and during this time that the process of transformation from sacred hunt to livestock keeping would see the development of an elevated spiritual position for the bovine in the consciousness of the people keeping them. This would be another step in the general cultural shift away from the traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle which would eventually bring about major settlements throughout the region, spreading from this area. Thus, the spiritual connection with the cattle being ritually embraced would become the default for many cultures in the region for thousands of years thereafter, as well as for related cultures which these people would have influenced. ( * = The cow was domesticated three times, including also a virtually simultaneous domestication which occurred in China whilst the cow was also being domesticated in the Middle-East. )
@@majidbineshgar7156 "I should think" was intended to flag this as a hypothesis. The pieces of evidence I use to support it are well-established, but the thought I am expressing (regarding this event being the genesis of the sacred bull idea) /is/ most certainly guessing.
The tale of Búkolla is among the most beloved Icelandic folktales. Celtic in origin, Búkolla tells the story of a family's redemption after a thieving skessur take the family's cow. Using its magical powers, the cow aids in the escape. As a result of viewing your videos, I am curious about the mythological background.
Xellent channel, Taurid meteor stream deep dive may be of interest, sudden springtime appearances of twin tailed/horned cometry bodies from behind the sun. The return loop in autumn has an apparent origin from the shoulder of Taurus / Pleides / 7 sisters but in spring is obscured by the solar disc. Cave paintings show dots perhaps representing Pleides cluster on the shoulder of the bull. Hope to hear more about the Rainbow serpent of 1st nation people Australasia and think ' Voices of the first day awakening in the dreamtime' would fascinate all who vist here. Written by Robert Lawlor, published by Inner traditions international , Rochester, Vermont, Canada. A good read in my book, enjoy all!
One of the few Titans to side with Olympus had bulls horns, if I remember right, that being Oceanus. He also took no part in attacking Uranus. I have a theory, Uranus is the primordial Zeus/Olympus, just as Gaea is the primordial Titans. So we get a cycle, earth-heaven-earth-heaven-earth-etc. Thus Gaea - Uranus - Titans(Cronus) - Olympus(Zeus) - Dionysus(noted as being the heir of Zeus). This puts the holy/sacred bull on the side of heaven (with Oceanus), but Dionysus then makes the bull part of both Heavan and Earth, as he contains heavenly, titanic, and mortal elements.
@@chrysocolapteserythrocepha5915 And just as in Greek mythology, the night comes before the day, they are light 2 sides of the same coin. Nyx gives birth to Hamera. From Chaos comes Gaea, from nothing to everything.
@@Crecganford , I encourage you to follow that thread! :) I love the Minotaur and I'm convinced there's a deeper story behind him. I'm a big fan of your videos I look forward to the Minotaur video!
The Neolithic hunters who made cave paintings of aurochs and lions also made the lion man statue in ivory. These people probably identified with the lions because both lions and people hunted aurochs.
It's definitely one of the strangestc aspects of ancient cultures that you first notice when studying ancient history - this reverence for bulls. I suppose modern Hindus might be one of the few large modern groups who still retain this. But it does make sense in a way when you think more deeply about the value of these animals to early civilizations that were built on the foundations of the neolithic domestication of certain species. They are powerful and valuable creatures, after all.
At the end you mention megafauna and Younger Dryas right after aurochs. Could the aurochs almost be the last 'megafauna' for the people who came after/out of that era? I don't know anything about the continuity of the populations/DNA in that time frame across locations. This feels like it brings up a lot of interesting, and potentially important questions. I am aware of potentially interesting relationships between humans and mammoths with the mammoth bone roundhouse? For the ancient Egypt question, the Nile enabled flow of people and materials and ideas in both directions. Egypt also came out into the Levant during at least one period as conquerors , it wasn't only people like Persians and Romans moving into Egypt as conquerors. And, interestingly, Egyptian mythology seems to survive better than in many locations as a conquered region, and even after the Ptolomeic era, Egyptian mythology is still strong enough that its ideas again spread back Rome and enter Roman temples, albeit in a Romanized form or blending. And for the Bible, we have the story of the baby in the river/rushes by the side of the river, being placed in Egypt and this is part of the founding story for the Jewish peoples.
Hi Jon, I'm interested in the neolithic farmers stories. I know you talk a bunch about the PIE and so much that thru your channel I've learned so much about them. But, I know the norse mythologies are a combination of both and because I don't know much about their culture I'm beginning to get more interested. I feel like those cultures would probably have more in common with the Celts and early settlers of Brittain and Ireland.
I am here to inform you that there is a monumental need to dig deeper into the neolithic influence/origin on norse mythology. Your take on Baldr & Osiris & now this, regarding the four rivers of milk, are VERY interesting & I shall pay for this by swearing my subscriptional fealty to you, lord. I am looking forward to hear you speak on the matter in the future. Thank you for your work. In addition, it might be interesting for you to know that the ability to digest lactose was present among the funnelbeakers at a time when few others could & that the later nordic bronze age culture that would eventually follow it had the highest rate of lactase persistance in the world at the time, a trait that it's descendants would carry on to this very day. Taking this into account when reading the norse creation myth, I don't think it's a coincidence that it turned out to be told the way it was.
I have spent a number of years researching the origins of the Norse Creation Myth, and I'll probably be in a position to release my findings next year.
After the Golden Calf incident and the law against making idols, Moses was instructed to make an exception in the Holy of Holies, where cherubim are carved for the ark and embroidered into the tabernacle. Two more cherubim statues were made for Solomon's Temple, giving us the Four Living Creatures of Ezekiel's vision and of Revelation; the 2nd of which has the face of an Ox.
Especially that along the Rhine River, where the gaulic celtic, the germanic, the roman and later the christian influences mixes. The rhine is like a highway from the latin world to the nordic world. Isn't even the name of Switzerland somehow related to Swedish settlers?
As usual a captivating presentation. The bull/ox should been seen in the broader context of bovines (bison, buffalo, cattle, auroach, water cow…) all were terrestrial representations of celestial bovine images, of which there are at least four. Read my free online book, THe Zodiac in our Genes to understand which night-sky images are involved. The bovine is ubiquitous in all religions both ancient and contemporary. For example, Jesus was born in barn where his manger is surrounded by a cow and a lamb; an ox is one of the four living creatures in the Book of Revelations. Many African cultures still venerate cattle so do the Hindus. The Bison was sacred to the indigenous American Indians; and the first sura of the Koran is labelled cow. In the ancient Egyptian zodiac, the cow, not the bull/ox, is depicted as a reclining animal on a barge with a prominent star between her horns. The star is actually our modern day Sirius. This image represents the cow image at where the sun rises (where the sun rises is normally said to be east, different from magnetic east). But east in ancient text is far more complex, for various reasons that I will not go into. This cow is a highly complex image that transforms into multiple images from east, north-east, north, north-west, and west, as the night progresses and during seasonal and precessional changes. One of these transformational image is that of a thin up-right walking man, who I call Orion-Man (who took on many identities by different cultures) and who at the NW region falls down or dies and his body falls apart and as this happens two images emerge. One is that of the head of a bull/Ox and the other is of a reclining lion (another one of the living creatures in Revelations) with a prominent paw. This lion and man association is what is depicted in the Holstein figuring of the Lion-Man. The strong grip of the lion in Freemasonry is a reference to the prominent paw of this reclining lion. These transformations gave rise to many ancient ideas and stories, now days called myths, folktales but these were ideas and stories built on the cosmic drama and finally made their way into religious stories sometimes mixed with terrestrial events and traditions. Not only religion but the entire human culture were built on these archetype cosmic drama. And religion should not be seen is the narrowly defined idea of worshipping a transcendental being but includes all forms of veneration and worship from paganism, ancestral worship, and occult - all have the same origin.
Awesome! Interesting topic :) I once wrote a paper on the economic and symbolical value of ruminants and the influence of that value on s4crificial victim selection in Ancient Greece. Maybe you can do a vid on the mythological significance of other livestock throughout history someday :)
In Estonia we have this old local god Taara. Old man/guide figure. Theres some regions where it shaoed more like Tooru. Could be something related to Thor Sweden is over seas neighbour. But Taara is somehat similar to Tarvas. Ancient wild cow species now extinct. Though no connection between the cow and the god has been pointed out in learnered literature. Nowadays Taara is still active god helping our people. The word is in active use for empty glass and metal bottles. Usually alcohol bottles. These specimens have magical property of being returned back to the shops for cash. At the end of a bender you tend to be out of money. But theres plenty of empty bottles and cans around that can be returned for decent amount. You already paid the amount when buying said bottle and now you are getting it back. Its like investing in future or something. Anyway, it is mandatory to call out the holy words that have not been changed from ancient times. "Taara avita". Translated as "Taara help us". This long typing is making me thirsty. Think i need a beer.
There’s a statue of a cow at the end of one of the main roads into my town. It’s nickname is: Ús Mem (our mum). It’s the ideal Frisian cow from 70 years ago, before they were crossbred with Holstein cows.
Yes, I’m constantly struck by the echoing of PIE patterns in the settlement/expansion of the US and the fact that almost all major groups were various branches of PIE is not lost on me
@Crecganford Is there considered to be a four-rivers theme in creation myths? The four rivers of milk from Ymir's Auðumbla reminded me instantly of the four rivers of Eden, and I wondered if this theme is present in other creation myths too?
This certainly hints that there could be, but it could also be the Christian author who wrote the story in Old Norse adapted it to match with the biblical stories. I am researching the whole Neolilthic/Near East influence on Indo-European myth, and once I'm ready to publish my work you will hear it on hear first.
On the topic of similarities between indo-european and african cattle myths, what's our knowledge of history of the domestication of Cattle like? If there was a single location of domestication the stories probably spread with the Cattle and knowlede of cattle raising to one people to another, if Africa is an independent center of cattle domestication that could make that scenario unlikely and they got the myth in later times perhaps DNA tests on cattle can give us a clue to common origin of cattle then we could map out the spread of the stories with the spread of cattle
Read Carl Ruck's Mushrooms Myth and Mithras, the tauroctony of Mithra depicts a mushroom, the bull is the stipe and Mithra is dressed in red with phygrian cap which is thhe pileus. To eat bull's meat was to eat the sacred mushroom 🍄
God l wish l had known you will do this video cause l grew up with legends and stories carried for generations in Albanian culture. I was born near a spot that has a very interesting legend connected with water and a Bull. Earthquakes in our culture are associated with the Bull to this day. I guess these are remnants of our Farmer Ancestors
I imagine the early 'hunter gatherers' were probably following the herds around throughout the year, making a big circuit to the best grazing areas from season to season. I can see how they might associate this yearly migration with the sun. It's pretty interesting to think about how cattle might have been domesticated this way. The herds were probably pretty familiar with the people tagging along with them. The people would have been familiar with the individual animals, albeit wild, and knew which ones would be best to 'slaughter' to keep the herd healthy. They probably tentatively helped out the younger calves and pregnant females once in a while, and helped keep other predators away. It's easy to imagine how this herd-following behavior transitioned into cattle-herding and active animal husbandry. It's also easy to think how they might have prayed to The-Big-Cow-in-the-Sky to help watch over this resource that was so critical to their own existence.
Regarding the connection between sun and bulls (bovines) I always think of astronomy. The motion of the earth, the precession of its axis in particular. The most direct link I see is the spring equinox and its position in the constellation of Taurus between approx. 4000 and 2000 BCE. Myths and religions that comprise slaying of a bull may reflect the move of that point of solstice out of Taurus into Aries. Together with the subsequent rise of Aries (ram) focused cults. What are your thoughts o that idea?
I haven't watched this video yet so I'm not sure if you mentioned it but the Egyptians had a myth about the Apis bull being born to a virgin cow or without sexual intercourse. Theophrastus of Eresus: Sources on biology (1994), edited by Robert W. Sharples, Pamela M. Huby, William Wall Fortenbaugh: "Plutarch, On Isis and Osiris 43 368c, describes the sacred Apis-calf as an image of Osiris, and says that it was believed to be produced without the involvement of a bull, when the light of the moon fell on a cow in heat... It may not be irrelevant that the Apis calf was identified by the Greeks with Epaphus, the child of Io who combines human and bovine forms. Epaphus was named from his being fathered by Zeus "with a touch"- only. The touch of Zeus' hand is indeed a different matter from impregnation by celestial light; but it may be noted that Plutarch, referring to gods begetting children on mortal women, refers to them doing so not as a mortal man would but "through other touchings", haphai, and shortly afterwards refers to Apis being produced by the touch, epaphe, of the moon." Herodotus, Hist. 3.27-28: "When Cambyses was back at Memphis, there appeared in Egypt that Apis whom the Greeks call Epaphus; at whose epiphany the Egyptians put on their best clothing and held a festival... The rulers told him that a god, wont to appear after long intervals of time, had now appeared to them; and that all Egypt rejoiced and made holiday whenever he so appeared... he said that if a tame god had come to the Egyptians he would know it; and with no more words he bade the priests bring Apis. So they went to fetch and bring him. This Apis, or Epaphus, is a calf born of a cow that can never conceive again. By what the Egyptians say, the cow is made pregnant by a light from heaven, and thereafter gives birth to Apis." Death and afterlife in Ancient Egypt ( 2001), John H. Taylor: "Apis was believed to be incarnate in a bull, born to a virgin cow which was supposed to have been impregnated by Ptah through the agency of fire from heaven."
i heard or read many years ago about the five things the bovine gives to man. and that is why it is sacred. it could have even been from Crecganford. the point is that when someone is blessing a new home they make tea from the five things and take a sip/drink of the Eucharist.
I have some friends who are actually real bulls/oxen, working on a farm. and a thing to know is that it is almost not possible to kill a bull without a sharp metal object the skin is too thought. I am not sure but deer and reindeer who were hunted but never really domesticated are different in this and can be brought down with 1 or 2 dart-throwing speers. a bull will not stop at this moment. so after horse riding started and well into the bronze age the first opportunity the deathly bullfighting could have been started. here in Europe (obsidian would be too special up here I guess) Bulls/oxen are real friends I must say you learn to love them rather quickly. the danger you are left with is that they could be clumsy and do not know their strength.
When flaked correctly an obsidian knife can be sharper than a steel blade. Nearby to where I live, there are obsidian deposits over in eastern Oregon. (The Pacific Northwest is very much a volcanic landscape.) There are quite a few people in the area who still knap stone for a variety of reasons from hobby to academic. So I have seen how sharp an obsidian knife can be. Cowhide is no obstacle.
@@shirleynoble685 this is true I made an exception for the same reason here in Western Europe there are only the flintstones found in the predominantly chalk grounds here. but in Africa and the Middle East, this is also a different story. and I could be too quick with my analysis overall.
I was amazed when I found out that the religion depicted in the Sci-Fi series Raised By Wolves was in fact based on a real religion - the cult of Mithras!
Dionysus was torn apart by the Bacchae, not the Titans, unless he was torn apart twice which would be quite interesting. Please clarify if you can. Love the channel. Thanks.
I find trying to link Spanish Bullfighting to the worship of Mithras to be a stretch. The worship of Mithras came to an end by the end of the 5th century so I find it hard to believe that it could have any ties to something that, supposedly (see below), started in the 8th century. Also out of the 420 Mithraeum discovered only 3 have been found in Spain, the vast majority are found in Germany. There is also very little written evidence for Mithraic worship as it was done in secret as a mystery cult and it was only practiced by men. This is further evidence that BulIfighting would have nothing to do with Mithraism as 711AD is in the middle of the Early Medieval Period, or the Dark Ages, a period when written sources were scarce and which marked the end of Visigoth rule in Spain which started 300 years earlier. Even if Bullfighting has links to early religions it is very unlikely Mithraism would be one of them. Another thing is that 711 is cited as the date for the introduction of Bullfighting in Spain but is is also said it was done to celebrate the coronation of King Alfonso VIII. He was crowned in 1158 (at three years old). These dates don't match. If it was tied to Alfonso's coronation that would place Bullfighting roughly 600 years after the end of Mithras worship not 200 that the 711 date would indicate, making it even more unlikely for the two to have any connection.
In the greek myth of Nephele and Helena, spirits bio engineer cows to give birth to donkeys elephants and camels. On the archaeological site in Gutian Yarim Tepe II artifacts of fertility goddesses, cows and elephants were discovered.
Been meaning to watch for a few weeks now. Glad i did. Absolutely fascinating video. Also didn't Gilgamesh do battle with The Bull? perhaps ultimately History is just a load of old bullocks 🦬 - i don’t know if you are familiar with it but if not, check out Jake Thackeray’s song The Bull (& now we have the Red Heifer stuff going on - the more things change the more they stay the same eh?) anyway, really enjoyed this. as near to time travel as we can currently get 👍all the best bro
@@Crecganford oh yes, thank you, like Demeter goddess of corn/grain, or how the large blocks in South American buildings shaped like corn and all over hieroglyphs, and the stories about how corn was gifted by Gods or Angel like beings in North America. To me, they are similar origin stories to the cattle stories all over, with the sacrifice in some stories, the Choctaw corn myth is beautiful too. You do a great job of weaving cultures, time, and geography together under one theme.
Do you discount the possibility of similar religious beliefs regarding cattle developing independently in both Africa and Indo-European cultures? We know farming and irrigation developed independently as well as metal working later on. I’d think that African peoples who developed farming and one of the most advanced cultures the world has ever seen in the Nile valley would have been able to develop religious beliefs regarding cattle independently from Indo-Europeans. It seems to me that similar life styles and the of the reliance on domesticated animals instead of hunting would naturally lead to a development of the idea of the sacredness of cattle as a giver and sustainer of life would happen in any society transitioning from the hunter gatherer economy to an agricultural/domestication based economy. Just a thought.
I haven't discounted anything, I'm just weighing the best evidence I am aware of, and when you have situations like this, the answer is not normally one thing, it is the sum of multiple influences.
There is so much more I could talk about on this... so let me know if you want me to dive into specific myths below...
I would enjoy knowing more about the cave paintings regions and how they evolved bull interactions to modern day. Also Mithras, due to its empire wide usage and duration.
I'd be interested in Neolithic influence on Scandinavian myths.
There's honestly so much connection between cattle and religion of many cultures. I would love to hear you go into the precession of the equinox and the "Age" ot Taurus or "The Bull" and its placement in the northern skies relative to the cave art, the last ice age and migration periods that occurred therein.
Excellent video as always, and I look forward to your videos to come.
Yes please, we would much appreciate a deep dive into any and all versions of this - Greek, Mithras, celtic
Ngl, cows do just naturally seem like an optimally sacrificial animal.
Bigger, cleaner, easier to slaughter.
Big and strong, but.... idk... I wouldnt sacrifice a horse XD
... It just feels right
Goats and lambs could work.
Birds are too small.
Pigs too dirty.
Cows, for the sacrifice!
There is something people always miss that makes missed connections and shifts perspective.
Cow manure is a source of fire.
It burns better than wood, more fire per pound of material, by far due to the low weight of dry cow pat, and makes less smoke. Allowing comfortable use in small areas like huts and tents.
Understanding how ancient people equated cows with fire and the sun was an epiphany for me
Dried dung is still the main fuel source in a lot of places where people have cattle and no trees
As it would be the case during Ice Age in some areas of Europe. 🤔
Fascinating, thank you for sharing!
quite right! One of my favorite RUclips channels is a farmer in Siberia who dries his cow's dung to fuel the stoves they use to keep their dwelling warm
@@badluckrabbit could you share the name of that channel please?
One of the most popular folktales in Iceland is the story of Búkolla. Búkolla sounds Celtic and is about skessur (female trolls) stealing the cow of a farm and the son or the daughter retrieving the cow. The cow is magical and helps in the escape. I wonder after watching your videos about the mythical context.
Goths took Celtic slaves to Iceland.
❤
I'm now looking into this folktale, if I can find a copy I may put it on my other channel @Crecganford reads. Thank you for sharing this.
Lovely. Why are Nordic myths and legends always so charming? Maybe I have some cultural bias as a white North American with fairly strong heritage from the Germanic-speaking north (and English retains strong traces of Celtic culture.). But I'm far from alone in thinking this.
Consider these tales some of your best cultural heritage. I'm sure Icelandic people already do, but it never hurts to hear a foreigner confirm the thought, right?
gaman að sjá Íslending hérna
The cow was also a symbol of Egyptian royalty in the lines of pharaohs. The cow headed versions of the goddesses Isis and Hathor also come to mind sometimes also depicted with human female faces with cow ears.
The goddess Iah has cow horns between which the sun and moon rise.
I always liked Hathor. She's very sweet natured.
In the Odyssey, Ulysses'men are killed by a storm because they ate Helios'cattle, the Sun god. Of course, they had been warned to not touch the bovines and they ate with neither sacrifice nor any ritual.
regarding the last segment, I think you are correct. Many Native American cultures worship the Buffalo in a similarly high sacred place (i.e. the White Buffalo woman). Given that the Buffalo is to the Americas what the Cow is to the Eurasian/African region it make sense.
Interesting piece of information about the hero of the cattle raiding myth. In Romanian folktales, the hero and slayer of the Zmeu, a serpent-like figure, is almost always the youngest of three brothers, who also saves the princess and brings her back, and I remember one of your videos where you explain how she replaced the cow in myths. Altough the hero's name, Prâslea, meaning the youngest, does not cognate with Third, he is the third born.
Thank you for this video!
Hermes is first, Pan second and Apollo third (basically 3 inner planets)
Apollo is a kind of tricker or juggler. a bold one or baldur
bald meaning bold of chin thus a beardless youngster
Ufus meaning bold and Rufus meaning 'redhead' , a Twin.
curly Crispus and wooly Cirrus (cyrus)
Here in Mindanao Philippines bulls, cows and carabaos are still very important animals, not just for food and milk, but also as draught animals. Many farmers use either cattle or carabaos to pull the plough when getting the field ready for planting. Undoubtedly this practice would have developed among farming communities in the Middle East as soon as the plough was invented. This would be an added dimension to the importance of the bovine.
Great video and a very interesting topic!
Hooved animals play a big part in Caucasus mythologies, especially Rams, Deer and of course Cattle.
Rams and goats and sheep were sacred animals of fertility and the wild shepherd Godess of the hunt Dali and fertility god Bochi.
Deer were the ones who carried the sun in their horns and were guardians of the woods.
but Cattle played a huge role in Every Caucasian culture.
Nart Sagas are ether about going to steal cattle, avenging the stolen cattle or going on a quest for more cattle. 80% of nart stories are about something something horses and cattle, at the end someone gets sculped or brutally murdered in some fashion. Similar myths are Found in highlander Georgian culture, where ether Evil Giant Devi steal/eat the cattle or how Godsons go down into the underworld to steal magic cattle from Qaji the race of underworld mages.
But I think Georgia has the most variety of Cattle myths. Native Caucasians in General but Kartvelians especially are devided into 2 ancient influences, as modern day Georgia is made up of 2 Ancient kingdoms (Colchis and Iberia) that came from 2 different cultures, east is Caucasian hunters and west is Anatolian farmer, so we see different regional myths divided by that line.
in more AF influenced parts of Georgia we have bull as the symbol of agriculture, as they were used to plow the fields and till the soil. It was a symbol of the royal family and kingship. marriage rituals involved cattle with candles on their horns and you and your partner were put in Yokes to symbolize your unity, to this day you call your partner "yoke buddy".
We can see that most clearly with Colchian royal family in Greek mythology.
Aeetes puts Jason to work with a fire bull and of course his sister Pasiphae, Wife of Minos does weird with a cow and gives birth to Minotaur.
we have Kuruli, which is bull wrestling in western Georgia, 2 young men would arrogate and then wrestle a calf or a bull on a feast day for the god, still done to this day.
but a story you might find more familiar and interesting is the legend of Manuka and Januka! (cognates to Manu and Iaman)
Manuka and Januka were 2 brothers and they had a "Land bull".
for some reason he kept coming back late, tired and covered in scars.
one day brothers followed him to see what was wrong.
they watched as their prize bull went high up into the mountains and went to the deepest lake.
from there emerged a "water bull", a terrible dragon, so the two bulls did battle, until land bull had to retreat wounded.
so the blacksmith brothers decided to help their beast of burden to win, so they forged him magical horns.
once more, two bulls went to brawl, but now land bull had the power to pierce the water bulls scales.
Sea bulls blood colored the waters dark so (there are different versions from now on):
1. ether water bull died, made lake foul and it overflowed and drowned the village.
2. blood angered the Veshap, (in this version dragon and bull are seperate) and the water dragon ran out, causing the destruction and flooding.
3. land bull just won. he was then sacrificed to the god.
4. lake still floods the village (village also means the world BTW) but an old crone has a vision and some people survive.
5. only a baby in a mange survives.
so its a twin myth+ cattle raid myth+ battle with leviathan myth+ flood myth all in one.
this story is found in many parts of Georgia but most interestingly in highlands were the people were more or less isolated from outside influence, compared to the lowlands.
there's also a fairytale about Tsiqara the magic bull that raises and protects a little boy. I think thats more Mithraic in origin.
conclusion: cows are cool and don't let dragons bully them.
Could you recommend a good book of Nart sagas in English, please?
@sarot2002 honestly I don't know, as I just found a PDF some time ago and read from there, it's in Georgian though.
Maybe just search it on pdf sites, especially on uni online libraries if you can and hopefully you'll get lucky too.
@@thebordoshow OK, thanks, I'll keep looking
There is also good evidence that the Proto-Indo-Europeans originated among South Caucasus too as DNA from there is found in Anatolian Indo-Europeans and in Western Steppe Herders. Perhaps they got these myths from these Caucasian folks?
@shanegooding4839 Proto indo Europeans were Caucasians.
people like to argue for North or south theory, but why can't they imagine that the horse riding nomads can move arround. Especially considering Maykop culture was on both sides of the Caucasus line. They got horses, they can move arround.
One thing that we have in Portugal is the Forcados, where after most of the bullfighting is done, and the bull is bloodied and tired, a group of men gather and try to stop the charging bull head on. No idea where the tradition came from, or when did it start, but then again I'm not a huge fan of bullfighting, and we don't really have those here up north.
The cow and bull imagery is also used in astronomy and astrology such as Taurus to depict celestial configurations with stars.
As usual, you've made this subject more interesting than I initially expected it to be.
To be honest, I surprised myself with how interesting this was!
When discussing the bucrania at Catal Huyuck, reference is often made to the similarity of that form to the human uterus. This suggests a fairly direct connection to ideas of fertility.
Your videos are amazing.
This talk about the bull and Dionysius, Orphism…recalled me of Çatalhöyük and the fascinating theory of the pre-historian Mary Settegast. A video about the symbolism of the art in Çatalhöyük would be amazing!
Hey Crecganford, i wanted to ask if it would be possible for you to make a comparative mythology video on Sisyphus? He is one of the most unique and fascinating myths i have read and i would like to know if there are other myths in other cultures that reflect this story. It is one of my favourite myths and i would love for you to cover it. Thank you for the great videos!
That's an interesting idea, and have added it to my "To Do" list. Thank you.
The worship/depiction of bulls, rams, and fish in the ancient world tracks directly with the Zodiacal sign of that period. I can't believe this was not mentioned.
This was an introduction to myth, the zodiacal signs I have spoken about in another video. But could talk more about it if enough people show interest.
Oui!!! I've been asking myself why neolithic square houses had bull faces,horns.. later on, elsewhere the cult of Mitra, etc why is it so central,so shocking to early mankind. Thank you. And brilliant title you have in this video with sacred cows being referred to. It's just everywhere. I feel we need to understand.
Interesting . thanks, In the study of Indo-European cultural history ,it was a subject deserved to be addressed .
I grew up on a small cattle ranch in the American midwest and didn't realize until I left home how alien that life was to most of my contemporaries.
One thing I didn't hear in this video l heard every morning and evening growing up: my father and all the other males of the extended family calling the cattle up to the barn with their cow horn bugles. All out on horseback of course.
Could you put together something on the use of the horns of cattle across cultures and eras?
Or the cultures where cattle culture depended on horse culture?
I know I'll be listening to this video again. Love this channel.
Thank you, and that is an interesting topic. If I can find out more I will.
Regarding Semitic Gods the God "el/al " ( plural elohim ) must have derived its name from the horned animal ( cow ) ,therefore the first letter of Phoenician Alphabet i.e. aleph ( alpha ) denotes and depicts a cow's head .
I think Jon's having too much fun with the cow calling between segments. 😄 🐮
Creg I like your opinion on something.
In many indo European mythologies the sun god also seem to be the god that oversees oaths and treaties, and the root of their name many times go back to "bind". Such as in the Celtic Lugh :
"Most modern scholars think that it derives from the Proto Indo-European root word 'leugh' which means 'to bind by oath. ' This ties in with the theories that he was also the god of oaths, truth, and contracts."
Or Mithras :
"Together with the Vedic common noun mitra, the Avestan common noun miθra derives from Proto-Indo-Iranian *mitrám (Mitra), from the root *mi- "to bind", with the "tool suffix" -tra- "causing to". Thus, etymologically mitra/miθra means "that which causes binding", preserved in the Avestan word for "Covenant, Contract, Oath"."
Now my proposition is that that Tyr/Tiwaz does not go back to Deywos but instead to a common root with Mithra (to bind) for he was the god that binds and oversees people to oaths. His sacrifice is also the reason the gods were also able to bind Fenrir.
We know the western Anatolian people also worshipped a god called Tiwaz, who was the god of oaths and also from the sun. We know a lot more about him than the Germanic Tiwaz.
Now why I think the proposed morphology is wrong is because :
1 : he wasn't the most important god in the Anatolian pantheons. So the etymology of Tiwaz meaning "god" or skyfather makes little sense.
2 : there is also a Sius god in Anatolia (and as well in South Germany), which does make sense going back to Deywos for he is the chief deity.
3 : In many Germanic languages there is a close variant on the word "(to) tie", I think we should look for the root of Tiwaz in this word.
Therefore I think the Ziu/Sius name has a different root than Tiwaz.
So we have Lugh, Tiwaz and Mithra(s), who are all sun and treatie/justice overseeing gods.
Why would they all go back to "Binder" except for Tiwaz? It makes no sense.
So perhaps if we understand Lugh, Anatolian Tiwaz and Mithra(s) better we can learn a lot about the vaguely attested Germanic Tiwaz/Tyr and perhaps even the Roman Mithras.
You're definitely correct with the connection between tyr and mithra
A very interesting topic to discuss, I'll add it to my To Do list, as I'll need a little time to formulate a video that explains my views on this.
@@Crecganford
Yes, I can easily see the letter shift from "Ti" from Tiwaz/Tir to "Mi" from Mithras/Mihr (Armenian Mithras) or the other way around. The Armenian Mithras underwent the same change as Tyr/Tir, where it dropped the last part of the name.
Given that the root "Mi" means 'to bind' in the Iranian branch of the language family I can easily see "Ti" being it in Germanic/Anatolian branch.
Especially since a lot of things that are used to bind things together even to this day start with Ti/To in Germanic languages, such as Tie, or Tow (which comes from Tou (rope)), Tijgen (Dutch for binding something to something) and I bet there are much more.
Tiwaz would simply mean : the binder/tier (as in tying a rope or people together)
Edit : I once read that in old Germanic traditions the hands of a couple getting married would be bound together while pledging their oath to eachother. Which would be done in a "thing" which was some kind of community place where they could all come together. Tyr/Tiwaz was the god that oversaw the "thing" and the commitments/oaths/justice being spoken there. So once again an indication his name can be related to "binder".
Would you consider doing on video on the Fates, the trio of goddesses who weave destiny in Proto-Indo-European mythology? (Moirai in ancient Greece, Parcae in Rome, Norns in Norse, Wyrds in English/Germanic)
Yes, I will, and am pondering it at the moment... so perhaps in the next few months.
this was much appreciated, very timely. thank you for all the hard work.
Great video, anything that you do that relates to Ireland (in this instance cattle and their role in society) really interests me as I am fascinated with Irish history from the Neolithic to the late medieval. Thanks.
In beginning of Gathas there is a word from Avestan that translates to "soul of the universe".
But literally it means "soul of the cow" or "soul of the cattle".
So cow was really important in ancient Iranian culture that the word cow became synonymous with universe.
I always look forward to your videos… thanks for all you do… love to unplug from the tedium when you release a new one
Thank you for your kind words.
Sir, I have been waiting for your vids for too long. Now I can cleN my room
Thank you for this wonderful video. Best yet on this subject.
Yay! Another masterpiece! Its time to prepare my coffee :))
I would love a video about figurines behind you, their connections with the myths (some appear in your videos already), and how we can obtain accurate reproductions for ourselves :)
Thank you, and I will make a video as soon as I can.
FIRST PEOPLE (Andrew Smith)
The Lost History of the Khoisan.
Chapter 5:
The first domesticated animals arrived to Africa from the Middle East around 8,000 years ago (Sahara was a grassland). It seems that at first there were sheep, then cattle. He goes into explain not only the archeological record but also the genetic record ,as there is a gene - marker which is the lactate resistance, etc. He tracks the whole migration from the North of Africa to South Africa during the next Millenia, for the Sahara became a desert and wild animals have pathogens mortal to domesticated animals; the tse tse flies, etc.
Hi, I'm from Italy and I study linguistics. In our language we have a popular phrase which could be translated as "let's cut the bull's head" ("Tagliare la testa al toro"). It means to resolve a problem or a situation of stall, maybe in an argument or when having to decide over something. So I was just curious if someone knows if there are similar expressions involving the bull in other romance or indoeuropean languages.
Well not Indoeuropean, but the modern Chinese Internet slang 牛逼 Niú bī where 牛Niú is cow and 逼 bī is vag, which means f**king awesome. For example someone does something awesome online and everyone comments with it. Though it can also be used sarcastically.
I learned many fascinating things about cows in this video! A gift from the gods indeed
a video about european neolithic farmers mythology would be great
Maybe even broader neolithic farmer mytology since anatolia
it would be algo a great opportunity to shed light over some similarities between some semitic and IE gods like El and Dyeus Phter, Perkwunos and Yahweh
The cow was domesticated* at around 8500 BC, somewhere in the range of the upper Euphrates valley. I should think that it is in this area and during this time that the process of transformation from sacred hunt to livestock keeping would see the development of an elevated spiritual position for the bovine in the consciousness of the people keeping them. This would be another step in the general cultural shift away from the traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle which would eventually bring about major settlements throughout the region, spreading from this area. Thus, the spiritual connection with the cattle being ritually embraced would become the default for many cultures in the region for thousands of years thereafter, as well as for related cultures which these people would have influenced.
( * = The cow was domesticated three times, including also a virtually simultaneous domestication which occurred in China whilst the cow was also being domesticated in the Middle-East. )
You speak as if your claim were exact science/ mathematical facts !
@@majidbineshgar7156 "I should think" was intended to flag this as a hypothesis. The pieces of evidence I use to support it are well-established, but the thought I am expressing (regarding this event being the genesis of the sacred bull idea) /is/ most certainly guessing.
The tale of Búkolla is among the most beloved Icelandic folktales. Celtic in origin, Búkolla tells the story of a family's redemption after a thieving skessur take the family's cow. Using its magical powers, the cow aids in the escape. As a result of viewing your videos, I am curious about the mythological background.
Xellent channel, Taurid meteor stream deep dive may be of interest, sudden springtime appearances of twin tailed/horned cometry bodies from behind the sun. The return loop in autumn has an apparent origin from the shoulder of Taurus / Pleides / 7 sisters but in spring is obscured by the solar disc. Cave paintings show dots perhaps representing Pleides cluster on the shoulder of the bull. Hope to hear more about the Rainbow serpent of 1st nation people Australasia and think ' Voices of the first day awakening in the dreamtime' would fascinate all who vist here. Written by Robert Lawlor, published by Inner traditions international , Rochester, Vermont, Canada. A good read in my book, enjoy all!
One of the few Titans to side with Olympus had bulls horns, if I remember right, that being Oceanus. He also took no part in attacking Uranus.
I have a theory, Uranus is the primordial Zeus/Olympus, just as Gaea is the primordial Titans. So we get a cycle, earth-heaven-earth-heaven-earth-etc. Thus Gaea - Uranus - Titans(Cronus) - Olympus(Zeus) - Dionysus(noted as being the heir of Zeus).
This puts the holy/sacred bull on the side of heaven (with Oceanus), but Dionysus then makes the bull part of both Heavan and Earth, as he contains heavenly, titanic, and mortal elements.
Exactly! Not to mention Jesus as well. This pattern also reflects in Mesopotamian/cannanite religion as well
▪︎Uranus = Welnos - Night-sky god.
▪︎Zeus = Dyeus- Day-sky god.
@@chrysocolapteserythrocepha5915 And just as in Greek mythology, the night comes before the day, they are light 2 sides of the same coin. Nyx gives birth to Hamera. From Chaos comes Gaea, from nothing to everything.
Wasn’t the Minotaur in the labyrinth that humans were sacrificed to supposed to have a bull head?
Yes, I may make a separate video about the Minotaur, as it has many interesting facets.
@@Crecganford , I encourage you to follow that thread! :) I love the Minotaur and I'm convinced there's a deeper story behind him. I'm a big fan of your videos I look forward to the Minotaur video!
Wonderful informative video! Thank you so much!
Yes I want to know more about the Anatolian myths that blended with IE myth in Norse myth!
Holy cow this is an interesting video. Hello from a bovine appreciating pagan from India.
The Neolithic hunters who made cave paintings of aurochs and lions also made the lion man statue in ivory.
These people probably identified with the lions because both lions and people hunted aurochs.
This was another great video. I love this channel. Now I'm off to grab a burger for dinner.
Thank you for this excellent educational video!
It's definitely one of the strangestc aspects of ancient cultures that you first notice when studying ancient history - this reverence for bulls. I suppose modern Hindus might be one of the few large modern groups who still retain this.
But it does make sense in a way when you think more deeply about the value of these animals to early civilizations that were built on the foundations of the neolithic domestication of certain species. They are powerful and valuable creatures, after all.
How dare you, a cup of tea? This calls for milk!
Thank you for another awesome presentation!
At the end you mention megafauna and Younger Dryas right after aurochs. Could the aurochs almost be the last 'megafauna' for the people who came after/out of that era? I don't know anything about the continuity of the populations/DNA in that time frame across locations. This feels like it brings up a lot of interesting, and potentially important questions. I am aware of potentially interesting relationships between humans and mammoths with the mammoth bone roundhouse?
For the ancient Egypt question, the Nile enabled flow of people and materials and ideas in both directions. Egypt also came out into the Levant during at least one period as conquerors , it wasn't only people like Persians and Romans moving into Egypt as conquerors. And, interestingly, Egyptian mythology seems to survive better than in many locations as a conquered region, and even after the Ptolomeic era, Egyptian mythology is still strong enough that its ideas again spread back Rome and enter Roman temples, albeit in a Romanized form or blending. And for the Bible, we have the story of the baby in the river/rushes by the side of the river, being placed in Egypt and this is part of the founding story for the Jewish peoples.
Did the early cattle have an annual migration? Maybe they arrived in springtime like the birds in central europe today.
Hi Jon, I'm interested in the neolithic farmers stories. I know you talk a bunch about the PIE and so much that thru your channel I've learned so much about them. But, I know the norse mythologies are a combination of both and because I don't know much about their culture I'm beginning to get more interested. I feel like those cultures would probably have more in common with the Celts and early settlers of Brittain and Ireland.
These stories will be told later this year, I just need to put some context around them before I do. And this will start with my next video.
I am here to inform you that there is a monumental need to dig deeper into the neolithic influence/origin on norse mythology. Your take on Baldr & Osiris & now this, regarding the four rivers of milk, are VERY interesting & I shall pay for this by swearing my subscriptional fealty to you, lord. I am looking forward to hear you speak on the matter in the future. Thank you for your work.
In addition, it might be interesting for you to know that the ability to digest lactose was present among the funnelbeakers at a time when few others could & that the later nordic bronze age culture that would eventually follow it had the highest rate of lactase persistance in the world at the time, a trait that it's descendants would carry on to this very day.
Taking this into account when reading the norse creation myth, I don't think it's a coincidence that it turned out to be told the way it was.
I have spent a number of years researching the origins of the Norse Creation Myth, and I'll probably be in a position to release my findings next year.
After the Golden Calf incident and the law against making idols, Moses was instructed to make an exception in the Holy of Holies, where cherubim are carved for the ark and embroidered into the tabernacle. Two more cherubim statues were made for Solomon's Temple, giving us the Four Living Creatures of Ezekiel's vision and of Revelation; the 2nd of which has the face of an Ox.
Id absolutely love more abour neolithic farming mythos!
I would find a video covering how norse mythology has Neolithic European influence to be very interesting
Especially that along the Rhine River, where the gaulic celtic, the germanic, the roman and later the christian influences mixes. The rhine is like a highway from the latin world to the nordic world. Isn't even the name of Switzerland somehow related to Swedish settlers?
Just to forestall any comments, by "corn" at 15:42 it doesn't mean "maize", but grain. "Corn" applies to any sort of grain.
As usual a captivating presentation. The bull/ox should been seen in the broader context of bovines (bison, buffalo, cattle, auroach, water cow…) all were terrestrial representations of celestial bovine images, of which there are at least four. Read my free online book, THe Zodiac in our Genes to understand which night-sky images are involved. The bovine is ubiquitous in all religions both ancient and contemporary. For example, Jesus was born in barn where his manger is surrounded by a cow and a lamb; an ox is one of the four living creatures in the Book of Revelations. Many African cultures still venerate cattle so do the Hindus. The Bison was sacred to the indigenous American Indians; and the first sura of the Koran is labelled cow. In the ancient Egyptian zodiac, the cow, not the bull/ox, is depicted as a reclining animal on a barge with a prominent star between her horns. The star is actually our modern day Sirius. This image represents the cow image at where the sun rises (where the sun rises is normally said to be east, different from magnetic east). But east in ancient text is far more complex, for various reasons that I will not go into. This cow is a highly complex image that transforms into multiple images from east, north-east, north, north-west, and west, as the night progresses and during seasonal and precessional changes. One of these transformational image is that of a thin up-right walking man, who I call Orion-Man (who took on many identities by different cultures) and who at the NW region falls down or dies and his body falls apart and as this happens two images emerge. One is that of the head of a bull/Ox and the other is of a reclining lion (another one of the living creatures in Revelations) with a prominent paw. This lion and man association is what is depicted in the Holstein figuring of the Lion-Man. The strong grip of the lion in Freemasonry is a reference to the prominent paw of this reclining lion. These transformations gave rise to many ancient ideas and stories, now days called myths, folktales but these were ideas and stories built on the cosmic drama and finally made their way into religious stories sometimes mixed with terrestrial events and traditions. Not only religion but the entire human culture were built on these archetype cosmic drama. And religion should not be seen is the narrowly defined idea of worshipping a transcendental being but includes all forms of veneration and worship from paganism, ancestral worship, and occult - all have the same origin.
Thank you for following the bull. There is something special between the cusp of the age of Taurus and Gemini at 4600 bc
Thanks!
Thank you so much for your support, it is appreciated.
The bull in Mithraism is linked to fertility too with grain sprouting from it's wound and tail.
I love your videos. Forgive me if I've missed this in past videos, but is the three-headed serpent linked to the Draco constellation?
No, the three headed serpent is sometimes linked to the three headed deities of ancient Indo-Mediterranean cultures.
Thank you.
Good work Jon, the symbolism is there if you know what to look for.
Thank you.
Awesome! Interesting topic :) I once wrote a paper on the economic and symbolical value of ruminants and the influence of that value on s4crificial victim selection in Ancient Greece. Maybe you can do a vid on the mythological significance of other livestock throughout history someday :)
Yes, I will try and do some more on animals.
In Estonia we have this old local god Taara. Old man/guide figure. Theres some regions where it shaoed more like Tooru. Could be something related to Thor Sweden is over seas neighbour. But Taara is somehat similar to Tarvas. Ancient wild cow species now extinct. Though no connection between the cow and the god has been pointed out in learnered literature.
Nowadays Taara is still active god helping our people. The word is in active use for empty glass and metal bottles. Usually alcohol bottles. These specimens have magical property of being returned back to the shops for cash. At the end of a bender you tend to be out of money. But theres plenty of empty bottles and cans around that can be returned for decent amount. You already paid the amount when buying said bottle and now you are getting it back. Its like investing in future or something. Anyway, it is mandatory to call out the holy words that have not been changed from ancient times. "Taara avita". Translated as "Taara help us".
This long typing is making me thirsty. Think i need a beer.
There’s a statue of a cow at the end of one of the main roads into my town. It’s nickname is: Ús Mem (our mum).
It’s the ideal Frisian cow from 70 years ago, before they were crossbred with Holstein cows.
And then we also have the letter A. From Aleph, meaning bull.
Thanks
What a bunch of bull 😅 and I mean that in the best possible way! Thank you for another great video. When I grow up, I'm going to bovine university!
Couldn’t help think of American cowboys doing bull riding in rodeos while watching this video
Yes, I’m constantly struck by the echoing of PIE patterns in the settlement/expansion of the US and the fact that almost all major groups were various branches of PIE is not lost on me
cow mythology may be over 10,000 years old (14:00). . . bovine in art goes back 20,000 years (39:39)
@Crecganford Is there considered to be a four-rivers theme in creation myths? The four rivers of milk from Ymir's Auðumbla reminded me instantly of the four rivers of Eden, and I wondered if this theme is present in other creation myths too?
This certainly hints that there could be, but it could also be the Christian author who wrote the story in Old Norse adapted it to match with the biblical stories. I am researching the whole Neolilthic/Near East influence on Indo-European myth, and once I'm ready to publish my work you will hear it on hear first.
On the topic of similarities between indo-european and african cattle myths, what's our knowledge of history of the domestication of Cattle like? If there was a single location of domestication the stories probably spread with the Cattle and knowlede of cattle raising to one people to another, if Africa is an independent center of cattle domestication that could make that scenario unlikely and they got the myth in later times
perhaps DNA tests on cattle can give us a clue to common origin of cattle then we could map out the spread of the stories with the spread of cattle
I'm researching this now, as it will have quite an impact on the origin of certain myths.
Read Carl Ruck's Mushrooms Myth and Mithras, the tauroctony of Mithra depicts a mushroom, the bull is the stipe and Mithra is dressed in red with phygrian cap which is thhe pileus. To eat bull's meat was to eat the sacred mushroom 🍄
God l wish l had known you will do this video cause l grew up with legends and stories carried for generations in Albanian culture. I was born near a spot that has a very interesting legend connected with water and a Bull. Earthquakes in our culture are associated with the Bull to this day. I guess these are remnants of our Farmer Ancestors
What is the name of that story, I would love to read it.
I imagine the early 'hunter gatherers' were probably following the herds around throughout the year, making a big circuit to the best grazing areas from season to season. I can see how they might associate this yearly migration with the sun.
It's pretty interesting to think about how cattle might have been domesticated this way. The herds were probably pretty familiar with the people tagging along with them. The people would have been familiar with the individual animals, albeit wild, and knew which ones would be best to 'slaughter' to keep the herd healthy. They probably tentatively helped out the younger calves and pregnant females once in a while, and helped keep other predators away. It's easy to imagine how this herd-following behavior transitioned into cattle-herding and active animal husbandry. It's also easy to think how they might have prayed to The-Big-Cow-in-the-Sky to help watch over this resource that was so critical to their own existence.
Regarding the connection between sun and bulls (bovines) I always think of astronomy. The motion of the earth, the precession of its axis in particular. The most direct link I see is the spring equinox and its position in the constellation of Taurus between approx. 4000 and 2000 BCE. Myths and religions that comprise slaying of a bull may reflect the move of that point of solstice out of Taurus into Aries. Together with the subsequent rise of Aries (ram) focused cults.
What are your thoughts o that idea?
Whilst it sounds plausible based on what you're saying, I haven't seen evidence within myth that supports this.
I’d like to see a video on Neolithic creation myths!
I haven't watched this video yet so I'm not sure if you mentioned it but the Egyptians had a myth about the Apis bull being born to a virgin cow or without sexual intercourse.
Theophrastus of Eresus: Sources on biology (1994), edited by Robert W. Sharples, Pamela M. Huby, William Wall Fortenbaugh:
"Plutarch, On Isis and Osiris 43 368c, describes the sacred Apis-calf as an image of Osiris, and says that it was believed to be produced without the involvement of a bull, when the light of the moon fell on a cow in heat... It may not be irrelevant that the Apis calf was identified by the Greeks with Epaphus, the child of Io who combines human and bovine forms. Epaphus was named from his being fathered by Zeus "with a touch"- only. The touch of Zeus' hand is indeed a different matter from impregnation by celestial light; but it may be noted that Plutarch, referring to gods begetting children on mortal women, refers to them doing so not as a mortal man would but "through other touchings", haphai, and shortly afterwards refers to Apis being produced by the touch, epaphe, of the moon."
Herodotus, Hist. 3.27-28:
"When Cambyses was back at Memphis, there appeared in Egypt that Apis whom the Greeks call Epaphus; at whose epiphany the Egyptians put on their best clothing and held a festival... The rulers told him that a god, wont to appear after long intervals of time, had now appeared to them; and that all Egypt rejoiced and made holiday whenever he so appeared... he said that if a tame god had come to the Egyptians he would know it; and with no more words he bade the priests bring Apis. So they went to fetch and bring him. This Apis, or Epaphus, is a calf born of a cow that can never conceive again. By what the Egyptians say, the cow is made pregnant by a light from heaven, and thereafter gives birth to Apis."
Death and afterlife in Ancient Egypt ( 2001), John H. Taylor:
"Apis was believed to be incarnate in a bull, born to a virgin cow which was supposed to have been impregnated by Ptah through the agency of fire from heaven."
I only briefly touch on Apis, so as to explain the geographical extent of the myth.
Neolithic farming myths!! Please!
i heard or read many years ago about the five things the bovine gives to man. and that is why it is sacred. it could have even been from Crecganford. the point is that when someone is blessing a new home they make tea from the five things and take a sip/drink of the Eucharist.
Please do Southeast Asian mythology, like the birth of humanity from a gourd.
Just started the video: Wasn't there some kind of bullfighting in ancient Crete during the Minoan era?
thank u
A bull is a time cave as I understand..
The flow of blood is time which we forward through words
Was the Minoan sport of bull-vaulting a side shoot of these myths?
I do mention this... and that it was almost certainly a ritual act; and so may well have formed part of myths.
There is some very fascinating parallels in Hinduism and Germanic Folklore. Perhaps some far migration from Indio-European are not that far off.
I love ❤ your videos please teach me some more
My favorite is the white buffalo legends of the Lakota Indians of America.😊
I have some friends who are actually real bulls/oxen, working on a farm. and a thing to know is that it is almost not possible to kill a bull without a sharp metal object the skin is too thought. I am not sure but deer and reindeer who were hunted but never really domesticated are different in this and can be brought down with 1 or 2 dart-throwing speers. a bull will not stop at this moment.
so after horse riding started and well into the bronze age the first opportunity the deathly bullfighting could have been started.
here in Europe (obsidian would be too special up here I guess) Bulls/oxen are real friends I must say you learn to love them rather quickly.
the danger you are left with is that they could be clumsy and do not know their strength.
When flaked correctly an obsidian knife can be sharper than a steel blade. Nearby to where I live, there are obsidian deposits over in eastern Oregon. (The Pacific Northwest is very much a volcanic landscape.) There are quite a few people in the area who still knap stone for a variety of reasons from hobby to academic. So I have seen how sharp an obsidian knife can be. Cowhide is no obstacle.
@@shirleynoble685 this is true I made an exception for the same reason here in Western Europe there are only the flintstones found in the predominantly chalk grounds here. but in Africa and the Middle East, this is also a different story. and I could be too quick with my analysis overall.
i wonder if the bovine worship was the previous earth religion that was supplanted by the sky worshipping tribes.
I will have to be a lot nicer to my next steak. Definitely food for thought!
I was amazed when I found out that the religion depicted in the Sci-Fi series Raised By Wolves was in fact based on a real religion - the cult of Mithras!
Dionysus was torn apart by the Bacchae, not the Titans, unless he was torn apart twice which would be quite interesting. Please clarify if you can. Love the channel. Thanks.
It is implied in the Orphic texts and fragments, and I believe there is a mention of it in Plutarch's Morals.
You maybe confused it with Orpheus?
I find trying to link Spanish Bullfighting to the worship of Mithras to be a stretch. The worship of Mithras came to an end by the end of the 5th century so I find it hard to believe that it could have any ties to something that, supposedly (see below), started in the 8th century. Also out of the 420 Mithraeum discovered only 3 have been found in Spain, the vast majority are found in Germany. There is also very little written evidence for Mithraic worship as it was done in secret as a mystery cult and it was only practiced by men. This is further evidence that BulIfighting would have nothing to do with Mithraism as 711AD is in the middle of the Early Medieval Period, or the Dark Ages, a period when written sources were scarce and which marked the end of Visigoth rule in Spain which started 300 years earlier. Even if Bullfighting has links to early religions it is very unlikely Mithraism would be one of them.
Another thing is that 711 is cited as the date for the introduction of Bullfighting in Spain but is is also said it was done to celebrate the coronation of King Alfonso VIII. He was crowned in 1158 (at three years old). These dates don't match. If it was tied to Alfonso's coronation that would place Bullfighting roughly 600 years after the end of Mithras worship not 200 that the 711 date would indicate, making it even more unlikely for the two to have any connection.
Yes, I agree the link with Mithras is weak, to me an adaptation of a ritual stemming from both IE and Neolithic beliefs seems more likely.
In the greek myth of Nephele and Helena, spirits bio engineer cows to give birth to donkeys elephants and camels.
On the archaeological site in Gutian Yarim Tepe II artifacts of fertility goddesses, cows and elephants were discovered.
Been meaning to watch for a few weeks now. Glad i did. Absolutely fascinating video. Also didn't Gilgamesh do battle with The Bull? perhaps ultimately History is just a load of old bullocks 🦬 - i don’t know if you are familiar with it but if not, check out Jake Thackeray’s song The Bull (& now we have the Red Heifer stuff going on - the more things change the more they stay the same eh?) anyway, really enjoyed this. as near to time travel as we can currently get 👍all the best bro
Do you have a video on the topic of maize/corn mythology? And if so can you please link it to this comment. Thank you so much
Maize/corn mythology? I’m not sure of the myths you mean, do you stories involving corn?
@@Crecganford oh yes, thank you, like Demeter goddess of corn/grain, or how the large blocks in South American buildings shaped like corn and all over hieroglyphs, and the stories about how corn was gifted by Gods or Angel like beings in North America. To me, they are similar origin stories to the cattle stories all over, with the sacrifice in some stories, the Choctaw corn myth is beautiful too. You do a great job of weaving cultures, time, and geography together under one theme.
Fascinating 😊 hail!
Do you discount the possibility of similar religious beliefs regarding cattle developing independently in both Africa and Indo-European cultures? We know farming and irrigation developed independently as well as metal working later on. I’d think that African peoples who developed farming and one of the most advanced cultures the world has ever seen in the Nile valley would have been able to develop religious beliefs regarding cattle independently from Indo-Europeans. It seems to me that similar life styles and the of the reliance on domesticated animals instead of hunting would naturally lead to a development of the idea of the sacredness of cattle as a giver and sustainer of life would happen in any society transitioning from the hunter gatherer economy to an agricultural/domestication based economy. Just a thought.
I haven't discounted anything, I'm just weighing the best evidence I am aware of, and when you have situations like this, the answer is not normally one thing, it is the sum of multiple influences.
Saturn is the bull in the sky. His mother and spouse is the heavenly cow.