We offer a list of the most famous ancient Greek gods with brief descriptions and links to full articles with illustrations.

• Hades is the god - ruler of the kingdom of the dead, as well as the kingdom itself. One of the elder Olympian gods, brother of Zeus, Hera, Demeter, Poseidon and Hestia, son of Kronos and Rhea. Husband of the fertility goddess Persephone
• - hero of myths, giant, son of Poseidon and the Earth of Gaia. The earth gave its son strength, thanks to which no one could control him. But Hercules defeated Antaeus, tearing him away from the Earth and depriving him of the help of Gaia.
• - god of sunlight. The Greeks depicted him as a beautiful young man. Apollo (other epithets - Phoebus, Musaget) - son of Zeus and the goddess Leto, brother of Artemis. He had the gift of foreseeing the future and was considered the patron of all arts. In late antiquity, Apollo was identified with the sun god Helios.
• - god of treacherous war, son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks portrayed him as a strong young man.
• - twin sister of Apollo, goddess of hunting and nature, was believed to facilitate childbirth. She was sometimes considered a moon goddess and identified with Selene. The center of the cult of Artemis was in the city of Ephesus, where a grandiose temple was erected in her honor - one of the seven wonders of the world.
• - god of medical art, son of Apollo and the nymph Coronis. To the Greeks he was represented as a bearded man with a staff in his hand. The staff was entwined with a snake, which later became one of the symbols of the medical profession. Asclepius was killed by Zeus for trying to resurrect the dead with his art. In the Roman pantheon, Asclepius corresponds to the god Aesculapius.
• Atropos(“inevitable”) - one of the three moiras, cutting the thread of fate and ending a human life.
• - the daughter of Zeus and Metis, born from his head in full military armor. Goddess of just war and wisdom, patroness of knowledge. Athena taught people many crafts, established laws on earth, and gave musical instruments to mortals. The center of veneration of Athena was in Athens. The Romans identified Athena with the goddess Minerva.
• (Kytherea, Urania) - goddess of love and beauty. She was born from the marriage of Zeus and the goddess Dione (according to another legend, she emerged from the sea foam, hence her title Anadyomene, “foam-born”). Aphrodite corresponds to the Sumerian Inanna and the Babylonian Ishtar, the Egyptian Isis and the Great Mother of the Gods, and finally, the Roman Venus.
• - god of the north wind, son of the Titanides Astraeus (starry sky) and Eos (morning dawn), brother of Zephyr and Note. He was depicted as a winged, long-haired, bearded, powerful deity.
• - in mythology, sometimes called Dionysus by the Greeks, and Liber by the Romans, was originally a Thracian or Phrygian god, whose cult was adopted by the Greeks very early. Bacchus, according to some legends, is considered the son of the daughter of the Theban king, Semele, and Zeus. According to others, he is the son of Zeus and Demeter or Persephone.
• (Hebea) - daughter of Zeus and Hera, goddess of youth. Sister of Ares and Ilithyia. She served the Olympian gods at feasts, bringing them nectar and ambrosia. In Roman mythology, Hebe corresponds to the goddess Juventa.
• - goddess of darkness, night visions and sorcery, patroness of sorcerers. Hecate was often considered the goddess of the moon and was identified with Artemis. Hecate's Greek nickname "Triodita" and her Latin name "Trivia" originate from the legend that this goddess dwells at crossroads.
• - hundred-armed, fifty-headed giants, the personification of the elements, sons of Uranus (Heaven) and the goddess Gaia (Earth).
• (Helium) - god of the Sun, brother of Selene (Moon) and Eos (dawn). In late antiquity he was identified with Apollo. According to Greek myths, Helios travels around the sky every day in a chariot drawn by four fiery horses. The main center of the cult was located on the island of Rhodes, where a giant statue was erected in his honor, considered one of the seven wonders of the world (the Colossus of Rhodes).
• Gemera- goddess of daylight, personification of the day, born of Nikta and Erebus. Often identified with Eos.
• - the supreme Olympian goddess, sister and third wife of Zeus, daughter of Rhea and Kronos, sister of Hades, Hestia, Demeter and Poseidon. Hera was considered the patroness of marriage. From Zeus she gave birth to Ares, Hebe, Hephaestus and Ilithyia (the goddess of women in childbirth, with whom Hera herself was often identified.
• - son of Zeus and Maya, one of the most significant Greek gods. Patron of wanderers, crafts, trade, thieves. Possessing the gift of eloquence, Hermes patronized schools and speakers. He played the role of messenger of the gods and guide of the souls of the dead. He was usually depicted as a young man in a simple hat and winged sandals, with a magic staff in his hands. In Roman mythology it was identified with Mercury.
• - goddess of the hearth and fire, eldest daughter of Kronos and Gaia, sister of Hades, Hera, Demeter, Zeus and Poseidon. In Roman mythology, she corresponded to the goddess Vesta.
• - son of Zeus and Hera, god of fire and blacksmithing. He was considered the patron saint of artisans (especially blacksmiths). The Greeks portrayed Hephaestus as a broad-shouldered, short and lame man, working in a forge where he forges weapons for the Olympian gods and heroes.
• - mother earth, foremother of all gods and people. Coming out of Chaos, Gaia gave birth to Uranus-Sky, and from her marriage with him gave birth to titans and monsters. The Roman mother goddess corresponding to Gaia is Tellus.
• - god of sleep, son of Nyx and Erebus, younger twin brother of the god of death Thanatos, favorite of the muses. Lives in Tartarus.
• - goddess of fertility and agriculture. The daughter of Kronos and Rhea, she is one of the elder Olympian gods. Mother of the goddess Kore-Persephone and the god of wealth Plutos.
• (Bacchus) - the god of viticulture and winemaking, the object of a number of cults and mysteries. He was depicted either as an obese elderly man or as a young man with a wreath of grape leaves on his head. In Roman mythology, he corresponded to Liber (Bacchus).
• - lower deities, nymphs who lived in trees. The dryad's life was closely connected with her tree. If the tree died or was cut down, the dryad also died.
• - god of fertility, son of Zeus and Persephone. In the Mysteries he was identified with Dionysus.
• - the supreme Olympian god. Son of Kronos and Rhea, father of many younger gods and people (Hercules, Perseus, Helen of Troy). Lord of thunderstorms and thunder. As the ruler of the world, he had many different functions. In Roman mythology, Zeus corresponded to Jupiter.
• - god of the west wind, brother of Boreas and Note.
• - god of fertility, sometimes identified with Dionysus and Zagreus.
• - patron goddess of women in labor (Roman Lucina).
• - the god of the river of the same name in Argos and the most ancient Argive king, the son of Tethys and Oceanus.
• - the deity of the great mysteries, introduced into the Eleusinian cult by the Orphics and associated with Demeter, Persephone, Dionysus.
• - personification and goddess of the rainbow, winged messenger of Zeus and Hera, daughter of Thaumant and the oceanid Electra, sister of the Harpies and Arches.
• - demonic creatures, children of the goddess Nikta, bringing troubles and death to people.
• - Titan, the son of Uranus and Gaia, was thrown into Tartarus by Zeus
• - Titan, youngest son of Gaia and Uranus, father of Zeus. He ruled the world of gods and people and was dethroned by Zeus. In Roman mythology, it is known as Saturn, a symbol of inexorable time.
• - daughter of the goddess of discord Eris, mother of the Harites (according to Hesiod). And also the River of Oblivion in the underworld (Virgil).
• - Titanide, mother of Apollo and Artemis.
• (Metis) - the goddess of wisdom, the first of the three wives of Zeus, who conceived Athena from him.
• - mother of nine muses, goddess of memory, daughter of Uranus and Gaia.
• - daughters of Nikta-Night, goddess of fate Lachesis, Clotho, Atropos.
• - god of ridicule, slander and stupidity. Son of Nyukta and Erebus, brother of Hypnos.
• - one of the sons of Hypnos, the winged god of dreams.
• - patron goddess of the arts and sciences, nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne.
• - nymphs-guardians of waters - deities of rivers, lakes, springs, streams and springs.
• - daughter of Nikta, a goddess who personified fate and retribution, punishing people in accordance with their sins.
• - fifty daughters of Nereus and the oceanids Doris, sea deities.
• - son of Gaia and Pontus, meek sea god.
• - personification of victory. She was often depicted wearing a wreath, a common symbol of triumph in Greece.
• - goddess of the Night, product of Chaos. The mother of many gods, including Hypnos, Thanatos, Nemesis, Mom, Kera, Moira, Hesperiad, Eris.
• - lower deities in the hierarchy of Greek gods. They personified the forces of nature and were closely connected with their habitats. River nymphs were called naiads, tree nymphs were called dryads, mountain nymphs were called orestiads, and sea nymphs were called nereids. Often, nymphs accompanied one of the gods and goddesses as a retinue.
• Note- the god of the south wind, depicted with a beard and wings.
• Ocean is a titan, the son of Gaia and Uranus, the forefather of the gods of the sea, rivers, streams and springs.
• Orion is a deity, the son of Poseidon and the Oceanid Euryale, daughter of Minos. According to another legend, he came from a fertilized bull skin, buried for nine months in the ground by King Girieus.
• Ora (Mountains) - goddesses of the seasons, peace and order, daughters of Zeus and Themis. There were three of them in total: Dike (or Astraea, goddess of justice), Eunomia (goddess of order and justice), Eirene (goddess of peace).
• Pan is the god of forests and fields, the son of Hermes and Dryope, a goat-footed man with horns. He was considered the patron saint of shepherds and small livestock. According to myths, Pan invented the pipe. In Roman mythology, Pan corresponds to Faun (the patron of herds) and Silvanus (the demon of the forests).
• Peyto- goddess of persuasion, companion of Aphrodite, often identified with her patroness.
• Persephone is the daughter of Demeter and Zeus, the goddess of fertility. The wife of Hades and the queen of the underworld, who knew the secrets of life and death. The Romans revered Persephone under the name Proserpina.
• Python (Dolphinus) is a monstrous serpent, the offspring of Gaia. Guarded the ancient oracle of Gaia and Themis in Delphi.
• The Pleiades are the seven daughters of the titan Atlas and the oceanids Pleione. The most striking of them bear the names of Atlantis, friends of Artemis: Alcyone, Keleno, Maya, Merope, Sterope, Taygeta, Electra. All the sisters were combined in a love union with the gods, with the exception of Merope, who became the wife of Sisyphus.
• Pluto - god of the underworld, until the 5th century BC. named Hades. Later, Hades is mentioned only by Homer, in other later myths - Pluto.
• Plutos is the son of Demeter, a god who gives wealth to people.
• Pont- one of the most ancient Greek gods, the son of Gaia (born without a father), god of the Inner Sea. He is the father of Nereus, Thaumantas, Phorcys and his sister-wife Keto (from Gaia or Tethys); Eurybia (from Gaia; Telkhines (from Gaia or Thalassa); genera of fish (from Thalassa.
• - one of the Olympian gods, brother of Zeus and Hades, who rules over the sea elements. Poseidon also had power over the bowels of the earth; he commanded storms and earthquakes. He was depicted as a man with a trident in his hand, usually accompanied by a retinue of lower sea deities and sea animals.
• Proteus is a sea deity, son of Poseidon, patron of seals. He had the gift of reincarnation and prophecy.

Oleg and Valentina Svetovid are mystics, specialists in esotericism and occultism, authors of 15 books.

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Mythical names

Mythical male and female names and their meanings

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Mythical names. Mythical male and female names and their meanings

Researchers of the past claim that the history of mankind does not know a single people who denied the existence of certain higher powers guiding their earthly and sometimes afterlife. Ideas about them changed as civilization developed, and on their basis numerous religious cults were formed, both those that have survived to this day and those that have sunk into the depths of centuries. Let us recall just some of the gods of the Ancient World, which, according to the generally accepted definition, originates in the prehistoric period and is limited to the 5th century, when the world entered the era of the early Middle Ages.

Ancient Sumerian deities

A conversation about the heroes and gods of the Ancient World should begin with a story about the religious ideas of the Sumerians, who lived on the territory of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) and created at the beginning of the 4th millennium BC. e. first world civilization. Their beliefs and the mythology they generated were based on the worship of numerous demiurge gods - the creators of the world and everything in it, as well as the spirits who patronized people in various aspects of their lives.

These are probably the most ancient gods of the world about which fairly complete information has been preserved. The dominant place among them was occupied by the god An (or Anu). According to him, he was one of the demiurges who created the world, and existed even before the earth was separated from the sky. Among other celestials, he enjoyed such unquestioned authority that the Sumerians always depicted him as presiding over the councils of the gods, which they arranged to resolve the most important issues.

Among the Sumerian patron gods, the most famous is Marduk, whose name is associated with the founding and further development of one of the largest cities of the Ancient World - Babylon. It was believed that the city owes its rise and prosperity to him. It is characteristic that as the ancient metropolis grew, the worship of its patron took on an ever wider scale. In the pantheon of Sumerian gods, Marduk was given the same place as Jupiter among the ancient Greek celestials.

Rejected Passion

As an example of Sumerian mythology, it is appropriate to cite one of the stories about the Goddess Ishtar, who successfully patronized such seemingly incompatible things as love and war. The legend that has reached us tells how one day the heart of the goddess was inflamed with love for the brave hero Gilgamesh, who returned from a military campaign in which he won thanks to her patronage.

For the service rendered, Ishtar wished that the hero would become her husband, but was refused, since Gilgamesh had heard not only about her countless love affairs, but also about the manner of turning annoying men into spiders, wolves, rams and other dumb creatures. Of course, he didn’t get away with it, because what could be worse than the revenge of a rejected woman?

Heavenly Bull

The angry Ishtar went to heaven to her parents - the supreme god Anu and his wife Antu, to whom she told about her humiliation. To take revenge on the offender, she persuaded the old people to create for her a terrible Heavenly Bull, capable of destroying Gilgamesh. Otherwise, the obstinate daughter threatened to raise all the dead from their graves and give them the human race to be devoured.

Knowing from experience that it is useless to argue with their daughter, An and Antu fulfilled her request. The goddess returned to earth with a bull, which, having first drunk all the water in the Euphrates River, began to devour the unfortunate Sumerians. And this would have been the end of the ancient civilization, but, fortunately, the same Gilgamesh arrived in time, who, together with his friend Enkidu, defeated the monster and sacrificed its carcass to other, more decent deities.

The legend ends with Ishtar, standing at the walls of the ancient city of Uruk, cursing the obstinate Gilgamesh and, having gathered all the Sumerian harlots, bitterly mourns with them the destroyed bull. Why she needed representatives of the most ancient profession for this - history is silent.

Lost Civilization

It only remains to add that the pantheon of gods of the Ancient World, revered by the Sumerians, is very extensive. To the names already mentioned we will add only the most famous: Anunnaki, Adad, Bel, Dumuzi, Inanna, Tiamat, Tammuz, Sumukan, Sina and Tsarpanitu.

In the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. e. the state of Sumer gave way to the growing power of the Babylonian Empire, and Sumerian as a spoken language fell into disuse. Nevertheless, literary works were written on it for almost 2 thousand years, some of which were discovered during archaeological excavations.

Gods of Egypt

Inseparable from people’s desire to understand the world around them, which is sometimes frightening and full of impenetrable secrets for them. Evidence of the attempts of the ancient Egyptians to understand its structure is the creation of a numerous pantheon of gods who became the product of their imagination and personified natural forces for them.

A characteristic feature of the Egyptians was the belief in the divine origin of the pharaohs, on which their unlimited power was based. Both the heavenly rulers and their earthly governors were not always friendly to people, and therefore both had to be propitiated not only with prayers and praises, but also with sacrifices, the nature of which varied depending on who they were intended for.

The gods of the Ancient World and the myths telling about them have always represented a bright page. The vast pantheon of gods born on the banks of the Nile is no exception. Historians count about 2 thousand of its representatives, but no more than 100 of them enjoyed universal veneration, while the worship of the rest was local.

It is interesting to note that with the change in the balance of political forces in the country, the hierarchical position occupied by certain gods also changed. The history of the Ancient World, including Egypt, is full of turmoil and upheaval, which resulted in frequent changes of rulers, which radically changed the status of the gods they especially revered. Meanwhile, from the general pantheon one can single out a number of characters whose “rating” was consistently high throughout the history of Ancient Egyptian civilization.

The top of the divine hierarchy

This is, first of all, the creator of everything earthly ─ also known under the names Amun or Atum. It was he who was considered the father of all pharaohs. Sometimes in the imagination of the Egyptians, Amun-Ra took on a female form and was then called the goddess Amunet. This transvestite god was especially revered in Thebes, which for a long period was the capital of the state. Usually he was depicted as a man in royal vestments and a crown decorated with feathers, less often in the form of a goose or ram.

Slightly inferior to him in popularity was the god of fertility and the afterlife, Osiris, whose list of closest relatives aroused the deepest respect for him. Being the son of the earth god Heb and the sky goddess Nut, he took as his wife his own sister Isis, the patroness of fertility, motherhood, health and sea travel (consanguineous marriages were not forbidden in that era). Having inherited the title of supreme ruler over time, he taught the Egyptians to cultivate the land, observe laws and honor the gods.

Deceit and love in Egyptian mythology

However, like many ancient gods of the peoples of the world, Osiris endured many different hardships and ordeals on the way to his greatness. It all started with the fact that the desert god Set, who personified the evil principle, planned to kill him and take the place of the supreme ruler himself. He carried out his insidious plan in a rather original way.

Having made a golden chest of a suitable size and invited guests, among whom was Osiris, the villain announced that he would give this jewel to anyone who could fit comfortably in it. Everyone began to try, and when it was Osiris’s turn, Seth slammed the lid of the chest, tied it with ropes and threw it into the Nile, along the waves of which it floated to God knows where.

Having learned about the disappearance of her husband, Isis went in search of him and found a chest with her husband off the Phoenician coast. But her joy turned out to be premature. Seth, who followed on his heels, got ahead of Isis and, before her eyes, chopped up her husband’s body into pieces, scattering them throughout Egypt.

But the villain had little idea who he was dealing with - the goddess collected most of the remains of Osiris, made a mummy from them, and so successfully that she soon conceived her son Horus, who later became the god of the hunt and was depicted as a man with a falcon’s head. Having matured, Horus defeated Set and helped his mother resurrect his father's mummy.

Other inhabitants of the ancient Egyptian pantheon

Let us recall some more names of the gods of the Ancient World who lived on the banks of the Nile. This is primarily the god Shu. He and his wife Tefnut were the first celestial beings, created by the supreme god Atum and ushering in the separation of the sexes. Shu was considered the god of sunlight and air. He was depicted as a man in a headdress with a train, while his wife had the appearance of a lioness.

Another god of the Ancient World, considered the embodiment of the sun, was the supreme ruler Ra. His images in the form of a man with a falcon's head, crowned with a solar disk, are often found on the walls of Egyptian temples of that ancient era. A special feature of Ra was his ability to be born every day from the sacred cow Nut and, having made his way across the vault of heaven, to plunge into the kingdom of the dead in order to repeat everything all over again the next morning.

It is worth noting that Osiris, discussed above, in addition to his wife Isis, had another sister named Nephthys. In Egyptian mythology, she played the rather gloomy role of the goddess of death and mistress of the kingdom of the dead. She emerged from her underground possessions only at sunset and spent the entire night sailing across the sky in her black boat. Her image can often be seen on the lids of sarcophagi, where she appears in the form of a winged woman.

The far from complete list of Egyptian gods can be continued with such names as Sekhmet, Bastet, Nepid, Thoth, Menhit, Ptah, Hathor, Shesemu, Khons, Heket and many others. Each of them has its own history and its own appearance, imprinted on the walls of temples and the interior of the pyramids.

World of the Gods of Ancient Greece

Ancient myth-making, which had a huge influence on the formation of the entire European culture, reached its highest point of flowering in Ancient Hellas. The origin of the world and the gods in Ancient Greece, as well as in Egypt, did not seem accidental. The creation of all things was attributed to the supreme creator, whose role in this case was performed by Zeus. He was the king of all other gods, the lord of lightning and the personification of the boundless sky. In Roman mythology, which became a continuation of Greek, this image corresponds to Jupiter, endowed with the same properties and inheriting the external features of its ancestor. Zeus's wife was the goddess Hera, the patroness of motherhood, who protected women during childbirth.

A characteristic feature of the Greek pantheon of gods is its elitism. Unlike the characters in Ancient Hellas, there were only 12 celestials who lived on the top of Mount Olympus and descended to earth only in case of emergency. At the same time, the status of the other deities was much lower, and they played a secondary role.

It is worth noting another characteristic feature of the Greek and Roman gods - it was customary to depict them exclusively in human form, giving perfection to the features of each. In the modern world, the gods of Ancient Greece are well known, since their marble statues are an unattainable example of ancient art.

Elite of the ancient Greek pantheon

Everything that was in one way or another connected with war and accompanied by bloodshed was commanded, in the minds of the ancient Greeks, by two deities. One of them was Ares, who had an unbridled temper and delighted himself with the spectacle of heated battles. Zeus did not like him for his excessive bloodthirstiness and tolerated him on Olympus only because he was his son. The Thunderer's sympathies were on the side of his own daughter Athena, the goddess of a just war, wisdom and knowledge. Appearing on the battlefield, she pacified her overly discordant brother. In Roman mythology, she corresponds to Minerva.

It is difficult to imagine the world of heroes and gods of Ancient Greece without Apollo, the god of sunlight, a skilled healer and patron of the muses. His name became a household name thanks to his sculptural images that embodied the standard of male beauty. Several centuries later, among the Romans, Apollo was incarnated in the image of Phoebus.

The standard of female beauty, as perceived by the ancient Greeks, is the goddess of love Aphrodite, who was the prototype of the Roman Venus. Born from sea foam, the beauty took love, marriage, fertility and spring under her protection. It is very curious that, despite the abundance of the most enviable suitors, she gave her heart to the lame Hephaestus (the Romans called him Vulcan) - the god of blacksmithing, preferring a hard-working and homely husband to the handsome men from the top of Olympus.

In order not to offend any of the gods of the Ancient World, who were once revered on the shores of Hellas, let us remember the patroness of the moon, fertility, hunting and female chastity Artemis (Diana among the Romans), the ruler of the kingdom of the dead Hades, the god of the seas Poseidon (aka Neptune) and the reckless drunkard god wine and fun ─ Dionysus, better known by his Roman name Bacchus.

Since over the past centuries the number of admirers of this god has not only not decreased, but is also growing every year, we will devote a few lines to him. It is known that Dionysus was born as a result of the secret love of Zeus and the Theban princess Semele. The jealous wife of the Thunderer, the goddess Hera, resorted to cunning and destroyed the passion of her lascivious husband, but could not destroy the child she hated.

Having resorted to the help of Hermes, the god of travelers and an expert on human souls, Zeus, secretly from his wife, handed over his son to be raised by the nymphs, the patronesses of the life-giving forces of nature. When Dionysus grew up and turned from a rosy-cheeked child into a beautiful young man, they gave him a grapevine and taught him how to prepare a life-giving drink from its fruits. Since then, the illegitimate became the god of wine and fun. The people of Greece worshiped him by decorating themselves with garlands of grape leaves and singing hymns in his honor.

The beginning of a new era

These 12 celestial beings do not limit the entire list of gods of the Ancient World, once sung by Greek poets, who brought to us the unique spirit of ancient myths. But only they became the inhabitants of Olympus, their images inspired outstanding sculptors and painters of subsequent eras, which brought worldwide fame to these gods hidden from us through centuries.

The history of the Ancient World is generally accepted to have ended with the fall of Rome in 476 and the abdication of its last emperor, Romulus Augustus. From that moment on, the world moved to a new stage of its development ─ the early Middle Ages. Gradually, not only the way of life of the past faded into oblivion, but also the gods who gave birth to and protected it.

Their numerous pantheon was replaced by a single God ─ Creator and Creator of all things. The cult of the former celestials was declared dark paganism, and its followers were subjected to no less cruel persecutions than those that they had recently carried out against Christians.

There are great gods, such as Vishnu and Shiva, Zeus and Kronos, Allah and Christ, and small gods, so to speak, little gods. In India, in the Vedic pantheon, these are, for example, the gods Aditi, who embody freedom, liberation from evil. Gods are also interstate (Mithra, Christ, Allah), state (Japanese goddess Amaterasu), national (the god of the Jews - Yahweh), city, local, street (among the ancient Romans), clan, tribal, family (among the ancient Romans they were called lares and penates) and personal (“the personal” god of the ruler of Lagash was the god Ningishzida, and the personal god of the hero of the Sumerian epic Gilgamesh was Lugalbande).

Each populated center of Mesopotamia had its own god. The so-called “Great Tablet,” consisting of 12 columns, apparently contained more than 2,500 names of gods. They had wives and children, countless retinues of servants. In many documents that have come down to us, along with the main gods, all their ministers, children and even slaves are listed. These gods lived very well, one might even say luxuriously. They lived in magnificent temples, in which they received vassals, like autocrats.

According to the Indian Vedas (the oldest monument of Indian religious literature dating from the end of the 2nd - beginning of the 1st millennium BC), there are 33 major and millions of minor
demigods who are responsible for managing world processes. There are much fewer gods in Japan: in the 8th-10th centuries there were only 3,132 gods in the Shinto pantheon of Japan. There were about the same number of gods
in ancient India - 3,339 gods are mentioned in the Vedic hymns. The Aztecs had a large number of gods - several thousand.

It is already clear from what has been said that there are a huge number of gods in the world. The question naturally arises, do they know about each other? Apparently, they often do not even suspect the existence of other gods or pretend that other gods do not exist. They learn about the existence of other gods only when, as a result of the war, they find themselves victorious or defeated. In one case, they become the main gods, and the gods of the defeated people become secondary. In other cases, the gods of the defeated people and their priests (priests) are simply destroyed.

When our Prince Vladimir in 988, for political and economic reasons, decided to accept a religion alien to our people - Christianity, his squad began to destroy - break, chop and drown the image of the gods to whom the Eastern Slavs had prayed for a thousand years, as well as places of worship - temple. This began the forced Christianization of Rus'. The pagan gods themselves - Veles, Dazhdbog, Khors, Perun and even the ancient god Rod were unable (or did not want) to defend themselves! Christ did not enter into communication with them, but with the help of his new followers - converted Christians, he simply destroyed them. And at the same time, the entire ancient Russian culture was destroyed.

And when the Spanish conquistadors conquered the states of the Mayans and Aztecs, the latter learned that in addition to their gods there was a powerful god, Jesus Christ. Apparently, it was during this period that the gods of the Indians learned about the existence of a powerful Christian god. The Christian god, following the example of his father, Yahweh the Host, did not want to be friends with the Indian gods and, with the help of his followers and faithful servants, began to destroy not only these gods, but also the people who believed in them.

It is interesting to note that the gods Yahweh, Christ and Allah, who claim to have sole rights, do not want to acknowledge the existence of not only pagan gods, but also gods, like them, who consider themselves to be the only ones. For example, Allah, who demands from his followers a daily fivefold recognition that he is the only God: “There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet.” The Jewish god Yahweh (Sabaoth) also does not want to recognize other gods, who demands that those who worship him, i.e. his slaves did not worship, and therefore did not create images of other gods: “Do not make yourself an idol!” The Christian god Christ also demanded this (although earlier, today he no longer demands it). However, the position of Christ is extremely difficult. Of course he wants to be considered the only God. But at the same time, he is part of the trinity of gods, in which there is one more single God - Yahweh (Sabaoth), who is also God the Father. This is stated in the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, adopted in 325. It should be noted that a paradoxical conclusion follows from this stubborn and extremely impolite statement towards other gods. Denying the existence of other gods, and also demanding that people not worship them, they act as real atheists and even atheists.

It turns out that the very first atheist in the world is the Jewish god Yahweh. True, he is an inconsistent atheist - he and his followers deny the existence of other gods, declaring that they are not real, because there is only one real God! It is no secret that, as a rule, there are no asexual gods - they are all divided into male and female gods. At the same time, in Ancient Greece there was a god who had characteristics of both sexes - male and female - Hermaphroditus. And among the African Bombara tribe, many of the gods could even freely change their gender, appearing either male or female.
female hypostasis. For example, the god Odudva in some myths was a male deity, and in others - a female (goddess of the Earth).

Most of the gods were and continue to be masculine gods. But there are also plenty of female gods. Proponents of gender equality may be satisfied by the fact that goddesses
occupied very important positions in the society of the gods. Although most Sun gods are male, there are also female Sun deities. Thus, among the Hittites in the 17th-12th centuries BC, the Sun was a goddess called Metzulla. Moreover, she was not only the goddess of the Sun, but also the main deity of this people. The sun deity of the Japanese today is the goddess Amaterasu. The ancient Egyptians had fertility gods Baal (Baal), Min, Ptah, Sepa, Serapis, Khnum and Banebjent and fertility goddesses - Anuke, Renenut, Taurt and Heket. The water of the Egyptians was controlled by the god of water Sebek and the goddess of water Sebekted who appeared later. The only exceptions were the proto-gods (supreme gods), who were male.

It is interesting to note that feminism occurs not only among people, but also among gods. Among many peoples, goddesses were in no way inferior to gods and occupied such purely masculine positions as those responsible for war and hunting. So, among the ancient Egyptians, the goddess Astarte (aka Anat) ruled the war. She was also responsible for the war chariots. And in another form, Anat also performed the duties of the deity of hunting. The Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena, was also responsible for justice in the conduct of military operations. One of her names - Promachos - “advanced fighter” - would do honor to any male deity of war.

In general, just like among people, patriarchy reigned among the gods. The wives of even the supreme gods could not equal in their role and importance to those of their husbands. In Ugaritic myths, the highest god was the father of the gods, El. He had a wife, Ela, who was called the mother of the gods. The creators of the world among the ancient Mayans were a trio of gods - the gods Cucumac and Huracan and the goddess Tepev. The ancient Greek goddess Hera - the wife of Zeus - often objected to him and even argued with him at the council of the gods. It ended with the angry Thunderer threatening her with punishment and then she fell silent. She remembered well how he once subjected her to scourging, how he bound her with golden chains and hung her between heaven and earth, tying two heavy anvils to her feet. To think carefully about who is in charge in the house and how to behave as an exemplary wife.

As a rule, the gods are very rich, which is not surprising since they have great power. Already in ancient Sumer (Mesopotamia, 3rd millennium BC) all arable land belonged to God, while the king-priest was only a manager, a “tenant farmer,” as he titled himself. But this land had to be cultivated, so thousands of people worked for God. For a very meager reward. The priests of this god inspired believers that work in the fields belonging to God is the fulfillment of religious duties prescribed by God himself. Therefore, it is not appropriate for them to grumble. True, for some reason they did not understand that this work was a great joy for them. Apparently they were not very conscious then. God himself has no time
was to explain this to people.

Not much poorer than this god of Sumer was the god of another Sumerian city-state - Ur, the moon god Nanna. He received not only a tenth of the entire harvest (this is where Christians' church tithes come from), but also rent. Today, the richest god is the Muslim god Allah - the whole world belongs to him. And so that all the faithful do not forget about this, the Arabs of the Middle East usually knock out an inscription in Arabic on a stone slab above the front door of their house: “Property of God.” Interestingly, the other ruling Gods do not dispute this. According to the concepts of good and evil, there are good and evil gods. The good ones, for example, include the Indian Ashwins - the Ushas brothers. They control honey, the nectar of life, as well as soma (intoxicant). They are the ones who give honey to bees and treat gods and people with them. They love to help: they rescue shipwrecked people, restore lost fertility to women, and find husbands for old maids. They also help the newlywed to enter her husband’s house. The Japanese Ainu also have a division into good and evil gods.

The ancient Egyptians had a deity, Hu, who personified the will of God, his creative word. And the African Yoruba tribe until recently had the god Elegba, who represented... the wrath of their other god Fa. The gods of ancient Iran possessed “khvarna,” which can be understood as “charisma,” a certain sacred essence, the possession of which gives good luck, power, the ability to master the minds of huge masses of people and
manage them. Khvarna was possessed, in particular, by the god Ahuramazda and the savior of the world Saoshyant. All the strength and power of the Indian god Shiva lies not so much in himself, but in his “shakti” - spiritual energy that appears and manifests itself only under certain circumstances. Firstly, this energy accumulates in him during periods of ascetic vigils and contemplation. Secondly, the energy of shakti is closely intertwined with his male life-giving force. It is believed that the moment of union of Shiva with his female half Parvati is the moment of multiple strengthening of his energy.

Of particular interest are the so-called living gods. The living god who took on human form (the god-man) was Jesus Christ. But Christ is not the only living god. In Nepal (a state between India and China) the living goddess Kumari still lives today. This flesh-and-blood goddess is represented in the form of a little girl and is also, in fact, a god-man. She represents the hypostasis of the goddess Shakti, but only as an innocent, young one who has absorbed the hypostases of female deities. The girl destined for the role of the goddess is selected by the priests extremely strictly and meticulously. A three-year-old baby should have the build of a goddess and not have the slightest flaw. If even one of the eighty external characteristics does not meet a firmly established standard, the candidate is not suitable. A girl claiming the title of a living goddess must, in the shortest possible time, learn to control herself and under no circumstances lose her presence of mind. Otherwise, you can expect great misfortune. She must watch the cutting of goat heads without trembling, spend the night in a dark basement filled with skeletons and dismembered corpses. If a girl gets scared or violates etiquette in any way, this may be considered an ominous sign.

The point here is that Kumari, who is considered the patroness of Nepal, is assigned, although a nominal, but very noticeable role in the life of the country. It is to her that the king of Nepal goes for annual worship to ask for her blessing to rule the country for the next year. The duties of a goddess are not too onerous. At half past six in the morning she awakens from sleep and immediately falls into the caring hands of the priests. After the prescribed, always the same breathing exercises and ritual ablution, they begin the daily procedure of “opening the divine eye.” To do this, a wide sign in the shape of a ritual cleaver is applied to the goddess’s forehead with carmine, with the handle facing the bridge of the nose. Then they outline it with yellow paint and carefully draw a very realistic wide-open eye in the middle and lengthen the corners of the eyes given by nature with black ink. Next, in accordance with the instructions of the astrologers, the priests decide what color robe the Kumari will choose today. It is decorated with a precious crown reminiscent of an ancient Russian kokoshnik, silver monists, a heavy forged hryvnia, rings and bracelets. Most often, Kumari “prefers” to wear a scarlet dress, symbolizing the irresistible power of femininity, the feminine energy that governs the entire universe.

The goddess prepared in this way is seated in a special chair with a round foot and taken to the reception room. Here, sitting near the northern wall, like a bronze statue, she accepts sacrificial flowers and sweets, dispassionately listens to the sounds of the music that entertains her, without looking at the whimsical figures of the dance, which the dancers perform especially for her. So day after day passes unnoticed. When the sun sets, the priests begin to prepare the goddess for bed. She is fumigated with incense, the silver virigs are removed, and the makeup is washed off.

Only once a year does the little goddess have a holiday - the eight-day Indrajatra celebrations, in which Buddhists take an active part along with Hindus. On this day, she is taken to the noisy streets of the city filled with enthusiastic crowds. During this holiday, the goddess reveals herself to the people. For three days, she, together with the god Ganesha, makes a tour of the city they care for. And all these days the dancing continues, driving the electrified crowd into a frenzy. The king himself goes out into the square to bow before the eyes of the people before the mysterious power of the little girl, whose eye, drawn by the priests, is as terrifying as a curse. At this moment the celebration reaches its climax.

For a whole year, a lonely girl who has forgotten how to laugh and cry will remember the sweet moments of her triumph. Deprived of the company of her peers, not knowing games, she will wait patiently
next holiday. But one day everything will end unexpectedly. Upon reaching the age of twelve, when, according to the priests, femininity awakens in her, she, having fallen asleep as a goddess, will wake up as an ordinary girl. She will quietly and unnoticed leave the temple to return to her family and try to learn to live in human form. It can be very difficult to enter a new role for her. Despite the significant dowry that she receives at parting, such girls are extremely reluctant to be taken as wives. And who wants to marry a goddess, accustomed only to command. Therefore, a common fate is lonely vegetation, filled with dreams and memories of former greatness...

In addition to the living goddess, there are at least two other living goddesses in the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu. One lives in Patala and the other in Bhaktapur. In addition to them, there are still living goddesses of local significance in the Kathmandu Valley. It is not for nothing that this valley is often called the “Valley of the Gods.”

Where do the gods live?

According to some ideas, the first gods lived on Earth. So, the Sumerian gods, when they realized that the Earth was good, wanted to stay on it. They turned to the god Enlil with a request that he arrange a place where they could live together. And so, in the center of the earth’s disk (according to the Sumerians, the Earth was flat), Enlil built the city of Nippur, settling his brothers and sisters there. But he did not forget himself, his beloved, having built a high platform in the center of the city and erected a beautiful palace of lapis lazuli on it. The place where they settled was called by the Sumerian gods the “blessed land” - “En-Eden”. The ancient Jews, having borrowed from the Sumerians (and without referring to them) the myth of the creation of the world, only slightly altered the name of this place, turning it into the familiar Eden, i.e. paradise. The ancient Egyptian god Ra, having completed the initial arrangement of the world of gods and people, settled on the sacred hill of Ben-Ben in Heliopolis (located in Egypt). At the same time, he spent the night in a lotus flower, which he left at dawn and then hovered above the earth throughout the day.

The Chinese god Huang Di also lived on Earth. Having strengthened and confirmed his power in the struggle with other gods, he erected a majestic and beautiful palace on Mount Kunlun. In this palace he spent his free time and had fun. The palace was surrounded by a jasper fence. On each side there were nine columns and nine gates, and inside the palace was surrounded by five walls and twelve towers. Near the palace there grew a rice ear of five lengths. To the west of it grew two trees - pearl and jade. To the east of the ear of corn grew a Shatan tree and a Langan tree. On the Fuchang tree, next to the Langan tree, sat the three-headed spirit Lizhu, whose three heads took turns falling asleep and waking up. Huang Di had another palace on Mount Tsynyashoan. To the northeast of this palace were the famous Hanging Gardens, located so high that they seemed to hang in the clouds. African gods also live on earth. So, the main god of the Kikuyu peoples
and Kamba Ngai lives on the mountains that he himself built: Mount Kenya, “Mountain of Great Rain” (in the east), “Mountain of Clear Sky” (in the south), “Mountain of Sleep or Secret Refuge” (in the west).

The god Shiva lives at the top of the crystal mountain. But the home of the ancient German gods Asgard was at the top of the tree. It is interesting that this dwelling was erected by a certain giant, who was helped by... a horse. The rain god of the Mayan Indians chose the trees of the world as their habitat. Some gods prefer to live underground. Under the earth there was a great mountain, and in it - the underworld, which was ruled by the goddess Ereshkigal and her husband Nergal.

Although it is good on earth, it is still better to live in heaven and it is more interesting. Therefore, most of the gods lived and live there. Even at the dawn of human civilization, in Mesopotamia, the gods of the city-state of Ur settled in the heavens (approximately 2,330 years BC). The Greek gods - Zeus and the deities subordinate to him also lived not on Earth, but high above it - on bright Olympus. Three beautiful Oras guarded the entrance to high Olympus and raised a thick cloud covering the gates when the gods descended to earth or ascended to the bright palaces of Zeus. High above Olympus, the blue sky spread wide, from which golden light poured. There was neither rain nor snow in the kingdom of Zeus; There was always a bright, joyful summer there. The gods feasted in the golden palaces built by the son of Zeus, Hephaestus. Zeus himself sat on a high golden throne.

At his throne were the goddess of peace Eirene and the constant companion of Zeus, the winged goddess of victory Nike. In addition to the palaces located above the ground, the Greek and Roman gods from time to time lived in special houses specially built for them by believers - temples. Believers came there to pray to them and thank them for the services rendered to them. But the palace of the great brother Zeus, the earth shaker god Poseidon, was located deep in the depths of the sea. His beautiful wife Amphitrite lived with him. The gods of India also live in the heavenly kingdom. Indra has his thousand-gate city Amaravati, full of gold and precious stones. The gardens there bloom forever and neither cold nor thirst oppress the inhabitants of the heavenly city. They know neither old age, nor illness, nor fear. Their eyes are delighted by the dances of beautiful dancers - Ansars. In addition, they also have a dwelling on the top of the Himavat (Himalayas). In the highest heavens also lived the Aztec gods Ometecuhtli and Omesihuatl - the divine couple who gave birth to gods and people.

Some gods choose not just the heavens, but the clouds as their place of residence. In the clouds, in a huge shining copper palace, lives the god of the African Yoruba tribe Shango. The gods of ancient Sumer, who lived constantly in heaven, sometimes showed mercy to people and descended from heaven to their earthly temples.

They especially loved “high” temples on platforms, called ziggurats. At the same time, they also lived in the “lower” temples in the form of their statues. The Indian god Krishna, on the one hand, always resides in his abode, on the other, he is omnipresent (Bhagavad Gita 8:22). And since he is omnipresent, he also resides in the heart of every believer (Bhagavad Gita 18:61). Like people, the ancient gods also lived in houses (palaces). Having defeated his father, the Indian god Indra rebuilt the entire world. He built this world like a house: it stands on four pillars, and is covered with a roof-sky on top. The house has two doors. In the morning, the sun enters through the eastern door, wide open. In the evening, the caring Indra briefly opens the western door to let out the sun setting at night. It does a lot of work during the day and gets very tired, and therefore wants to sleep.

Judging by the Old Testament, the god Yahweh of Hosts initially did not have a specific residence at all, until he came up with the wonderful idea of ​​​​creating our material world. Why he needed this - no one knows. Maybe he himself doesn’t know it. In any case, the Bible says nothing about this. Judging by the description of this creation, the wise and all-knowing Yahweh did not even suspect that this world would turn out to be so good (“And God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:10). And when he created light, he was even more surprised and even delighted. It turned out that life is better with light (“And God saw the light, that it was good” Genesis 1:4). The thought creeps in that for billions of years poor Yahweh lived... without light, in complete, even pitch darkness. And he didn’t have a torch or a flashlight. He had no idea that life would be better with light. One has to wonder how the Jews call such a god all-knowing and all-wise?...

Although Yahweh created the world, he was in no hurry to determine his location in it (and, therefore, arrange his life). It is unknown how long this would last, but then the shrewd and intelligent Jews who worshiped him intervened in his life, who provided him with permanent housing in the “Ark of the Covenant,” which was kept during their nomadic life in a special tent, which was placed in various safe places (so that Somehow wild animals did not disturb the peace of the omnipotent and omnipotent God - the creator of the whole world). Later, Jewish King Solomon in 953 B.C. built a luxurious temple for his god. However, due to the fact that Jehovah was accustomed to a nomadic life, he was not flattered by this temple and did not choose it as his place of permanent residence. At the same time, so that the Jews would not be offended by him, Jehovah announced that ... his name resides in this temple (1 Kings 8:16).

In 586 BC. due to the oversight of the Jewish God, this wonderful temple was destroyed by foreigners (apparently, Jehovah was busy with some very important matters at that time or was in other worlds),
but the Jews restored it. When in 70 AD. the temple was destroyed again (this time by the Romans), the Jews did not restore it. And although almost 2 thousand years have passed since this destruction, and Jews have been living in their state for almost 60 years, it has not yet been restored. As a result, Jews have to pray to their god in buildings that to some extent replace the Temple - synagogues (synagogue - Greek - “house of meeting”). And the patient Yahweh is still waiting for the Jews to come to their senses and finally restore his Temple. The case in religions, of course, is unique and paradoxical: the god of the Jewish people, who created the whole world according to the teachings of Judaism and chose this people from all the peoples of the world as the object of his love, has not had his own home (temple) for two thousand years. How he must love his people that he has not yet been offended and has not punished them for such inattention and disrespect for himself! Another god would have taken cruel revenge on his people for such neglect of himself!

Instead of restoring the Temple to their god, the Jews are waiting for the messenger of their God - the messiah (not the one who, according to the teachings of Christians, will come to earth a second time and whom they call Jesus Christ, but the real messiah!), who, as they believe, will restore them Temple. Like, Yahweh allowed the destruction of the Temple, let him himself or with the help of his messenger restore it.

However, judging by the fact that none of the great and small gods ever built or rebuilt their own temples (!), the Jews are wasting time in vain and are not restoring the Temple, which was destroyed through their own fault (the Temple was destroyed by the Romans because the Jews turned it into a fortress and the center of the uprising). Today, the Jews have everything to restore the Temple - the money of the richest people on the planet, the most modern construction equipment, architects, engineers and labor. And there is no need to restore the Temple on the Temple Mount, where it used to be and where today there are as many as two Muslim mosques - “Kubbat al-Sakhra” (“Rock Dome”) and “Masjid al-Aqsa” (“Far Mosque”). There is enough space in Jerusalem itself for the construction of the Temple. For Yahweh, the main thing is that he again has his own Temple, and in what place in Jerusalem it will stand is not so important. After all, according to the teachings of the Jews, their God is not only the creator, but also the owner of the entire earth!

Believers can communicate with their gods (god) in the fresh air - in the forest, on the mountain, in the field. To meet the gods, the ancient Aryans chose an elevated place on which they spread sacrificial straw. The gods were invited to sit on it. Among the ancient Slavs, most of the sacred places of worship were temporary - for one holiday, for one season, for one year. This was associated not so much with a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle, but with the belief in a one-time visit to a given place by God. Then they began to build temples (from the Old Slavonic “kap” - idol; “to accumulate” - to gather) and treasuries (“treba” - sacrifice and sacrifice). Initially, the ancient gods met with their believers in the open air. But later they realized that they deserved more comfortable conditions and ordered to build buildings for themselves - first towers, and then special houses-temples, which became their homes. But the relatively new gods (Christ and Allah) do not live permanently in their temple houses, but settle temporarily or visit them only occasionally. The gods love it very much when they have their own house in every city, village and village, where they can look and even stop for a while - relax a little and stay.

If the old gods had only a few houses of their own, or even just one, then modern gods, for example, Jesus Christ, have hundreds of thousands of such house-temples, scattered across many countries and continents and having a wide variety of forms. Which one does he live in?

The question is very difficult: after all, if he settles in one of them, the priests and believers of other churches will be offended. And if he moves from temple to temple, then a schedule of his stay in different churches must be drawn up. But there is no such schedule! The way out of this difficult situation is for God to be present in all of them at once. In the time of John Chrysostom it was believed that “God himself is invisibly present in the temple.” The preacher John of Kronstadt, highly revered in the Russian Orthodox Church, agreed with this: “When you are in church, remember that you are in the living presence of the Lord God, standing before His face, before His eyes, in the living presence of the Mother of God.” From these words, which every Orthodox Christian must believe, it follows that Christ is present simultaneously in all churches. No one knows how he manages to do this, because... this is a great secret. Naturally, God.

It is on the authority of these people that the conviction rests that in every temple they can talk with their God. After all, the very word “church” (in Greek “kyurioke”) means “house of the Lord,” i.e. the house where God lives. But even if he is not there now (he went away, for example, somewhere on his Godly business), he will still hear all the prayers addressed to him. That's what the clergy say. And although they cannot know this for sure (after all, God himself does not communicate with them), at the same time they cannot say that God is not in this temple. Otherwise, people will not come there and buy candles and prayers, which means the priest will not have money to maintain this temple, and he will have nothing to live on!

Of course, one can, like Protestants, say that Christ is present in all churches at the same time because he is everywhere in space and time. But if we take the point of view of the main part of Christians - Catholics and Orthodox, then such a view is heretical. At the same time, they do not have their own explanation for how God manages to be in all churches at the same time. If we accept the Protestant point of view that God is everywhere at the same time in time and space, then it means that you can communicate with Him in any place.

This leads to a very unpleasant conclusion for Catholics and Orthodox Christians that there is no need to build special houses-temples for God. And if Protestants are consistent, it turns out that the buildings where they gather should not be called temples and churches, not houses of worship, but just meeting halls or, as Jehovah’s Witnesses call them, “Kingdom Halls.” It turns out that the construction of temples and churches is needed only by clergy and clergymen...

The Islamic god Allah does not live in a mosque either. A mosque (in Arabic “masjid”) is “a place where prostrations are made,” i.e. this is a place where they pray to God. And although Allah is not in the mosque, all prayers addressed to him mysteriously reach him.

Of course, the gods accept prayers to them, read in other places (at home, in the field, on the road, etc.), but they prefer that they be said in these houses of prayer - churches, churches, mosques, synagogues. The gods, especially the creator gods, could create temples for themselves, but they apparently don’t have the time or are simply lazy to do this. Therefore, they are waiting for the believers to build these temples. And believers, especially those in power, who can spend not only (and not so much) their personal money on the construction of temples, but also state money, build a large number of temples in order to earn the mercy of God - to go to heaven, even if they themselves understand that they deserve not heaven and hell. Thus, the Jewish king Solomon, popular among Jews and Christians, for the construction of the temple of Yahweh for many years, in agreement with the Phoenician king Hiram, transported gold to Israel - approximately 20 tons per year, which was intended for the construction of this temple. For this, he gave Hiram, as it is said in the Old Testament, “20 cities in the land of Galilee” (1 Kings 9:11).

Large churches (temples) among Christians (Catholics and Orthodox) are called cathedrals. Believers of each religion themselves determine the architecture and decoration of their church - from very simple, nondescript buildings, almost barns, to luxurious palaces accommodating thousands of parishioners. Examples of the latter are temples dedicated to the Indian god Vishnu and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The huge, still unfinished Church of the Holy Family (Sagrada familia) in Barcelona (Spain) is very interesting. Until 1990, the largest Christian cathedral in the world was St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. And in 1990, it was surpassed by the cathedral in the city of Yamoussoukro, the capital of the African state of Cote d'Ivoire. It covers an area of ​​22,067 square meters. meters, its height is 189 m, its length without a portico is 186.4 m, and with a portico - 211.5 m.

Why are such large temples built? It turns out, not at all because of the desire to gather as many believers as possible! For example, the cathedrals built in the early 4th century in Trier (Germany) and Geneva (Switzerland) occupied large tracts of land, although they were attended by relatively few parishioners. In XI, the huge cathedral in the city of Speyer would not have been filled even by all the inhabitants of this city. The enormous size of the cathedrals and the splendor of their decoration only indicate that those who ordered their construction were not driven by religious feelings. The motivating force is often the pride and vanity of the bishop or abbot, who encouraged the construction of the cathedral. “We will build a cathedral so huge that people will think we are crazy when they see it,” said a Spanish clergyman in Seville in 1402. Even today, the cathedral in Seville is considered the second largest in the world. “Perhaps,” writes the Jehovah’s Witnesses magazine “Awake!” (June 8, 2001), - cathedrals glorify the people who built them, but not God.”

The decoration of houses of prayer can be very modest and simple, as, for example, in Islamic mosques, Jewish synagogues, Protestant prayer meeting halls, or very rich, even luxurious, as in Catholic and Orthodox churches: the walls are decorated with icons and paintings on biblical themes , and the ceiling is covered with paintings. In Orthodox churches, the altar is separated from the main part of the room by a special wall consisting of icons - an iconostasis. In Catholic and Protestant churches, believers can communicate with God while sitting, but in Orthodox churches, as a rule, only standing, sometimes on their knees or prostrate on the floor. On their knees they turn to Allah and the Mohammedans.

The fact that already in ancient times people built a large number of temples for the gods is evidenced by excavations in Babylon. One of the inscriptions on a clay tablet says that there were 53 temples of the great gods, 55 sanctuaries of the god Marduk, 300 sanctuaries of earthly and 600 of heavenly deities, 180 altars of the glorious goddess Ishtar, 180 altars of the goddesses Nergal and Adadi and 12 other altars! These excavations confirmed that the inhabitants of Babylon so loved (or rather feared) their gods that they devoted most of their vital and creative forces to the construction of these religious buildings. Churches (temples) are small and large. An example of a small church is the architectural miracle - the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl. The largest Christian church is St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, which can accommodate tens of thousands of worshipers. Muslims do not lag behind Christians - for example, the Sultan Suleiman Mosque in Istanbul can accommodate up to 10 thousand people.

Usually a separate temple is dedicated to each god. For example, the Temple of Vesta or Saturn in Rome. However, there are also temples dedicated to all gods at once. For example, built in 27 BC. Marcus Agrippa Pantheon, in which there were statues of many gods. The Pantheon is the greatest ancient domed structure that has survived to this day almost unchanged. And nowadays there are temples in which believers can pray to several gods at once - Christ, Allah and Yahweh. The number of temples of the gods varies - from one, as for example, in the past with the god Jehovah-Yahweh, to tens and even hundreds of thousands - with Christ and Allah. In Russia alone, by the beginning of 1917, there were about 78 thousand Orthodox churches, prayer houses and chapels alone.

In recent decades, given that believers are not very willing to attend churches, so-called “electronic churches” have become increasingly widespread in Western countries, especially in the United States. They are radio and television broadcasts, as well as computer programs that believers can use wherever they are - at home, at work, on vacation, while traveling. “Electronic churches” offer believers Christian news, all kinds of Christian dialogue performances, religious cartoons, games and puzzles with religious content. It is interesting that God himself, as before, does not seek to take advantage of new opportunities for communication with his believers. Apparently he has no time for this, he is very busy... Just what?

The life of the gods, their behavior and activities

Nothing human is alien to the gods - like people, they work, rest, walk, eat, drink, sleep and even dream. They have many human traits: they get angry, are not free from envy, they can be sad and happy. The gods are very proud of their position and therefore very vain. Thus, the Sumerian god Enki - the god of water and wisdom -
loved to glorify himself, his high position in the hierarchy of the gods, his Abzu temple and, of course, his many good deeds. First of all, the laws he created that govern the world. He boasted that he introduced arable agriculture and that he appointed the god Enkidu to look after the plowing tools. He was proud of having built granaries for storing grain, transferring supervision of them to the goddess Ashnan, as well as of inventing a hoe and a mold for making bricks. Being consistent in everything, he entrusted the god of bricks, Kull, with overseeing the making of bricks. Allah is very proud of himself and his deeds, which is why in the Quran he calls himself “We”.

The habits and customs of people are also not alien to the gods. So, after victory and accession to the palace, the victorious god rebuilt his palace in accordance with his tastes. For example, the Ugaritian god Baal, after defeating the god of the seas and rivers Yam-Nahar, despite a quite decent palace (made of brick and cedar), considered that his house was worse than that of the other gods and decided to replace it with a luxurious palace, which he built from gold, silver and lapis lazuli. In honor of any successes - victory over an enemy, completion of the construction of a palace, the birth of a child - the gods organized holidays and feasts. They always loved to eat, they ate with taste and a lot. Given the colossal size of the stomach, it was very difficult to feed them. So, the Indian god Indra had two stomachs, as huge as lakes. One can imagine how much he had to eat to be satisfied... After the death of the god Baal, a funeral feast was held, for which 60 bulls, 60 goats and 60 roe deer were killed. Like people, gods love to celebrate birthdays. Judging by the myths, the gods lived especially well in ancient times.

The ancient Greek gods spent most of their time in feasts. The daughter of Zeus, young Hebe and the son of the king of Troy, Ganymede, offered them ambrosia and nectar - the food and drink of the Greek gods. Beautiful harites (graces) and muses delighted them with singing and dancing. Holding hands, they danced in circles, and the gods admired their light movements and wondrous, eternally youthful beauty. These gods, like people, loved to eat well, drink, including good wine, dance, and listen to music. People in those days had not yet invented radio, television, or recording music on video cassettes and compact discs. And since the gods were in no hurry to bestow people with the fruits of civilization and various convenient inventions, they themselves (apparently out of modesty) did not use them either. Therefore, they had to listen only to “live” music, that is, concerts of musicians who performed in front of them. But this also had its positive side: the musicians never performed in front of them under “plywood”. But at their feasts the gods not only had fun - at them they decided at the same time all important matters, determined the fate of the world and people.

In the past, the gods loved to show their strength, fight, and take part in battles. During hostilities, gods, like ordinary people, could be captured. Thus, the Babylonian god Marduk spent 21 years in Assyrian captivity - from 689 to 668 BC. Although the gods loved to have fun, they did not shy away from work and crafts. Thus, the Ugaritic god of crafts, Kotar-i-Khasis, produced magnificent works of applied art.

The life of some gods is planned literally minute by minute. Thus, in one of the Hare Krishna sects in India, in the state of Rajasthan, until recently, eight ceremonies were held during the day, during which the god Krishna was woken up, dressed, sang about how he leads a herd of cows to pasture, then “fed”, provided daytime rest, woke him up again, “fed him” again, sang about how he drives the cows home, and then put him to bed for the night. Elsewhere in India, in the town of Pazhani (southern India), the popular and highly respected Tamil god Muragan is still taken for an evening walk every day (!). He rides on a chariot - a tower, about five meters high, placed on a four-wheeled platform. God himself is represented by a statue of a young man with a spear in his hand, seated on a peacock. About three dozen people are dragging the chariot, grabbing the ropes. Behind the chariot, several young men are dragging a large generator that provides electricity for the illumination arranged in honor of God.

And here is the daily routine of another Indian god - Vithoba. Every day, the Badwe (the priestly clan that performs all services to Vithoba) performs five obligatory ritual ceremonies - at dawn, morning, noon, evening and night. The stone statue of Vithobu, which for most believers is only a symbol for prayerful concentration, is gently awakened, washed, anointed, dressed and decorated (at the same time, special “dingre” priests offer a mirror to Vithoba so that he can appreciate the efforts of the priests), fed and put to bed to rest. Many times a day, Vithoba participates in prayer services - pujas. The purpose of the puja can be the fulfillment of a vow, the propitiation of a deity, the acquisition of virtues or prasad - food covered with divine touch. During the puja, chants are continuously heard, and the object of worship is repeatedly washed in five “sweet nectars” - milk, honey, sugar syrup, curdled milk and ghee.

Some ancient gods were also kings on earth. So, the god Seth was the king of Upper Egypt, and Horus was the king of Lower Egypt. Horus then received control of both Egyptian kingdoms. The god Enki was a very good ruler of the city-state of Ur. He constantly cared about its prosperity and superiority over other cities. To begin with, he filled the Tigris River with fresh, sparkling and life-giving water.

To ensure the proper functioning of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, he appointed the god Enbilulu, the “supervisor of the canals,” to supervise them. He also created life-giving rain, made it fall to the ground (how caring it is!) and appointed the storm god Ishkur to supervise it. To cultivate the land, he invented a plow, a yoke and a harrow and ordered the god Enkidu to look after them. He did not forget about houses and, in particular, about the bricks from which they are built. And he appointed the god Mushdamma as the chief architect (“great builder”).

And yet the life of most gods is not nearly as easy and pleasant as it might seem. They have not only friends, but also enemies. Thus, the Egyptian god Ra had such an enemy as the serpent Apophis - also, of course, a god. It was a very malicious giant snake that not only bothered Ra during his stay on earth, but even wanted to overthrow and destroy the solar deity. The fight with him lasted the whole day from sunrise to sunset, and Apep, although he was defeated, managed to survive and hide in the underground kingdom, where since then Ra’s boat has been attacked every night.

In the infancy of the god Krishna, the smallpox goddess Putana (not to be confused with putbna - a walking woman) tried to destroy the god Krishna, who offered the baby god a breast full of poison. But Krishna, despite his young age, as befits great gods, did not allow himself to be offended: he sucked out the entire contents of the breast of the killer goddess and the withered Putana died. Krishna's troubles did not end there. Seeing Krishna in the cradle, the demon Shaktasura descended from heaven to kill the child. But the young god dealt with him too, turning him to dust with a kick. But even this did not end the machinations of forces hostile to Krishna - many more times he had to fight with asuras who took the form of angry animals - elephants, bulls, horses, donkeys and snakes. Mahabhbrata 10 gives a long list of duels and all kinds of fights in which Krishna invariably won. One day he had to fight with a very unusual opponent - his own double, who appropriated his name.

As for the activities of such great gods as Sabaoth-Yahweh, Allah and Jesus Christ, practically nothing is known about them. According to the Koran, Allah is awake all the time (“...neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes him.” Sura 2, verse 256). But how he fills his precious time is unknown. In any case, he doesn’t tell his followers this, and the believers themselves don’t dare ask - it’s scary, what if he doesn’t like it and gets angry. The great, sole-ruling gods communicated with people only in the distant past. They have not communicated with people for a long time and do not make themselves known.

As is clear from the Bible, Host-Yahweh worked very hard to create the world - for 6 whole days and therefore was very tired. After all, he created the world (i.e., the Earth) and everything that inhabits it with the help of words. How many words did he have to utter to create all the flora and fauna! Then he began to relax and, apparently, is still engaged in this pleasant activity. In any case, he does not interfere in human affairs. Saving their God from criticism, Christian theologians and clergy came up with a special explanation for his behavior: God, they say, gave people freedom. From this freedom, God himself benefited the most - from now on he does not need to take care of anyone, and people themselves are to blame for all their troubles - they abused their freedom: they behaved badly or unreasonably and sinned a lot! And the Christian God is hardly interested in earthly, as well as cosmic problems.

Jesus Christ in his human form, judging by the Gospels, worked hard to spread his teachings. But after the crucifixion, which then followed his ascension to heaven and return to his “uncreated” state, he also does not really bother himself with the problems of people. The gods of different nations possess whatever qualities and talents, but only Indians can achieve the state of nirvana.

The main gods in Ancient Hellas were recognized as those who belonged to the younger generation of celestials. Once upon a time, it took away power over the world from the older generation, who personified the main universal forces and elements (see about this in the article The Origin of the Gods of Ancient Greece). The gods of the older generation are usually called titans. Having defeated the Titans, the younger gods, led by Zeus, settled on Mount Olympus. The ancient Greeks honored the 12 Olympian gods. Their list usually included Zeus, Hera, Athena, Hephaestus, Apollo, Artemis, Poseidon, Ares, Aphrodite, Demeter, Hermes, Hestia. Hades is also close to the Olympian gods, but he does not live on Olympus, but in his underground kingdom.

Legends and myths of Ancient Greece. Cartoon

God Poseidon (Neptune). Antique statue of the 2nd century. according to R.H.

Goddess Artemis. Statue in the Louvre

Statue of Virgin Athena in the Parthenon. Ancient Greek sculptor Phidias

Venus (Aphrodite) de Milo. Statue approx. 130-100 BC.

Eros Earthly and Heavenly. Artist G. Baglione, 1602

Hymen- companion of Aphrodite, god of marriage. After his name, wedding hymns were also called hymens in Ancient Greece.

- daughter of Demeter, kidnapped by the god Hades. The inconsolable mother, after a long search, found Persephone in the underworld. Hades, who made her his wife, agreed that she should spend part of the year on earth with her mother, and the other with him in the bowels of the earth. Persephone was the personification of grain, which, being “dead” sown into the ground, then “comes to life” and comes out of it into the light.

The abduction of Persephone. Antique jug, ca. 330-320 BC.

Amphitrite- wife of Poseidon, one of the Nereids

Proteus- one of the sea deities of the Greeks. Son of Poseidon, who had the gift of predicting the future and changing his appearance

Triton- the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a messenger of the deep sea, blowing a shell. In appearance it is a mixture of a man, a horse and a fish. Close to the eastern god Dagon.

Eirene- goddess of peace, standing at the throne of Zeus on Olympus. In Ancient Rome - the goddess Pax.

Nika- goddess of victory. Constant companion of Zeus. In Roman mythology - Victoria

Dike- in Ancient Greece - the personification of divine truth, a goddess hostile to deception

Tyukhe- goddess of luck and good fortune. For the Romans - Fortuna

Morpheus– ancient Greek god of dreams, son of the god of sleep Hypnos

Plutos– god of wealth

Phobos(“Fear”) – son and companion of Ares

Deimos(“Horror”) – son and companion of Ares

Enyo- among the ancient Greeks - the goddess of frantic war, who arouses rage in the fighters and brings confusion into the battle. In Ancient Rome - Bellona

Titans

Titans are the second generation of gods of Ancient Greece, generated by natural elements. The first Titans were six sons and six daughters, descended from the connection of Gaia-Earth with Uranus-Sky. Six sons: Cronus (Time among the Romans - Saturn), Ocean (father of all rivers), Hyperion, Kay, Kriy, Iapetus. Six daughters: Tethys(Water), Theia(Shine), Rhea(Mother Mountain?), Themis (Justice), Mnemosyne(Memory), Phoebe.

Uranus and Gaia. Ancient Roman mosaic 200-250 AD.

In addition to the Titans, Gaia gave birth to Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires from her marriage with Uranus.

Cyclops- three giants with a large, round, fiery eye in the middle of their forehead. In ancient times - personifications of clouds from which lightning flashes

Hecatoncheires- “hundred-handed” giants, against whose terrible strength nothing can resist. Incarnations of terrible earthquakes and floods.

The Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires were so strong that Uranus himself was horrified by their power. He tied them up and threw them deep into the earth, where they are still rampaging, causing volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The presence of these giants in the belly of the earth began to cause terrible suffering. Gaia persuaded her youngest son, Cronus, to take revenge on his father, Uranus, by castrating him.

Cron did it with a sickle. From the drops of blood of Uranus that spilled, Gaia conceived and gave birth to three Erinyes - goddesses of vengeance with snakes on their heads instead of hair. The names of Erinny are Tisiphone (the killing avenger), Alecto (the tireless pursuer) and Megaera (the terrible). From that part of the seed and blood of castrated Uranus that fell not on the ground, but in the sea, the goddess of love Aphrodite was born.

Night-Nyukta, in anger at the lawlessness of Krona, gave birth to terrible creatures and deities Tanata (Death), Eridu(Discord) Apata(Deception), goddesses of violent death Ker, Hypnos(Dream-Nightmare), Nemesis(Revenge), Gerasa(Old age), Charona(carrier of the dead to the underworld).

Power over the world has now passed from Uranus to the Titans. They divided the universe among themselves. Cronus became the supreme god instead of his father. The ocean gained power over a huge river, which, according to the ideas of the ancient Greeks, flows around the entire earth. Four other brothers of Cronos reigned in the four cardinal directions: Hyperion - in the East, Crius - in the south, Iapetus - in the West, Kay - in the North.

Four of the six elder titans married their sisters. From them came the younger generation of titans and elemental deities. From the marriage of Oceanus with his sister Tethys (Water), all the earth's rivers and Oceanid water nymphs were born. Titan Hyperion - (“high-walking”) took his sister Theia (Shine) as his wife. From them were born Helios (Sun), Selena(Moon) and Eos(Dawn). From Eos were born the stars and the four gods of the winds: Boreas(North wind), Note(South wind), Marshmallow(west wind) and Eurus(Eastern wind). The Titans Kay (Heavenly Axis?) and Phoebe gave birth to Leto (Night Silence, mother of Apollo and Artemis) and Asteria (Starlight). Cronus himself married Rhea (Mother Mountain, the personification of the productive power of mountains and forests). Their children are the Olympic gods Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, Zeus.

The Titan Crius married the daughter of Pontus Eurybia, and the Titan Iapetus married the oceanid Clymene, who gave birth to the Titans Atlas (he holds the sky on his shoulders), the arrogant Menoetius, the cunning Prometheus (“thinking first, foreseeing”) and the feeble-minded Epimetheus (“thinking after").

From these titans came others:

Hesperus- god of the evening and the evening star. His daughters from the night-Nyukta are the nymphs Hesperides, who guard on the western edge of the earth a garden with golden apples, once presented by Gaia-Earth to the goddess Hera at her marriage to Zeus

Ory- goddesses of parts of the day, seasons and periods of human life.

Charites- goddess of grace, fun and joy of life. There are three of them - Aglaya (“Rejoicing”), Euphrosyne (“Joy”) and Thalia (“Abundance”). A number of Greek writers have different names for charites. In Ancient Rome they corresponded to grace