Ancillary elements Tauroctony

detail of cimrm 593: dog , serpent set @ bull s wound.



detail of cimrm 593: scorpion heading bull s testicles.

usually canine (commonly identified dog), serpent , scorpion appear in tauroctony scenes; dog , serpent typically set reaching wound, while scorpion typically set @ genitals of dying bull. many reliefs include bird, commonly identified raven, somewhere in scene. not infrequently, particularly in reliefs rhine , danube frontiers, tauroctony scenes include chalice , lion.

seldom absent reliefs, , included in free-standing tauroctony statuary, representations of cautes , cautopates, torchbearering twins appear miniature versions of mithras, respectively holding raised torch , lowered torch. usually, cautes stands right of scene while cautopates on left. in fifty tauroctony scenes, positions reversed, , in rare cases (such earliest cimrm 593), both on 1 side of scene. torchbearers commonly appear crossed legs. on number of reliefs, greenery or tree placed in vicinity, on both sides of bull, , @ other times, such @ nida (germany) wreath around relief. siscia in pannonia superior (sisak, croatia) similar wreath made of ears of wheat (cimrm 1475).

the signs of twelve zodiacal constellations (cancer, leo, virgo, libra, scorpius, sagittarius, capricorn, aquarius, pisces, aries, taurus, gemini) , allusions 7 planets (which in greco-roman thought include sun , moon) common in tauroctony reliefs , frescoes. tauroctony reliefs (but not statuary) include busts of sol , luna, i.e. respectively god of sun , goddess of moon, appear in respectively left , right top corners of scene. more ambitious cult images include sun s horse-driven quadriga mounting upwards on left, while luna s oxen-driven biga descends on right. in these, sol s chariot preceded naked youth phosphorus, runs ahead raised torch. luna s chariot preceded hesperus, lowered torch. 2 youths reminiscent of cautes , cautopates.

luna, sol , other 5 planetary gods (saturn, mars, mercury, jupiter, venus) represented stars in mithras outspread cloak, or scattered in background. 7 planetary gods commonly represented depiction of 7 altars (e.g. cimrm 40, 1275, 1818, 2245) or less commonly in anthropomorphic form, busts or full-length. several of more detailed reliefs seem have planetary gods placed in order of week-day dedications (from right left: monday/day 2:luna, tuesday:mars, wednesday:mercury, thursday:jupiter, friday:venus, saturday/day 7:saturn, sunday/day 1:sol), no standard sequence discernible.

as first identified karl bernhard stark in 1879 unexplored until dismantling of cumontian transfer scenario in 1970s, other elements of tauroctony scene except mithras himself have obvious astral correlations too. constellations of taurus (bull) , scorpius (scorpion) on opposite points of zodiac, , between them lies narrow band of sky in constellations of canine (canis major/minor or lupus), snake (hydra, not serpens or draco), twins (gemini), raven (corvus), cup (crater), lion (leo), , star of wheat ear (spica, alpha virginis) appeared in summers of late first century. simultaneously, porphyry s description of mysteries states, moon known bull , taurus exaltation (de antro 18).

beginning cumont, held astral symbolism (and other greco-roman elements in mysteries) merely late, superficial , adventitious accretion, mithraic scholars have treated correspondences between elements of tauroctony , constellations coincidental or trivial. chance these correlations accidental unintended coincidence improbable in extreme . chance correlations intentional, added incoherently , unsystematically, statistically negligible . @ same time, elements of tauroctony scene belong story designer of scene wished tell, , bull present because mithras kills one, not because bull taurus and/or moon.

occasionally, busts of 2 or 4 wind gods found in corners of cult reliefs. figures of other protective gods (juno-hera, oceanus-, hercules, vulcan, etc.) appear.

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