| Name ▲▼ | Origin ▲▼ | Description ▲▼ |
|---|---|---|
| God name "Rsabha (the bull)" | Hindu / Epic / Puranic | God. An unusual avatara of VIS'NU. Said to be similar to the Jain deity Rsabhanatha and therefore may represent an attempt to meld the two religions by absorbing Jainism locally.... |
| Goddess name "Samas'" | Mesopotamian / Babylonian - Akkadian | Sun god. The patron deity of Sippar and Larsa. His consort is the mother goddess A-A. S amas derives from the god UTU in the Sumerian pantheon. He is åśśociated with justice. His symbol is the Sun disc and a star surrounded with radiating Sunbeams. He may carry a single-headed scimitar embellished with a panther head. His sanctuary is known as the E-babbar. Also åśśociated with human-headed bulls. His attendant deities include Mes aru, justice, and Kettu, righteousness. He came to much greater prominence in the pantheon at Babylon from about the eighteenth century BC.... |
| God name "Sarapis" | Late Egypt | God. Known only from the Greco-Roman period of the early Ptolemies (fourth century BC) but persisting in Europe until second or third century AD. In Egyptian religion Sarapis is a hybridization of certain aspects of OSIRIS, the underworld god, and APIS, the bull god, who symbolizes the earthly presence of PTAH. Sarapis is perceived to epitomize both the fertility of the land and the life of the sacred bull after death. In Greek mythology he takes on aspects of ZEUS, HELIOS, ASKLEPIOS and DIONYSOS. He was worshiped extensively in the Roman Empire period. A sanctuary at York in England was dedicated by a soldier of the sixth legion, and magnificent statues were discovered in the Walbrook Mithraeum in London, and at Merida in Spain. Also Seraphis (Greek).... |
| God name "Sin" | Mesopotamian / BabylonianAkkadian | moon god. Derived from the older Sumerian model of NANNA. His consort is NIKKAL (NINGAL). He is symbolized by the new moon and perceived as a bull whose horns are the crescent of the moon. Cult centers are identified at Ur, Harran and Neirab. Also Suen (archaic).... |
| God name "Tarvos Trigaranos" | Gaul | Bull god of Gaul |
| God name "Tarvos Trigaranos" | Roman / Celtic / Gallic | Bull god. Known chiefly from a four-sided monument erected near Paris by boatmen of the Seine during the reign of the emperor Tiberius. It depicts ESUS, VulcanUS, JUPITER and Tarvos. As Tarvos Trigaranos, he is drawn as a bull with three cranes on its back and can be seen at such places as Dorchester in England. The bull may alternatively bear three horns.... |
| God name "Tilla" | Hittite | Bull god Hittite / Hurrian |
| God name "Tilla" | Hittite / Hurrian | Bull god. The attendant and vehicle of the weather god TESUB.... |
| Goddess name "Zhiwud" | Kafir / Afghanistan | Messenger goddess. A deity connected and possibly syncretizing with the goddess DISANI but who, according to legend, carried vital messages to the heroic god MON during a primordial battle between gods and giants. Mon lives by a lake surrounded by fire, and the goddess's wings (a solitary inference that she can appear in the form of a bird) are scorched in the process until Mon heals them. In some variations Mon lives in the form of a bull which breathes fire. Also Zhuwut.... |
| God name "gSari Sgrub" | Bon / Lamaist / Tibet | God. Originally a Bon deity who became syncretized as a variety of the god YAMA in Lamaism. His animal is the bull and he may appear bull-headed. Color: red. Attributes: cup, knife and prayer wheel.... |
Table of Gods
Your guide to the World gods, spirits,
demons and legendary monsters
Apis
took the form a bull. In most statues he was pictured with his head facing up toward the sun, and chest pushed out. This pose was considered a very noble and strong stance. The way priests would be able to recognize Apis, from other bulls, was from the mystical marks he was given. On his forehead he had a white triangle, on his back was a figure of a vulture with outstretched wings, his right side had a crescent moon, his tongue had the image of a scarab, and finally, the hairs on his tail were doubled. He is usually featured as black statue, with a sun disk on his head. His horns curled around the sun disk holding it in place. Apis was always featured having a long fluffy tail, with extra detail around the tip.
Significance:
Apis was an important mythical beast; he represented strength, fertility and vigor. He is a god of the dead, included in the Osiris cult. It is well known that the testicles of a bull contain an aphrodisiac. This is sometimes associated with Apis, being the god of Fertility. There were many bulls thought to be Apis, and each one was identified by the mythical marks. Each bull that was the reincarnation of the god Apis, was brought to the temple in Memphis that the kings had built. Apis’s temple was adjacent to that of Ptah’s. In the courtyard of Apis’s temple, he was allowed to roam around, going wherever he pleased. During his walks around the temple, his movements were thought to tell of the future.
Scholars would spend great amounts of time trying to decipher his actions. Apis also brought a great amount of tourism to the area. People would come from all around the world to watch the future be decoded before their eyes. Apis was thought to be immortal; however his host body was expected to die. Apis was allowed to live until his old age killed him. However, he was sometimes drown when he lived too long, as a sacrifice, or cleansing process. He was shoved into a sacred fountain by his caregiver and smothered until dead. On two occasions he was assassinated, the first time he was killed by Cambyses, and second by Ochus. When the mythical beast died, a great ceremony was held to honor his life. Each time a new successor was found, it was a joyous event and a celebration was held in his honor.
Family:
Apis was not known for having an intricate family, like all beings he was a child of Ra. His mother and father are not known because he was a mythical bull god; such family lines were not recorded. In 1850 a tomb was uncovered that had all the bodies of Apis in individual sandstone coffins. These bulls were said to be all the family that Apis had. The underground tomb that the sandstone coffins were in does not exist anymore. In the 1850’s there wasn’t a well known standard on how to handle ancient artifacts, so a lot of the coffins were sold to private owners, or destroyed for the jewels inside.
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