Sacrifice

The god who dies that others might live. Christ on the cross. Mithras over the bull. Inanna on the hook. Odin on the tree. Quetzalcoatl on the pyre. The pattern is so consistent that it has its own scholarly name — the dying-rising god.

Stories on this theme 5

Odin on the Tree

Mythic Time · recorded ~10th century CE

Norse

Christ on the Cross

~30 CE · recorded ~70-100 CE

Christian

Mithras Kills the Bull and the World Is Born

Mythic Time · Mithraic cult active c. 80-400 CE

Mithraic

Inanna's Descent

Mythic Time · recorded ~1900-1600 BCE

Mesopotamian

Isis Reassembles Osiris

Mythic Time · oldest written ~2400 BCE Pyramid Texts

Egyptian

Entities 24

Mercurius

Alchemical

The Pelican

Alchemical

Gawain

Arthurian

Huitzilopochtli

Aztec & Maya

Hun Hunahpu

Aztec & Maya

Itzamna

Aztec & Maya

Mictlantecuhtli

Aztec & Maya

Quetzalcoatl

Aztec & Maya

The Hero Twins

Aztec & Maya

Tlaloc

Aztec & Maya

Xipe Totec

Aztec & Maya

Huitzilopochtli — The Hummingbird of the South

Aztec

Quetzalcoatl — The Feathered Serpent

Aztec

Tlaloc — Lord of Rain

Aztec

Tlaltecuhtli — The Earth Lord

Aztec

Tonatiuh — The Fifth Sun

Aztec

Xolotl — Dog of the Underworld

Aztec

Bahá'u'lláh

Bahai

The Báb

Bahai

Crom Cruach

Celtic

Nezha

Chinese

White Dragon Horse (Bai Long Ma)

Chinese

Tiddalik the Flood Frog (Various Nations)

Dreamtime

Aino

Finnish

Symbols 2

Numbers 2