The religious world, like all other aspects of human life, in our time has a tendency to rapid development. The reverse side of progress is associated with the breaking of established traditions, the active interaction of different cultures and, as a result, the rapid growth of new religious movements of a syncretic nature. The relative stability of the religious sphere of previous periods of history is a thing of the past. In addition, today there is a steady upward trend in demand for pre-Christian heritage, mainly of pagan content. Bursts of neopaganism are observed all over the world, the number of their adherents is growing rapidly. This fact makes it relevant, moreover, it is urgently necessary, a detailed and in-depth study of ancient cults, their mythology, creed and practice.
Male and female in paganism
The followers of modern paganism and reconstructive enthusiasts of pagan cults, inspired by ancient images, recreate the system of reverence for nature, describing it in the language of mythology as a complex of complex relationships between various forces of the universe and man. Orthodox and universal in most of these constructions are the typological figures of the sun god - the archetypal divine Father of the Universe - and the earth goddess - the Great Mother. The latter is most often also associated with the moon, which leads in various contexts to the emergence of a stable pair of sun-earth or sun-moon as a male and female manifestation of a higher divine principle. The origins of these images are extremely ancient, dating back at least ten thousand years and rooted in the gray days of matriarchy. In general, they represent canonical images in Western culture, although they also have prototypes in many religious traditions of the world. However, there are reverse examples. For example, the divine Egyptian syzygy Geb and Nut are an inversion of the universal archetype. Goddess Nut - is the goddess of Heaven, and the god Geb manages the earth. Similarly, lunar symbolism is sometimes assigned to male characters. This is the case, for example, in Tengrism - the shamanistic religious system, in Egypt itself (in the person of the gods Thoth and Yaha), in the Vedic culture (under the guise of the god Soma). Sin also belongs to them - the god of the moon of ancient Sumer.
Sumerian cult of the moon. God nunn
Fragmented and fragmented information about the cult of the celestial bodies, which the Sumerian culture brought to us, tells us two names - Sin (Shin) and Nanna. Of these two characters, the second is the oldest moon god of this region. According to mythology, he was the son of the god Enlil, the grandson of the supreme sky god Anu. Accordingly, Nanna is the brother of Ninurta and Ishkur. In addition, he gave birth to two twin children - the famous goddess Ishtar and the god Shamash.
The mythological image of Nunn
The name Nunn means "lord of heaven." But the lord of heaven is not the god of the sun and the god of the moon. In this case, this epithet is stably associated only with the night luminary. Nanna was traditionally represented as a traveler across the heavenly ocean on a boat, which was the crescent moon. Hence his nickname "Magur", which means "ship".
Cult of Nunn
According to the available data, Nunn did not perform any special feats; he also did not distinguish himself in the field of war and love. Nevertheless, among the population of Sumer, he gained great respect and recognition. Initially, being the patron deity of the city of Ur, the cult of Nann conquered Harran, and then became dominant in Nippur - the religious capital of Sumer. Thus, the moon god became the leader in the number of adherents and admirers in Sumerian society.
Cult Development Nunn
The religions of the ancient peoples, when military or commercial relations appeared, began to mutually influence each other, and similar archetypal images often merged into one. As a result of these processes, the Sumerian god of the moon Nun merged into a single face with the Babylonian moon god Sin, imprinting in the culture of the region a holistic image of the deity of the night luminary that has passed through the centuries.
Another striking example of male deities associated with the satellite of the Earth, gives us Egypt.
The God of the Moon at the Egyptians
More specifically, the Egyptian tradition knows not one, but at least three male moon gods - Thoth, Yaaha and Khonsu. This is due to the fact that in ancient Egypt its entire history did not have a single religion. Although attempts were made to impose it, each nom, each city remained faithful to its own gods. Of course, among them were national deities, but their mythological role, genealogy, functions and practice of the cult could vary significantly from one center of worship to another.
The Egyptians only had a common culture, within which many independent religious schools were warm. Therefore, the god of the moon, each major city had its own.
God is that
The most famous and brightest of the known lunar deities of Egypt is, without a doubt, Thoth. His image is so impressive that even in our time, few people have not heard his name. Moreover, under the banner of Hermeticism, the cult of the god Thoth survived to this day. This is the only ancient Egyptian god whom fate spared in this regard.
But in fact, the jurisdiction of this character included not only the night luminary. Therefore, first of all, Thoth is not only the god of the moon, but the patron of knowledge and arts, the source of wisdom, the inventor of writing, the messenger of the gods. He escorted the soul of the deceased to the Kingdom of the Dead, and as a scribe attended Osiris at her trial.
The center of veneration of Thoth was the city of Germopol. Traditionally, this god of the moon was depicted by the Egyptians with the head of Ibis, who was considered his sacred animal. And the wife of the divine sage was the goddess Maat - the patroness of truth and all manner.
God yah
Probably Jah is the oldest moon god of the Egyptian pantheon. Initially, his cult originated in Thebes, where he was worshiped simply as the Moon, as an astronomical phenomenon. Actually, the name “Yah” itself simply means “moon” or “month”.
The cult of Ya'ah quickly flourished, and then fell into decay just as quickly, being unable to compete with other lunar deities. Nevertheless, the narrow circle of admirers at Jahach always remained. This is evidenced by the common, albeit rare images of this deity, as well as ancient Egyptian ritual texts. Of the latter, the most important evidence of the important role of Yaha is the notorious Book of the Dead.
Very little is known about mythology and other details of the life and veneration of this deity. To date, the cult of Jaah remains one of the least explored aspects of ancient Egyptian religiosity. Some scholars, however, suggest that he and the Jewish god Yahweh had a single prototype connecting both deities and serving as a source for their veneration.
God honsu
Khonsu is another moon god of Egypt. However, the symbolism associated with it is emphasized, in contrast to Thoth and Yaha, on the cyclic course of life. The name Khonsu itself means "passing." Accordingly, it is the god of the calendar, the ruler of time. Hence, it is of great importance, because it was from the lunar cycles that the Egyptians calculated the years, seasons, floods of the Nile, the time of sowing and harvesting.
The mythological family tree imputes the role of parents to Khons, the god Amon and the goddess Mut. The lord of time was portrayed in the image of a boy or youth with a moon disk on his head. And because of this iconographic relationship, he was sometimes associated with Harpocrates, the late syncretic god of silence and silence.
Synthesis of Moon Deities in Egypt
Like the Sumerian moon god Nunn-Sin, the moon gods of the Egyptians also merged into single images, and in various combinations. At different times and in different places, synthetic images of Tota-Yaha, Tota-Khonsu and Yahya-Khonsu are known.
One way or another, the moon god in the ancient world was a very important deity. This is due to the important role of the earth satellite in the social, agricultural, biological life of mankind and nature as a whole.