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Death and Warrior Cults


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Warrior cults? I suggest examination of the Warrior Ethos of Medieval Japan , and pre-Columbian South America. Do you mean specific "Warrior Cults" or militaristic societies?

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warrior cults i think and were there any in rome(and roman territory) becuase i remember hearing that the egyptians were famous for different religios aspects such as the i think the crocidile stuff

 

Ah, I think you may be mistaken here. Egypt was generally an agriculutural and peaceful society. There would have been no need for a 'warrior' cult there.

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The legions were keen to honor such deities as Mithras and Jupiter Dolchenus, whose respective attributes endeared them to soldiers. But probably not the same thing as a death/warrior cult.

 

 

You might want to look at Germanic polytheism with Wotan and the tradition of "beserkers."

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I will see if what I can find out for you. The gods of the barbarians are not my strong suit, but I know people for whom they are.

 

just out of curiosity is there perhaps a topic that deals with that or perhaps are there any books or something like that that i could read to get a little more info on it
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The suggestion is that these men were (possibly) psychotic/paranoid/epileptic and hence might disregard both normal "fear" in battle , and also social mores as regards acceptable moral behaviour on the battlefield. The abolity to ,apparently, disregard wounds is of considerable superstitious power in the mystique of their comabt abilities (though endorphin release would be a reasonable explanation).

The reference to the Ulfshander is perhaps the most significant, the ritual transmutation of the individual through identification with a powerful totemic animal (wolf/bear) and the accretion of extra human powers in battle.

The key factor I suggest is this , that a a social/political group could nurture (through economic viability) a specialised warrior group to be deployed as required in combat , maintained outside of any intergrated societal role .

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The Mithras thread might help you Brotus.

 

The Lewis Chessmen show three Berserkers,the Berserker must of mellowed a bit by the 12thCE because these three chaps are fully Armoured!there still crazy though,note the biting of the Shields ;) .

 

lewischessmenberserkersre9.th.jpg

 

The Lewis Chessmen.

Edited by longbow
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warrior cults i think and were there any in rome(and roman territory) becuase i remember hearing that the egyptians were famous for different religios aspects such as the i think the crocidile stuff

 

Ah, I think you may be mistaken here. Egypt was generally an agriculutural and peaceful society. There would have been no need for a 'warrior' cult there.

Ozymandias! You should know your Egypt better! :D

 

Papremis was the site of the battle in 460 B. C., when Inaros defeated Achaemenes (iii. 12.4); its exact position is uncertain, but Sourdille (E. p. 90 seq.) shows that probably it was the original native town which was absorbed later by the Greek Pelusium (so Rhakoti was absorbed by Alexandria). His arguments, briefly, are: (1) identity of position; Papremis was on the Egyptian frontier, on or near the Nile (Diod. xi. 74); H. says Pelusium is

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Wasn't the worship of Herakles a warrior cult?

Oddly enough in Rome at least, Hercules was more of a Merchant cult

 

If not, what is meant by the term?

It is an intersting question. I think Brotus, you may need to be more specific in what you are seaking.

 

That being said, in Greece any systematic worship of Ares could perhaps be deamed a warrior cult...

 

In Rome, one might me tempted in saying that the Salii represented a warrior cult due to their priesthood to Mars but they were actually more agricultural in nature.

 

Bellona might be better sought as a figurehead in this case; however, the Bellonarii who wounded themselves during sacrifices on the Dies Sanguinis were actually cult firgures from a 'different' Bellona brought back from Cappadocia during the Mithridatic War...

 

Now for Death Cults.. Most of the ancient Mystery Religions fit that bill.

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Wasn't the worship of Herakles a warrior cult?

Oddly enough in Rome at least, Hercules was more of a Merchant cult

 

If not, what is meant by the term?

It is an intersting question. I think Brotus, you may need to be more specific in what you are seaking.

 

That being said, in Greece any systematic worship of Ares could perhaps be deamed a warrior cult...

 

In Rome, one might me tempted in saying that the Salii represented a warrior cult due to their priesthood to Mars but they were actually more agricultural in nature.

 

Bellona might be better sought as a figurehead in this case; however, the Bellonarii who wounded themselves during sacrifices on the Dies Sanguinis were actually cult firgures from a 'different' Bellona brought back from Cappadocia during the Mithridatic War...

 

Now for Death Cults.. Most of the ancient Mystery Religions fit that bill.

to be more specific i think or the most specific i can be any way is that through out history there has been religions and stuff that deal with death and warriors and i guess to be more specific, i would have to say is that with rome if there were these kinds of religions what were the most common ones and wich gods/godesses and such werwe represented in the religions

riddick

B.M

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