Tuesday 4 July 2023

Gods In Ys

Gallicenae, VII, 1.

Imagine believing that various Gods were real and that peace must be kept between them as between human governments.

The Three, Taranis, Belisama and Lir, are the Gods of Ys. Christ denies all other Gods but has a priest in Ys because the city is a subordinate ally of the Roman Empire which is Christian. Mithras does not deny other Gods but does set Himself above Them. Thus, Mithraism seems to be intermediate between Ysan paganism and Christianity.

Gratillonius is:

Roman prefect in Ys, thus the local representative of a Christian state;
King of Ys, thus the current Incarnation of Taranis;
an initiate in the Mystery of Mithras.

A Mithraeum should be in a cave. The Ysans will not let Gratillonius buy land and dig a cave because the earth is Belisama's and Mithras does not accept women. Since Taranis also fructifies the earth, the Mithraeum must be in the city. Gratillonius proposes to adapt a disused warehouse but Lir Captain Hannon proposes a windowless room below the now risen sea level in the Raven Tower. Arguably, this will be appropriate since the room counts as a cave, since the raven is sacred to Mithras and since the Mithraeum, like the whole of Ys, will be hostage to Lir Who gives Mithras a cave while Mithras acknowledges the Three as the Gods of Ys even if not as superior to Himself. Will this work? Imagine proposing it at the United Nations.

2 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I dismiss the so called United Nations with the contempt it has so richly earned! A contempt which Poul Anderson also came to have for it.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

Sure! That wasn't my point here. Imagine a timeline where the UN discussed how much respect was due to Mithras and to the Three of Ys.

Paul.