Summary:
Among the ancients there were popular drakon cults, running parallel to -
for example - Mithraic mysteries; Marcus Aurelius was an initiate as
Pater Noster in Mithraism and a Drakon. The ophis-worship had a much
older provenance, as it was known among the Hindis, Egyptians, and
throughout the Orient. The caduceus rod with wings originated from this
cult and it was signifying healing (spagyric medicine:
venom used in right amounts could heal certain maladies). The great
Aesculap was considered a Drakon, while Drakon-Aion was another name for
the Solar Aion, in Chaldean mysteries the transcendent Sun.
It is of interest that the cults were suppressed by Christianity, upon
unsuccessful attempt to symbolically 'marry' Christ to Artemis-Drakaina
and legitimize his rule among Roman citizenry - for a 'god' without a
wife was quite worthless. That of course was not the main reason for
cult suppression. The symbolic attempts to marry Christ to
'Artemis-Drakaina' did not work and her temples were destroyed (St. John
of Apocalypse was known as the prime destroyer of her temples). Drakon
cults were -in majority - staffed by females. The origin of the 'Book of
the Revelation' was based in hatred for Snake and Dragon cults, and the
'Great Whore' was no else than Artemis, she was the Patroness of
Dragons (Orphic Mysteries).
For further information, read:
Ogden, Daniel. 2013. Drakon dragon myth and serpent cult in the Greek and Roman worlds. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Aronen, Jaakko. "Dragon Cults and νύμφη δράκαινα in IGUR 974." Zeitschrift Für Papyrologie Und Epigraphik 111 (1996): 125-32. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20189729.
For further information, read:
Ogden, Daniel. 2013. Drakon dragon myth and serpent cult in the Greek and Roman worlds. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Aronen, Jaakko. "Dragon Cults and νύμφη δράκαινα in IGUR 974." Zeitschrift Für Papyrologie Und Epigraphik 111 (1996): 125-32. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20189729.
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