A summarised article on the Cult of Mithras.
Tauroctony - the sacrifice of a bull by Mithras.
The primeval bull, a personification of brute force and vitality, dies by the shedding of it's blood. Mithras releases its concentrated power for the benefit of mankind. " You have saved men by the spilling of the eternal blood" is the only surviving line of Mithraic liturgy.
From the dying beast spring new forms of life: from its body plants and herbs (its tail is shown tipped with corn ears) and from its blood the vine. Mithras's allies, the dog and the snake, leap to drink the life giving blood but the scorpion represents the forces of evil , attempts to contaminate the event by attacking the bulls genitals. Also present are two divine torch-bearing supporters of Mithras, Cautes with a up lifted torch, and Cautopates with a down-turned torch, symbolising the rising and setting of the sun, hope and sorrow. In attition the sun and the moon are normally shown to emphasise the cosmic nature of the event.
Blagged from an old copy of Archaeology Today.
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