Re: Odin again?

I suspect that Mithradates was a manic-depressive megalomaniac. I he
had a real kingdom and a real army, he could have conquered the world
a la Alexander.

Anyway, I hate to encourage your obsession with the origin of Odin on
the Azov, but there are some other things that I have noticed that
are difficult to explain. I'll comment on them briefly here. Perhaps
I'll have more time later:

The similarities between the Norse and Zoroastrian mythologies are
striking. This goes especially for Ragnarok and the Final Battle. The
Creation is also closely paralleled. The Norse Ymir and the cosmic
cow Adhumla (etymology?) is mirrored in Gayomart and his ox Geush
Urvan as well as Yima and his sister/wife Yimak. Loki equates to
Ahriman. Jormungander (etymology for gander?) mirrors Azhi Dahaka.
Balder equates to Saoshyant, who will refound the world after the
Final Battle and bring the second Golden Age. The list goes on. What
is the link? There is nothing so plainly similar in Russian, Greek,
Hittite, or any other mythology as far as I have found (yes, I know
of the Hindu Yama, etc).

Here's something interesting for you, Torsten:

The Zoroastrian cosmic ocean goddess Anahita seems similar in name
and character with the Irish goddess Aine/Anu (details later).
Scholars believe that Aine was synonymous with Danu. I believe that
the Norse goddess Idun has some similarities in myth with Danu and
Anahita, namely that her apples of immortality parallel the Haoma
that grew on Anahita's Otherworld paradise (i.e. the Garden of Eden).
I suspect, however, that our linguistic experts would discount the
name similarity as being superficial at best.

Here's the intriguing part: Anahita was also called Tanais. So, it
seems too weird that Aine/Danu and Anahita/Tanais would have two
names that are so similar with each other's. Weirder still, the
ancient river Tanais is now called the Don (Danu!).

I got more weird stuff on Zurvan, Mithra, the World Tree or World
Mountain, etc., but this is enough for now.

--- In cybalist@..., tgpedersen@... wrote:
>
> Ta-dah, look what I found! I searched on the shelf with Roman
> authors, starting at A:
>
> Appianus: Mithridatica
>
> 101:
> ...
> Mithridates wintered at Dioscurias in Colchis, which city, the
> Colchians think, preserves the remembrance of the sojourn there of
> the Dioscuri with the Argonautic expedition. Here he conceived the
> vast plan, a strange one for a fugitive, of making the circuit of
the
> whole Pontus, and then of Scythia and the sea of Azov, thus
arriving
> at the Bosporus. He intended to take away the kingdom of Machares,
> his ungrateful son, and confront the Romans once more; wage war
> against them from the side of Europe while they were in Asia, and
put
> between them the strait which is believed to have called the
Bosporus
> because Io swam across it when she was changed into a cow and fled
> from the jealousy of Hera.
> 102.
> Such was the chimerical project that Mithridates now eagerly
pursied.
> He imagined nevertheless, that he should accomplish it. He pushed
on
> through strange and warlike Scythian tribes, partly by permission,
> partly by force, so respected and feared was he still, although a
> fugitive and in misfortune. He passed through the country of the
> Heniochi, who received him willingly. The Achaeans, who resisted
him,
> hwe put to flight. These, it is said, when returning from the siege
> of Troy, were driven by a storm into the Euxine sea and underwent
> great sufferings there at the hands of the barbarians because they
> were Greeks; and when they sent to their home for ships and their
> request was disregarded, they conceived such a hatred for the
Grecian
> race that whenever they captured any Greeks they immolated them in
> Scythian fashion. At first in their anger they served all in this
> way, afterwards only the handsomest ones, and finally a few chosen
by
> lot. So much for the Achaeans of Scythia.
> Mithridates finally reached the Azov country, of which there were
> many princes, all of whom received him, escorted him, and exchanged
> numerous presents with him, on account of the fame of his deeds,
his
> empire, and his power, which was still not to be despised. He even
> formed an alliance with them in contemplentation of other and more
> novel expoits, such as marching through Thrace to Macedonia,
through
> Macedonia to Pannonia, and passing over the Alps into Italy.
> ...
>
> Nothing is heard of these plans afterwards. But this is, for the
> first part, the route that "Odin" followed around that time. Did
they
> actually implement the plan? Did they hear of the defeat of
> Mithridates while en route in Pannonia and were suddenly stranded
> with no particular place to go?
>
> And who are those Acheans of Scythia? Were "Odin"'s people
descended
> not from Trojans, but from Greek-hating Achaeans?
>
> Torsten