Uranus - the god of the sky of Ancient Greece

Ancient Greek culture and religion imposeda huge imprint on the whole of the subsequent European civilization. If we look closely, we still largely live in the atmosphere of Greek myths and think in Greek categories. For example, in the solar system there is a giant planet called Uranus. And they called her so in honor of the ancient Greek god of heaven. About him and will be discussed below.

Uranus in mythology

Uranus is a god who in Ancient Hellas personifieda heavenly firmament. He was a son and at the same time a spouse of Gaea, the goddess of the earth. Together they spawned countless creatures and populated the world. Uranus is a god who belongs to the oldest generation of the gods of Greece. He was the father for the Titans themselves, and as one source says, the first began to rule the entire universe. That is, he was once the supreme deity. According to Hesiod, together with Gaia, Uranus spawned mountains, nymphs, cyclops, titans and giants who have one hundred hands. Being so prolific, Uranus nevertheless did not differ in love with his offspring and hid them in the womb of Gaia, that is, in Tartarus, the depths of the earth. This ultimately played a bad joke with him.

Loss of power

Gaia suffered greatly from her husband's behavior intheir offspring. To alleviate her torment, one of the sons of Gaia, named Kronos, rebelled against his father and cast it down with a sickle. From the blood, which spilled to the ground, there were Erynias. And from the one that poured into the sea, Aphrodite happened. So lost control of the world and receded into the background of Uranus. From this moment the God of heaven gave way to power over the universe of Kronos.

The origins of the cult

The cult of the god of the sky is one of the oldest. Therefore, it is no accident that he is present in Greece. The God of the sky Uranus in this sense is the development of a more archaic image, which also, according to the convictions of many specialists, was the source of the Vedic deity of Varuna. It is a question of a certain primordial European god, who was worshiped by our ancestors. It would be superfluous to note that it was the heavenly deity who played the supreme role in the most ancient of the known civilizations, for example in Babylon and Sumer. Uranus is a god who inherited this place, although he lost several of his positions. So, in Greece, although he was revered, they did not receive special worship. Strictly speaking, to date, not a single temple or sanctuary of Uranus, as well as its ancient images, has been found. Obviously, the Greeks did not betray him much, however, noting in his myths that he once played a more significant role.

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