The many-faced god in different religions of the world

What the gods could not imagine! But the most important was usually two qualities: immortality and limitless possibilities. In one of their ancient religions, which arose on Earth, Hinduism, and appeared a many-faced god. First he was one - the creator of all that exists Brahma. Then Vishnu and Shiva joined him, forming a divine triad. In the above image, all the gods of the upper pantheon are depicted with wives (from left to right): Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati.

What was Brahma

In general, Indian affairs are understood quite hard, because in India they do not think in the same way as in Europe. All categories are different. But let's not go into them, but try to look at the supreme deity - on Brahma. Ironically, it is by no means the most revered. In India, there are few temples dedicated to Brahma, few who worship it. Even for the Indians, it is quite incomprehensible. They are interested, perhaps, only people from the caste of the brahmanas. They honor and know him.

What is Brahma busy with?

Brahma, the many-faced god, leads the Trimurti, the triad of deities, the other two of which are Shiva and Vishnu. About Brahma do not tell tales and legends, so a simple heart it is difficult to love. He - the concept of abstract, which is incomprehensible to the simple-hearted illiterate Indian. Brahma, the many-faced god, is somewhere in unknown distances and is always in a dream. And this is good. Because once he created the world as a single whole entity, and then took and broke his creation into the smallest pieces, and we got the world we have now. He created multiplicity out of oneness. And all Indian sages practicing tapaz seek to merge with a holistic absolute. Brahma is hard to imagine, but still in the Indian iconography it is shown as shown in the picture depicting Trimurti. He has four faces. Once he fell in love with a woman and wanted to see her wherever she was. Therefore, the many-faced god has four faces to watch his chosen one in all parts of the world.

Vishnu the Keeper

Here Vishnu is a god who has an understandable biography to all. And for what it's needed, it's clear to everyone. He must guard the world that Brahma created. From whom does he guard? Of course, from demons. But he overcame them and lives quietly in the heavenly distances, in his kingdom. There the Ganges flows, but not terrestrial, but heavenly, there are five lakes in which lotuses grow, and the golden shining palaces rise. Vishnu sits on a snow-white lotus, which is placed on a golden throne.

At his feet, always a dutifully sits a wife - beautiful, eternally young Lakshmi. It is a symbol of motherhood, wealth and beauty. In general, the dark-skinned Vishnu and Lakshmi are an example of harmony in the family for all Indians. Wherever Vishnu goes, even if he descends to the earth, Lakshmi is always his faithful companion.

Vishnu is not a different person. This can be seen in his image with his wife.

Acts of Vishnu on earth

Vishnu descended to the ground nine times to defeat evil. The first time it was before the flood. He turned into a fish and saved a pious man, from whom then came the human race.

The second time he took the form of a turtle and helped the gods with the help of the asuras (demons) to get from the ocean a drink of immortality. Then from the bosom of the waters there appeared the dazzlingly beautiful Lakshmi, whom Vishnu took as his wife. But the demons took possession of the drink of immortality. Then Vishnu was transformed into a girl of unparalleled beauty, which was to determine which of the demons first to drink this liquid. And, having received a vessel with her, Vishnu disappeared without a trace. He returned to the gods. Deceived demons rushed into the battle, but in thousands they died, and the gods, who gained immortality, they won. More than once Visnu descended to the earth, but the last, the tenth, his coming should destroy the kingdom of evil on earth, and then all will live happily.

Triple Deity

The triad divine, as Carl Jung believed, is an archetype in the history of religion. The number "three" has a long history of mythical associations.

In classical antiquity, Aphrodite is a striking example, which was represented in the form of Urania (heavenly) and Pandemos (nationwide). And also muses (Aonidy - song, Meleta - practice, Mnemosin - memory). This is a very ancient, original representation. Later there were nine of them.

In the Roman period, the goddess of the moon was associated with the ancients with the moon, pouring light in the sky, with Diana, who is unblemished on earth, and Hecata or Proserpine, who were associated with witchcraft and put in Hell.

In the Capitoline period, the Roman triad consisted of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, which is a powerful family.

Fate in the Greco-Roman mythology represented three Moira: Clotho, Lachezis and Anthropos.

In Norwegian mythology, the goddess mother appeared in three ways: Freya, Frigg and Scady.

There are many more examples, but we will end with the last two of Slavic and Greek mythology. God Triglav in Slovenia, Serbia and Croatia was portrayed as a three-headed man or as a man with three goat heads. During the Christian period all his images were destroyed. It was a three-faced deity. As was the tricolor of Hecate, whose image has survived to this day. Apparently, it was one of her oldest cults.

Well, the very last one is no longer a god, but a well-known mythical creature - the monstrous dog Cerberus, who was portrayed with three heads and guarded by Hades.

Roman deity

God Janus - one of the oldest Roman deities, which preceded the appearance in the pantheon of the Greek gods. He was portrayed with two faces. One of them was young, the other - old. Or one of the faces was male, and the second one was feminine. His temple was built on a square in the center of ancient Rome, and inside the structure stood a statue of Janus of bronze. The doors of the temple were opened during the war and closed when the peace came. During the existence of the Roman Empire, they were closed only nine times. Before the advent of Jupiter, Janus opened the heavenly gates and let out the sun, and in the evening he locked them. Its attribute was the key. He patronized all the doors, and also counted the days of the year. On one of his palms stood the number of "three hundred", and on the other - "sixty-five." Janus was the god of any endeavor, and the double-faced symbolized his circumspection, which is necessary for every new cause. Only a century later, it began to mean a negative quality - hypocrisy.