アレース（スキタイ）
ハリカルナッソスのヘロドトスによれば、スキタイ人は7つの神と女神からなるパンテオン（ヘプタッド、神殿）を崇拝しており、彼はこれを古典的な古代ギリシャの神々と同じように解釈している。彼は8つの神々を3つのランクに分け、スキタイのパンテオンは典型的なインド・イラン系の構造であると述べている[1]<ef>Cunliffe, 2019, p265–290</ref>。
スキタイの「アレース」、すなわちハリカルナッソスのヘロドトスがギリシャ神話のアレースと同一視したスキタイの軍神は、第３ランクに属し、イランの神Vərᵊraγnに対応している。おそらくタビティーの子孫であった可能性がある。
The Scythian "Arēs," that is the Scythian war god equated by テンプレート:Transliteration of テンプレート:Transliteration with the Greek god [[Ares|テンプレート:Transliteration]], corresponded to the Iranian deity [[Verethragna|テンプレート:Transliteration]], and might possibly have been an offspring of テンプレート:Transliteration.テンプレート:Sfn The Scythian and Sarmatian "テンプレート:Transliteration" was represented by an [[acinaces|テンプレート:Transliteration]] sword planted upwards at the top of a tall square altar made of brushwood of which three sides were vertical and the fourth was inclined to allow access to it. The Scythian "テンプレート:Transliteration" was given blood sacrifices and his representation in the form of a sword are evidence of his military function.テンプレート:Sfn The Scythian "テンプレート:Transliteration" was also a god of kingship, and the use of horses and of the blood and right arms of prisoners in his cult was a symbolic devotion of the swiftness of horses and the strength of men to this god who had similar powers.テンプレート:Sfn
The square shape of the altar of the Scythian "テンプレート:Transliteration" represented the four-sided "middle world," that is the air space, and the sword placed at its top represented the world axis which represented the vertical structure of the universe and connected its cosmic, central, and chthonic zones; the altar to the Scythian "テンプレート:Transliteration" was thus a model of the universe as conceptualised within Scythian cosmology, most and represented especially its central zone, the air space.テンプレート:Sfn The tallness of the mound which acted as the altar to the Scythian "テンプレート:Transliteration," as well as the practice of throwing the right arms of prisoners sacrificed to him in the sky, are evidence of the celestial nature of the Scythian "テンプレート:Transliteration" as a god of the air space,テンプレート:Sfn that is the practice of throwing these sacrificed arms in the air indicate that the Scythian "テンプレート:Transliteration" was associated to the gods of the sky and wind ([[Vayu-Vata|テンプレート:Transliteration and テンプレート:Transliteration]]), and more especially the wind, since the wind-god テンプレート:Transliteration was the first incarnation of テンプレート:Transliteration and a special carrier of テンプレート:Transliteration/テンプレート:Transliteration. This is also recorded in the works of the Greek author [[Lucian|テンプレート:Transliteration of テンプレート:Transliteration]], who recorded that the Scythians worshipped the Wind and the Sword as gods, referring to the dual nature of the Scythian "テンプレート:Transliteration" as a god of both the Wind, which brings gives life, and the Sword, which brings death; the dual nature of this god is also visible in the [[acinaces|テンプレート:Transliteration]] used to represent him being shaped like a phallus, thus being a deadly weapon which was also shaped in the form of a life-giving organ.テンプレート:Sfnテンプレート:Sfn
According to Tadeusz Sulimirski, this form of worship continued among the descendants of the Scythians, the [[Alans|テンプレート:Transliteration]], through to the 4th century AD;テンプレート:Sfn this tradition may be reflected in [[Jordanes|テンプレート:Transliteration]]'s assertion that [[Attila|テンプレート:Transliteration]] was able to assert his authority over the Scythians through his possession of a particular blade, referred to as the "[[Sword of Attila|Sword of テンプレート:Transliteration]]."[2]
Legacy
The hero [[Batraz|テンプレート:Transliteration]] from the Ossetian [[Nart saga|テンプレート:Transliteration]] might have originated from the Scythian "テンプレート:Transliteration." In the sagas, テンプレート:Transliteration appears as a brave but uncontrolled warrior living in the air space and sometimes took the form of a whirlwind, who often protected his peoples from multiple enemies, and who was made of steel and connected to his sword, which provided him with immortality so long as it remained unbroken, thus being the incarnation of テンプレート:Transliteration himself.テンプレート:Sfn
参考文献
- Wikipedia：Scythian religion（最終閲覧日：22-11-17）
