Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 32/2. (2012)
Articles
Notes on a Mithraic Relief from Dragu 139 the form of a flying young, naked boy often appear in ancient iconography and conception, but rarely in the mithraic one. Amor (Eros) is represented only in Italy, in the provincial art from Dacia we have no example for this intellectual concept (the one from Porolissum is disputable, see Nemeti-Nemeti 2005, R 16), thus it is difficult to believe that a follower from Dacia Porolissensis knew the orphic symbolism from Italy of the nymphus grade. Mercurius (Hermes) is one of the main secondary divinities of the mithraic ‘pantheon. The planet Mercury governs the first initiation grade, called corax in the sources (CIMRM 473, 480; Clauss 1990, 183), meaning the difference between those that were not initiated and those that were. The symbol of the first degree of initiation is the raven, the mystical animal of antiquity (Gordon 1980, 25-32; Merkelbach 1984, 86-87) and on the mosaic floor of the sanctuary of Felicissimus from Ostia next to the raven are a cup and a caduceus (Merkelbach 1984, 295). The raven (Mercurius) appears in several stances in mithraic iconography (László etal. 2005 II, 14), most often on the left side of the relief, on Mithras’ mantle as messenger as Sol, but often this iconographic canon is not followed, as is our case. The association between Mercurius and the raven - the holy animal of Apollo (Ovidius: Fasti II, 243-266) is based on myths and well known characteristics of the divinity and of this animal, respectively his role as messenger and robber (László etal. 2005 II, 15). Thus the Raven (Mercurius) appears not only because of astronomic reasons in the mithraic star-talk but also because of religious reasons: the messenger of the solar god and also the first initiate is the helper of the community, the one who leads and serves the follower (or his soul), in another world, the world of Kronos - Mithras. Worshipping Mercurius in the mithraic cult is due to his role as xfvyonopnóc,, guide of the souls in the other world (Pseudo-Apollodorus: Bibliotheca, 3, 112-115; about the role of Mercurius in the mystery cults see Kerényi 1984, 78-94). Mercurius is attested in epigraphy (CIMRM 1090, 1128, 1179, 1257, 1258, 1284, 1317, 1475, 1755, 1815, 2202), sometimes in syncretism (CIMRM 1351), but also by sanctuaries or rooms dedicated to the god (CIMRM 1750). We know a few iconographic representations of the god or of the corax initiate (CIMRM 780,821,1089,1176,1178,1210). For the relief from Dragu the closest analogy could be Mercurius’ representation on the complex but very fragmented relief from Virunum (CIMRM 1430) where the god is naked, with the mantle on his shoulders, with the caduceus in his left hand, pointing the way of the solar quadriga, but the representation from Dragu does not have any attribute specific to the god and from Dacia we do not know any iconographic analogy regarding the representation of Mercurius or the corax initiate in the mithraic repertoire. The planet and goddess governing the nymphus degree was Venus (CIMRM 299, 488, 784, Merkelbach 1984, 91; László et al. 2005 II, 72), also known by the ancients as Lucifer- Phosphoros: “Stella Veneris, quae Otoocpópoq Graece, Latine dicitur Lucifer, cum antegreditur solem, cum subsequitur autem Hesperos” (Cicero: De natura, 11.20). The sons of Astraeus and Eos (Hesiodos: Theogonia, 378-381), Lucifer and Hesperus appear in Graeco-Roman iconography as young flying men that are naked or wear a mantle on their shoulders, associated with Sol or Luna (PI. 1/4). In the cult of Mithras Lucifer and Hesperus appear in several hypostases (as Cautes- Lucifer and Cautopates-Hesperus, Merkelbach 1984, 81, 118; Nemeti-Nemeti 2005, 109; László et al. 2005 I, 142; Hijmans 2009, 76-77, 99, 159), and their interpretation in the cult and their association with mithraic degrees is problematic in the specialized literature (Beck 2006, 206-214). Lucifer-Phosphoros appears on several reliefs (CIMRM 415, 1359; Bradley
