Inspired by religion discussion on Main

[dumbledore11214]

Magpie:
<SNIP>
> My very uneducated opinion is that I don't believe for a second that nobody ever heard myths about saviors--human/divine or totally one or the other--who sacrificed themselves for the good of others, but that there were things unique to all of them. Iow, there was no proto-Christianity before there was Christianity.

Alla:

Right, what you are saying makes sense to me, however I find it interesting that we cannot follow the origins of those myths, you know?

Myths about saviors, I mean. Yes, of course it makes sense that those myths could have been around at the time and newly converted roman emperors forbade them and christian church could have made sure to silence them. However, I still think that the origins should have been able to be traced in some art.

For example when in 988 Prince Vladimir baptized Russia, you better believe that they came down hard and cruel on Pagan gods (burning Perun's depictions and doing baptize or else kind of thing on peasants).

But here is the thing though, while they certainly succeeded in minimizing the influence of Pagan gods on people's everyday lives (I am sure there are some pagans in Russia, I just seriously doubt that there are many of them and that in everyday live they have any sort of influence), I still know who Perun is, you know?

The traces of Russia pagan gods are alive in stories, in some other art.

Does that make sense? But when I am thinking about Saviors, who may have influenced the myth of Christ, even by being Saviors, my mind goes blank or almost blank and I wonder why is it?



Magpie: 
> I would absolutely consider Prometheus to fit this criteria. He's the champion of mortals, committed a crime for us and took his punishment for it--a punishment that couldn't possibly have been any big surprise. He risked the wrath of Zeus to give pepole the means of life. Go Prometheus!

Alla:

Yes, he is the only one who fits to me too, even if not very directly. The gist is that he suffered horribly (and much longer than Jesus) because he wanted to help people, so I can now at least think of one example.