Mithras Supreme

tom · Feb 12, 2004

Good point, Tom B...bull fighting might be too sacred for it to be a popular sport.
Versions of rugby approaching small war games go back centuries (baggataway was derived from similar scale Amerindian games, according to my research), so there could be team sports with teams of dozens, scores or even hundreds of players.

Norman · Feb 12, 2004

Tom_B said:
Given Mithraic respect for the miltiary something quaimilitary --a distant cousin of rugby seems likely. I would resist suggestions that they would be avid fans of bull fighitng.

I was actually thinking at one point that 'bull fighting' would be a 'sacred sport', part of those mysteries observed by a lot of people.

Sure, it would look profane, but the 'underlying' symbolism would be religious. (Keep them cards and checks coming believers so that we can continue our bull fighting ministries to the godless.)

tom · Feb 12, 2004

One thing I like about Mithras...the teams are province teams, not city teams. So California would have one team, not San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles. Anaheim, and Oakland. On the other hand, Alaska, Montana and Rhode Island would have teams.

Norman · Feb 12, 2004

What about Chicago?

tom said:
One thing I like about Mithras...the teams are province teams, not city teams. So California would have one team, not San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles. Anaheim, and Oakland. On the other hand, Alaska, Montana and Rhode Island would have teams.

No Chicago BUlls, or would it be too profane?

tom · Feb 15, 2004

Anyone have a background to come up with what the leading languages would be here?

Norman · Feb 16, 2004

Languages

I am guessing, but with this history I think you would have the following equivilant languages

Indo European
Germanic (German; Norse; Channel [frisian, angle etc]; East Goth and West Goth)
Egyptian / Coptic
Baltic (Lithuaininan and others)
Armenian
Hindu
Chinese
Some turkic

tom · Feb 17, 2004

Norman:
Wanna try guessing the numbers (remember, there will be other, minor languages)?

Norman · Feb 17, 2004

Here's a guess, Remember that muchof the lands in the West were not affected by the war. These represent families of languages, so a number of dialects would show as a single language.

For example, Island Chin, represent amalgams of whatever the origianl language was with significant Chin additions and overlays. Many are not mutually understandable.

German
E. Goth 0.5
W. Goth 0.35
Alamanic 0.12
Channel 0.2
Nordland 0.3

Slavic
Nor 0.2
Yuegl 0.23
Vesi 0.2
Hind
Common 0.4
High 0.3
Basic 0.3
Armenian
North 0.08
South 0.06
Turkic 0.12

Chin
Chanin 0.3
Hunin 0.5
Island 0.32

Bantu
South 0.3
North 0.2

Other 0.6

tom · Feb 19, 2004

I've seen some pretty good flags on this site. Although the POD is Fourth Century, flags would probably develope in this timeline too, for similar reasons to OTL.
Anyone want to take a stab at designing and posting a few?

tom · Jul 20, 2004

Bumping this up so people can see in detail how the NA 5 nations of SME were developed.

Landshark · Jul 20, 2004

Saved me the job of looking for it there.

tom · Mar 15, 2005

From a PM by Norman, here are the military ranks:
"enlisted"
Private: Rafn
Corporal: Uferrafn
Squad Segeant: Tiuhan
Platoon Sergeant: hundtiuhan
First Sergeant: Fimfhundtiuhan
Regimental Sergeant: Thusandtiuhan
Sergeant-Major: Harijitiuhan

"Officers"
Lieutenant: Ufarfath
Captain: Hundfath
Major: Ufar Hundafath
Lt. Colonel: Fimfhundfath
Colonel: Thuhundfath
General: Harjifath
Commanding General: Raiksfath

Norman · Mar 15, 2005

tom said:
From a PM by Norman, here are the military ranks:
"enlisted"
Private: Rafn
Corporal: Uferrafn
Squad Segeant: Tiuhan
Platoon Sergeant: hundtiuhan
First Sergeant: Fimfhundtiuhan
Regimental Sergeant: Thusandtiuhan
Sergeant-Major: Harijitiuhan

"Officers"
Lieutenant: Ufarfath
Captain: Hundfath
Major: Ufar Hundafath
Lt. Colonel: Fimfhundfath
Colonel: Thuhundfath
General: Harjifath
Commanding General: Raiksfath

You'll notice that the Captain of the ship is titled Marskipfath, which roughly translates to Sea ship Leader.

AMBOMB · Mar 16, 2005

tom said:
Could Mithraism have overshadowed Christianity?
If so, what would the world be like now?

Christianity became the dominant religion of Europe because the Roman emperor Constantine converted to it. If he had converted to Mithraism instead, it's logical to conclude that Mithraism would've become the dominant religion of Europe.

DominusNovus · Mar 16, 2005

AMBOMB said:
Christianity became the dominant religion of Europe because the Roman emperor Constantine converted to it. If he had converted to Mithraism instead, it's logical to conclude that Mithraism would've become the dominant religion of Europe.

Not quite, I'd think. Mithraism was different to christianity in many respects, that I don't think it would be that simple to simply say that Europe will be whatever religion Constantin picks.

That said, don't you dare try to turn this thread into a debate about jesus, mithras, etc.

Tom_B · Mar 16, 2005

DominusNovus said:
Not quite, I'd think. Mithraism was different to christianity in many respects, that I don't think it would be that simple to simply say that Europe will be whatever religion Constantin picks.

That said, don't you dare try to turn this thread into a debate about jesus, mithras, etc.

Good Point. Actually something I repeatedly tried to emphasize during this thread (but some people still don't get) is that Mithraism was an esoteric relgion and Christianity is an exoteric trelgion.

Count Dearborn · Mar 16, 2005

In her book, The Architecture of Desire, the British author, Mary Gentle shows an AH where Christianity and Mithrism had become one religion. The churches had fire pits and Christ was crucificed on the head of a bull.

Norman · Mar 16, 2005

Tom_B said:
Good Point. Actually something I repeatedly tried to emphasize during this thread (but some people still don't get) is that Mithraism was an esoteric relgion and Christianity is an exoteric trelgion.

Do you mean a religion based on the practice of certan mysteries v. an 'openly' practiced religion?

Thus Freemasonry could be considered esoteric while the open practice of region not. Hmmm?

AMBOMB · Mar 16, 2005

DominusNovus said:
Not quite, I'd think. Mithraism was different to christianity in many respects, that I don't think it would be that simple to simply say that Europe will be whatever religion Constantin picks.

That said, don't you dare try to turn this thread into a debate about jesus, mithras, etc.

Originally, Christianity was very much like Mithraism. Both were pagan mystery religions. The story of Mithras and the story of Jesus are both pagan godman myths. Literalist Christianity (practiced by people who think Jesus actually existed) got started later. That aside, if Constantine had picked Mithraism instead of Christianity, Mithraism would've been shown favoritism by the Roman government and so there would've been a lot more Mithraists, which is exactly what happened with Christianity.

Norman · Mar 16, 2005

AMBOMB said:
Originally, Christianity was very much like Mithraism. Both were pagan mystery religions. The story of Mithras and the story of Jesus are both pagan godman myths. Literalist Christianity (practiced by people who think Jesus actually existed) got started later. That aside, if Constantine had picked Mithraism instead of Christianity, Mithraism would've been shown favoritism by the Roman government and so there would've been a lot more Mithraists.

Any successful adoption of Mithraism is going to demand the basis of the religion be open, as Tom B points out, it will have to change to an exoteric practice, within which certain mysteries are wrapped.