Blood, Tears and Sprouts: 5 Strange Gods of Spring

Many cultures worshiped a deity in spring, but some of these gods (or the way they were honored) may surprise you. Take a look at...

• Cybele
• Tláloc
• Mars
• Osiris
• Brigid

Cybele

Sometimes known as Mater Deum Magna Idaea or Great Idaean Mother of the Gods, Cybele found herself with Roman, Greek and Anatolian worshipers. Described as a powerful and maternal nature goddess, Cybele was worshiped in spring - but her rites would be rather disturbing to most modern folk.

Her festival began on the 15th of march, when a pine tree was brought to her shrine and adorned with violets - sounds rather tame so far, doesn't it? The pine and violets symbolized her some-time consort Attis, who had castrated himself and died beneath a pine tree - in some stories thanks to a madness inflicted upon him by the jealous Cybele. Violets were said to have sprung from the blood shed by Attis.

Things got even stranger on the 24th of March, also known as "The Day of Blood." The priests who worshiped her would slash themselves as they danced around the shrine, spattering the pine and her statue with their blood. The gory ceremony concluded with the statue being bathed in the river on the 27th.

Tláloc

You might think of the Aztecs as being a society of warriors and priests, but they had need of spring as much as anyone else. Enter Tláloc, He Who Makes Things Sprout.

Like many Aztec deities, Tláloc had good and bad sides. On one hand, he could bring the rain and fertility to crops - on the other, he could bring drought, floods and storms.

Tláloc was so important that half of the main temple in Tenochtitlan was dedicated to him. It's said that human sacrifices were dedicated to him in the hope of bringing a good harvest - and that candidates who cried as they were taken to their death were an especially good omen, with their tears foretelling an abundance of rain.

Mars

Did you know that the Roman deity Mars was actually a god of spring? There's a clue in his name, which gives us the month of March.

There was a special ceremony associated with Mars called "Ver Sacrum" or "Sacred Spring." Carried out in times of great hardship, it was essentially a bargain or bribe offered to the deity - crops and cattle from the coming March and April would be promised to Mars in the hope that he would guarantee a good year (and thus increase the amount being sacrificed to him.) Children born during the Ver Sacrum were also considered offerings and were exiled once they came of age... though some historians believe they may have been outright sacrificed in earlier versions of the ritual!

Osiris

It may seem strange, but the ruler of the ancient Egyptian underworld was also a deity of spring.

The legend goes that Osiris was slain by a fellow god named Seth, who scattered portions of his body across Egypt. The goddesses Isis and Nephthys were able to collect most of the pieces and give new life to Osiris, who subsequently became the ruler of the underworld.

Because of his new station, Osiris was credited with all life that sprung from the underworld - including sprouting crops and the annual flooding of the Nile. Some festivals even included an "Osiris garden" or soil and seed filled model of the god - the sprouting seeds would symbolized the deity's strength returning!

Brigid

The Celtic goddess Brigid was associated with flame, poetry and prophecy. The festival known as Imbolc is held in her honor, and marks the first signs of spring.

One legend revolving around Brigid is her relationship with the Cailleach. This is another Celtic figure, a veiled and mysterious hag that holds sway over the cold months of autumn and winter. Despite her massive power, she likes her creature comforts... and allows winter to end when she runs out of dry firewood. That's when Brigid takes over, bathing the land in the warmth of spring and summer!

Christianity may actually have absorbed Brigid as St. Brigid of Kildare. This figure seems to share a great deal of similarities with the Celtic goddess - and is celebrated on the 1st of February, remarkably close to Imbolc!

Thanks for reading - for some more mythology, try...

• Frozen in Time: 8 Fascinating Things Found Beneath the Ice
• The Cailleach, the Holly King and a Skiing Giantess: Delve Into 5 Winter Gods & Spirits
• 20 Wonderful, Wild and Wicked Creatures of Europe's Folklore

Sources and Further Info:

• Great Mother of the Gods
• Tlaloc
• Ver Sacrum
• Osiris
• Brigid