Get the large version of the image of Mithras. (40 Kbytes)

 Mithras (7 inch #MIT; $35 / 9x12 inch #MP; $49 plaque) - A Persian, Zoroastrian and Vedic deity, he was the most widely venerated god in the Roman Empire at the time of Christ. The Christian Church borrowed numerous of his mysteries, such as birth on Dec. 25, ascension into heaven at Spring equinox, Last Supper of bread & wine with 12 disciples, celibate priesthood, etc. Mithras was venerated by the legions, who saw in him a cult of power and hierarchy. His rites featured this image, possibly a depiction of the precession the equinoxes and equatorial zodiac, which equates Mithras with the constellation and hero Perseus. He is shown superseding (slaying) the constellation Taurus, thus achieving the regenerative powers of Spring.