Mithras

American  

[mith-ras] / ˈmɪθ ræs /

Also Mithra

noun

Persian Mythology.

1. the god of light and truth, later of the sun.

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Mithras British  

/ ˈmɪθrə, ˈmɪθræs /

noun

1. Persian myth the god of light, identified with the sun, who slew a primordial bull and fertilized the world with its blood

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Etymology

Origin of Mithras

< Latin < Greek Míthrās < Old Persian Mithra

Example Sentences

More likely, the iconic image of Mithras kneeling on a bull and plunging a dagger into its neck was intended to inspire awe and fervor.

From New York Times • May 1, 2023

Mithras was a Persian sun god worshiped by the Medes, but in the second century BCE, Greeks in Hellenistic cities came to believe Mithras would lead them, too, to eternal life.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

It was built over a fourth-century church that itself sat atop a temple to the Roman god Mithras.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 12, 2016

The wine god’s local cult had installed itself in the 2nd-century Temple of Mithras, less than a mile away, when the soldiers’ god fell out of fashion.

From Washington Post • Jun. 9, 2016

Even if Percy somehow managed to trace her steps, the cavern of Mithras had collapsed.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan