Zis of Thrace is the first god of creation, with mother goddess Bendis. HIs adventures are many as he fills roles of creator god, horse warrior and hero of the Thracians. He's both a celestial and chthonic or Underworld figure.
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The Thracian world concept is attested from the early Bronze Age c. 3000 BCE. The four elements Air, Earth, Fire, Water make up the known world. Thracian cosmology, often in the form of ancient poems and hymns, is passed down through oral tradition.
The Thracians have a strong Sun Cult. Symbols of the Sun adorn everyday objects and art. Over 600 stone circles, representations of the Sun dating to the 11th century BCE, are carved into rocks of the eastern Rhodope Mountains.
Zis is the Thracian manifestation of Indo-European sky-god Dyḗus ph₂tḗr. Also known as Zi, Zis, Dis, and Tis, he's son and consort of Bendis, Great Mother of the Gods. With Bendis Zis is central to Thracian religion. Sometimes he's shown with three heads.
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As the embodiment of the male principle, Zis incorporates both celestial and chthonic elements, symbolizing Sun and Fire. In contrast to the distinct roles and images of Greek gods, Zis reigns as a universal deity of omnipotence, revered by all Thracian tribes.
His multi-faceted and enigmatic nature appears in his solar, chthonic, and heroic forms. Zis is the Sun as well as guardian of the Underworld. A benign patron of mortals, he ensures life, health, and protection against malevolent forces.
In his role of storm and thunder god, Zis is given the epithet Zbelthurdos, meaning "lightning thrower" and "lightning bearer." The Apsinthii tribe of south central Thrace venerates Zis as a universal household god known as Pleistorus.
According to Herodotus, Pleistoros is a Thracian deity also revered by the Gauls and the tribe Apsintieni as god of war. According to Josephus Flavius, the Dacian Thracians give human sacrifice to Pleistoros.
As Zis is a primordial deity and first god of creation, his worship extends throughout the Thracian lands. He's known as Zis Batas (Zis the Thunderer) is often associated with Ares, and also has a local name in every tribe or settlement.
Reflecting the Thracian tradition of adopting Greek god names for their own deities, various aspects of Zis are equated with and named after Dionysus, Apollo, Asclepius, Ares, Silvanus, and other Graeco-Roman gods, depending on his aspect.
The Arean Zis
As a divine warrior, Zis equates with the War God. Greeks identify Thrace with Ares due to the warlike Thracian disposition. In the 7th century BCE, Greek poet Archilochus hails the Thracians as the "gods of battle".
The Arean Zis has a lupine nature. The god's epithets, reflecting his association with the wolf, include Zērúnthios meaning "bestial" or "rich in game".
Among the Thracians' Crestonian neighbors, this deity is known as Kandáōn meaning "dog-strangler". According to the Greek poet Lycophron, the Thracian "Ares" resembles a wolf.
Scythians and Thracians venerate their war gods through ritual swords, such as the akankes (acinaces). An eagle grasping a snake is engraved on a Thracian bronze akinakes-type sword found in Medgidia.
Zis the Hero
The Arean aspect of Zis also has a Heroic manifestation. Described as the Thracian Hero or the Thracian Horseman, he's portrayed as a horseback hunter. The horse, revered by many civilizations including the Thracians, symbolizes the Sun-god and the underworld.
It remains the steadfast companion of the solar-chthonic deity Zis, who's always shown on horseback. Zis the Horse god is associated with aristocracy and royalty. He aligns with the horse as a sign of political, economic and military might within the tribal elite.
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Thracian nobles and their entourage ride horses, while common warriors do not. Tribes such as the Odrysae exclusively enlist cavalry from their own society and foot soldiers from neighboring tribes.
The privilege of hunting on horseback is reserved for royalty among Mycenaeans, Thracians, and West Asian cultures. Heroes and gods, depicted in Hittite, Babylonian, Assyrian and Achaemenian art, do battle with Chaos creatures real and mythical.
Zis and the Chaos Dragon
The Hero Zis boldly upholds the world order and the natural course of life through relentless combat against the forces of evil. He embarks on an epic odyssey along a mystical path fraught with peril, facing unforeseen adversaries.
Zis bravely confronts a multi-headed serpent dragon symbolizing Chaos. Its name, Zumludrēnos, means "water dragon." An epic battle of order and chaos, the Chaoskampf is heroic proof of courage and strength, and essential maintenance of natural harmony.
The hero must kill the monster or force it to free obstructed waters, return stolen livestock or release abducted women. This pivotal quest secures the prosperity of the land and the perpetuation of the human race.
In Thrace the expedition also symbolizes the young warrior's evolution from youth to adulthood. It represents as well the Thracian prince's ascension to kingship.
The Boar Hunt
The battle of Hero Zis against a ferocious boar trying to dig up the roots of the Tree of Life is analogous to the god's struggle with the Chaos-dragon. The fight against Chaos represents preservation of humanity and natural order through rebirth and reproduction.
The tree, ever in greenery, is a Thracian Tree of Life representing the rebirth of Nature. The boar is sacred to War God Ares. In Thrace the wild boar is a symbol of death, as well as of Chaos, both qualities of Ares.
In many beliefs the wild boar is also a symbol of symbol of fertility, virility and the warrior spirit. In ancient Thrace the boar hunt is a trial of initiation in which success is thought to ensure the continuance of the royal dynasty.
By slaying the boar by the Tree of Life, Zis ensures continuance of life cycles, connecting him to rebirth of nature and protection of world order. In some versions an altar stands between the god and the boar, and a snake is coiled on the Tree of Life.
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The snake represents nature awakening in spring. The shedding of skins by snakes relates to rebirth and eternal life. By destroying the ravaging boar and saving the Tree of Life, the Hero wins immortality.
The Wolf Fight
The Arean or Heroic Zis is depicted in finds such as the Letnitsa Treasure as a mounted hero preparing to fight a bear after killing a wolf. Like the boar, bears and wolves also represent the warrior spirit.
The scene represents the Hero as a protector against evil, also has similarities to the test of valor through which the god, and the Thracian prince, attain kingship. The Wolf Fight is analogous to the struggle against the Chaos-dragon, and the Boar Hunt.
A young Thracian Hero's opponents include the lion, bear, wolf and panther, all animals considered royal. Initiates are to learn from the hunting skills of these animals. In legend, their defeat brings the hunter glory and the animal's powers transfer to him.
The Thracians view religion and myths in the present rather than as stories of the ancient past. No difference between the mythical and heroic past and the present appears in Thracian religion. Zis performs his deeds in the present, on another level.
The cult of Zis Batas is regarded as the male counterpart to the Underworld cults of mysteries linked to Demeter and Kore (later Persephone). They come from Arcadia, central Peloponnese Peninsula in Greece.