Scythians

As most of these pages, this one is a work in progress. Additional sources, in the form of comments, are welcome.

Websites and Blogs

 

ARGIMPASA, The Scythian Goddess of Love by Badusev

 

Argimpasa – Scythian goddess, patroness of shamans. BIBLIOTHECA SHAMANISTICA XIV
by Zaur Hasanov

The earliest known written source describing the Scythian pantheon of gods is the work of Herodotus, who describes eight gods of the Royal Scythians (the ruling tribe of the Scythian Empire).

According to Herodotus the Scythians worshiped the following gods:

1. Tabiti (related to the Greek Hestia) was the queen of the Scythians.
2. Papaios (Zeus)
3. Api (Gaia)
4. Goi-tosyr (Apollo)
5. Argimpasa (Aphrodite)
6. [no Scythian name given] (Herakles)
7. [no Scythian name give] (Ares)

Herodotus notes that these seven gods are worshiped by all Scythian tribes, but Royal Scythians also also made sacrificial offerings to Poseidon, whom they call Tagimasadas.

Argimpasa is mentioned several times.

1. In the context of her identification with the Greek Aphrodite-Urania (Heavenly).
2. In of the story of the Scythian Enareis (effeminate priests), who got their ‘female disease’ from Aphrodite
3. Finally, Herodotus tells us that the art of divination was given to Scythian Enareis by Aphrodite (Argim-pasa).

 

Argimpasa (Artimpasa) is the Scythian goddess of love and fertility corresponding to the Greek Aphrodite. She lived in a cave in Crimea. In ancient art, she was depicted as a beautiful long-haired woman with snakes instead of legs. Argimpasa became Hercules’ wife, and the couple had three sons. The youngest of the three—strong enough to draw back the string of his father’s bow—was named Scyth. He sired a great people, the Scythians. (From Badusev on DeviantArt)