Horse-Lord of the Waters Thagimasadas
Scythian · deity · timeless (attested 5th c. BCE) · Recorded classification
Water/sea-and-horse god worshipped only by the Royal Scythians (Paralatae). The etymology is among the most contested of the seven; the *mazdā- link is suggestive, not secure. Aniconic: no cult image attested.
Domains
- water
- horses
Epithets
- Thagimasadas God of the waters and horses, whom the Royal Scythians worship (equated with Poseidon)Herodotus 4.59 (primary)
- Ποσειδέων Poseidon (Herodotos' interpretatio; venerated by the Royal Scythians alone)Herodotus, Histories 4.59 (primary)
Relations
- interpretatio: PoseidonHdt: 'Poseidon, in Scythian Thagimasadas', worshipped only by the Royal Scythians. Preserves the water-and-horse pairing — the strongest functional fit in his list; breaks on sea and earthquake.Herodotus, Histories 4.59 (primary)
Sources
- Herodotos says that the Royal Scythians alone, beyond the gods worshipped by all, sacrifice to Poseidon, whom they call Thagimasadas.: Herodotos, Histories 4.59 (Godley) (primary)
- Identified with Poseidon as a god of waters and horse-taming; the Royal Scythians' exclusive worship and his role as an ancestral figure parallel Poseidon-Erechtheus at Athens. The second element of the name has been linked to Iranian *mazdā-.: R. Schmitt et al., Encyclopaedia Iranica, 'Scythians'; Y. Ustinova (1999) (secondary)