The Scythian religion is associated with the myths, rituals and beliefs of Scythian culture including those of Alans, proper Scythians, Sarmatians, Sindi, Massagetae and Saka. The Scythian religion is associated with early polytheism of Proto Indo-Iranian Faith and is believed to have influenced later Slavic, Hungarian, Turkic myths, and some modern East Iranian and Ossetian traditions. Scythian burials were one of the most common and permanent features dating from the Eneolithic to the historic era. Herodotus also described the execution of horses at the burial of a Scythian king. According to Herodotus, the Scythians worshiped the Pantheon of 7 Gods and Goddess (Heptad), equating them with the ancient Greek Gods. He specifically mentions an Eighth God, with the Eighth being worshiped by the Royal Scythians. The structure of the Scythian Pantheon is usually Indo-Iranian and has been divided into three ranks. Tapatī (helenized as Ταβιτί) the goddess of heat, fire and hearth and equated by Herodotus with the Greek goddess Hestia. It was similar to ther name of the Hindu Goddess Tapati and the verb associated with the latter name, तापयति Tapayati ("burning" / "hot"). In the Second Rank were the binary opposites with Papaios being the Sky-father and Api being Earth and Water Mother. The Final Rank composed of "Scythian Hēraklês" whose Scythian name was Dargatavah, and was the forefather of the Scythian kings; the "Scythian Árēs" the God of War; Gaiθāsūra, probably associated with the Sun and equated by Herodotus with the Greek Sun God Apollo; Artimpasa or Argimpasa, the guardian deity of fertility with power over sovereignty and priestly force and identified by Herodotus with Aphrodite Urania! An Eighth Scythian deity mentioned by Herodotus was Thagimasádas, whom he equated with the Greek God Poseidon. (Info-Credit :: Scythian_religion, Wiki)
Saka and Scythians
