Religions questions

The Bodhi Tree is a large and ancient sacred fig tree under which Siddhartha Gautama is said to have attained enlightenment. In religious iconography, the Bodhi Tree is recognizable by its heart-shaped leaves, which are usually prominently displayed.

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that lasts eight days. It commemorates the miraculous event that took place during the Maccabees' uprising under the leadership of Judah Maccabeus. It was a rebellion of the Jews against the king of Palestine, who decided to introduce the cult of Zeus to the great temple in Jerusalem. After the victory of the Jews, the olive lamp consecrated by the High Priest was on for eight days, although it should have enough oil for only one.

Joseph of Arimathea is a mysterious and episodic figure. According to the gospel, he was a wealthy person and a member of the Sanhedrin. After the death of Jesus, he went to Pontius Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

The word “Baal” was a title meaning “owner”, “lord” and “husband” in Semitic languages. Therefore “Baal” was used for many gods of the Levant. The word “baʿl” still serve as the words for "husband" in modern Hebrew and Arabic.

Hathor was the mother of Horus and the sun god Ra, and therefore she was the symbolic mother of pharaohs. She is often depicted as a cow or as a woman with cow’s horns.

Bastet was originally a lioness. Later, she was more and more depicted as a cat, representing a gentler nature.

Apis was a son of Hathor. Since Hathor was a symbollic mother of pharaohs, Apis bull was often a symbol of pharaoh.

Horus was a god of arable land and the order, while Set was a god of the desert and chaos. Both fought for the throne of Egypt after Osiris, father of Horus, had been murdered by Set. Horus won the battle. Since then, all the pharaohs ruled Egypt as incarnation of Horus.

The Zoroastrians used the Towers of Silence as open burial pits, placing their deceased relatives in rows so their bodies would be feasted upon by birds of prey, usually vultures. The doctrinal rationale for exposure is to avoid contact with Earth or Fire, both of which are considered sacred in the Zoroastrian religion. Contaminating the elements (Earth, Air, Fire and Water) with decaying matter such as a corpse is considered sacrilege. Orthodox Zoroastrians continued to maintain a tower until the 1970s when ritual exposure was prohibited by law.

Diana is a Roman goddess of the hunt, the Moon, and nature, associated with wild animals and woodland. She is equated with the Greek goddess Artemis, and absorbed much of Artemis' mythology early in Roman history, including a birth on the island of Delos to parents Jupiter and Latona, and a twin brother, Apollo, though she had an independent origin in Italy. Diana was known as the virgin goddess of childbirth and women. She was one of the three maiden goddesses, along with Minerva and Vesta, who swore never to marry. Oak groves and deer were especially sacred to her.