The gravity of dogs in Greek mythology:
The significance of dogs in ancient Greek religion/culture is unbounded. Dogs were closely associated with ‘Hecate’ (the goddess of magic) in the Classical world. Dogs were sacred to ‘Artemis’ (known as the goddess of the hunt and one of the most respected of all the ancient Greek deities) and ‘Ares’ (the Greek god of war).
Greek gods- Hecate, Ares and Artemis (from left to right)
‘Cerberus’ was a three-faced guard dog of the Underworld. While ‘Laelaps’ was a Greek mythological dog who never failed to catch whatever she was hunting. Also a dog known only as “the Golden Hound” was charged with protecting ‘Zeus’ as a baby, who was to be the future king of gods.
Laelaps (in chase), the Golden Hound and Cerberus (from top to bottom)
The acknowledgement of dogs in Mesopotamia:
Dogs were greatly esteemed in Mesopotamia as companions, protectors and healers of the gods. The healing goddess ‘Gula’ was always depicted with a dog, as was ‘Inanna’, one of the most popular deities in the Mesopotamian pantheon. The dogs were associated with ‘Gula’ as well as healing. It was noted that the dog healed itself through licking it’s wounds. Hence it’s saliva was considered to have a medicinal property (a belief which has since been proven in modern times). In the case of ‘Inanna’/’Ishtar’, her dogs were seen as her companions and protectors. And since she was often invoked for protection, her dogs acquired the same reputation too. The natural inclination of dogs to protect their people, of course, further established the belief.
Dogs not only protected and healed one in life, but also assisted in the transition from their earthly existence to the afterlife. These dogs would also act as fierce guardians who would aid their people in transition, by protecting them from evil spirits and demons. Also in the ‘Gula’ cult, the dog was used in oaths as a divinity! Such ethereal was the significance of dogs in the Mesopotamian religion.
A Babylonian tarot card depicting Gula, invoked to cure illness along with her sacred animal, the dog.
Amulets, s, statuary, and engravings of dogs were regularly produced for a variety of reasons, and in most of these, the dog can be seen wearing a collar. In the modern times, then, the simple act of a dog’s person putting a collar and leash on him/her, is just a repetition of the practice. Which goes back to thousands of years to another time and place. Although the present dog collar is made of different materials, the basic design remains unchanged.
The discovery of more than 30 dog burials, numerous dog sculptures and drawings, during the excavation of the area around the ‘Ninisinna’ temple, further highlights on the dogs’ religious weightiness.
A glimpse of a few of the excavated dog sculptures mentioned above
BAU THE MESOPOTAMIAN DOG GODDESS OF HEALING
Bau the goddess of healing is a god of ancient Babylonia. Bau is depicted as a patron deity with a dog head. This ancient dog deity and goddess was worshiped by cults that revered dogs and gave dogs a high position of importance in their culture. Because dogs were considered divine entities, their importance was signified by their use in ceremonies and oath taking. An area around the Ninishina temple in Isin Mesopotamia, had a discovery upon its excavation where dozens of ancient drawings of dogs, many sculptures of dogs, and more than two dozen dog burials were found. The temple was named é-ur-gi7-ra which literally is translated to mean “dog house”.