The Cult of BENDIS
Bendis was venerated as a goddess of charms, the night, and witchcraft. In Athens, where her cult was adopted, she was perceived as a protective deity, closely linked to nature and the life cycles of women. Bendis was considered in Geto-Dacian and Thracian mythology a complex goddess, associated with several aspects of nature and human life.
Forests: She was seen as a protector of wildlife and forested areas. Moon: Her connection to the lunar cycle is frequently mentioned. Love: A bust of the goddess discovered at Piatra Roșie, depicting her with prominent breasts, suggests her role as a patroness of love. Motherhood: The same representation with prominent breasts also indicates an association with fertility and motherhood.
The bust itself is a significant artifact that has contributed to the understanding of Geto-Dacian’s religious beliefs and the veneration of Bendis.
The goddess Bendis was mentioned by both Herodotus and Strabo as a goddess of the forests and spells, similar to Artemis for the Greeks or Diana for the Romans. Bendis is the only goddess of the Geto-Dacians about whom we have clear images and artistic representations. Her existence has also been confirmed by archaeological discoveries at Costești, Piatra Roșie, and Sarmizegetusa.
According to Christopher Planeaux, the cult of Bendis developed gradually, it was not introduced suddenly: it was introduced by Thracian immigrants in the 440s BC; a temple was built as well as dedicated festivals (Bendideia) in 429 BC; it was officialized as a state festival in 413 BC.
Thanks to Plato, it is known that in Athens it was introduced in 429 BC, shortly after the signing of the alliance between Athens and Sitalces, the Odrysian king, which secured a well-trained infantry & cavalry army, the cult of Bendis to strengthen its ties with Thrace. The introduction of a foreign deity, which had no religious but political motivations, was an unprecedented act. Athens was always very interested in Thrace, a strategic territory for its position and natural resources. The first writer to mention the goddess Bendis is Hipponax (6th century BC), who compares her to Cybele. Since she is also named in two fragments from Cratinus and Aristophanes, Bendis was probably well known in Athens in the second half of the 5th century BC.
Bendis, the goddess of the forests and the moon, of love and motherhood. Bendis was perceived by the Athenians as a protective deity, closely linked to nature and the life cycles of women. Inscriptions from the mid-4th century BC attest to the cult of Bendis on the island of Salamis. In the Laurium mines, where many Thracians worked, votive statuettes of Bendis and an inscription dedicated to her, dating from 300 BC, were found. Based on the available sources, it can be said that the cult of Bendis, endowed with three temples and annual festivals, was one of the most important cults in classical Attica (Attica – Greek Αττική Attikí – is one of the 13 regions also called “Peripheries” or “Districts” of Greece, being subdivided into 4 prefectures: Athens, Piraeus, East Attica, and West Attica. The capital of the province and of Greece is the city of Athens.)
The most recent evidence regarding the cult of Bendis dates from the 3rd century BC: after this period it disappeared from Attica for unknown reasons, depicting a procession of naked athletes, perhaps the winners of the Bendideia torch race, who worship Bendis, described with all the attributes of a hunter: wearing a spear, a short chiton, tight clothing with Asiatic sleeves, an animal skin, a Thracian hooded cloak fastened with a pin, and high boots (British Museum, BM 2155).
The Bendideia, celebrated on the 19th-20th of Thargelion, was part of the religious festivals organized by the Athenian state (starting in 413 BC), which allocated extremely important funds for their preparation. The most important event was the procession (in Ancient Greek: πομπή, pompé) which lasted a whole day, in which Athenians and Thracians participated separately, which began at the Prytaneum and ended at the sanctuary of the goddess. In the evening, nocturnal equestrian torch races took place, mentioned by Plato at the beginning of „The Republic”:
“Did you hear that there is to be a torch race on horseback in honor of the Goddess BENDIS tonight?” “On horseback?” I said. “That is a new idea. Will they carry torches and pass them on to one another in their horse race, or how do you mean?” “That’s it,” said Polemarchus; “and, besides, there will be a night festival worth seeing.” (Plato, Republic, 328) Sources: Petra Janouchová, The Cult of Bendis in Athens and Thrace, XVIII, n. 1, Charles University (Prague), 2013, pp. 95-106. Christopher Planeaux, The Date of Bendis’ Entry into Attica, XCVI, n. 2, December 2000, pp. 165-192.”