Tales from English Folklore #3: The Cult of Mithras

On Hadrian's Wall lies the ruin of a subterranean temple to a little-known god, at the centre of a secretive Roman cult. New members were initiated in a mysterious ceremony of which we know very little. Our latest episode imagines what may have taken place...
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[@BaronAmerican]

0:14 - Crocombe Sighting

[@flibbertygibbette]

Came here for this!

[@mirandamom1346]

Her great x 20 grandmother

[@hyekang3850]

You fancy her!

[@hyekang3850]

Stop stalking her please. 😅

[@hiddenpeople7713]

One thing sure is that in England you know how to keep alive you heritage! I learn more and more with you !

[@m.dilitto5488]

Thank you for sharing this with us. Myth and folklore tell us so much about the people of the past.

[@TheJollyReiver]

Went to this temple a couple of weeks ago, was very interesting to see people still leave offerings there.

[@heatherburton5480]

I attend the university of brighton which has a building called mithras House it's interesting to see where the name originates from

[@ungodlysponge]

What happens in the cult of Mithras stays in the cult of Mithras

[@yaruqadishi8326]

Except you are saying that wayyy wrong.

[@ungodlysponge]

@@yaruqadishi8326 what do you mean?

[@yaruqadishi8326]

@@ungodlysponge you know what I mean

[@deusexrockina]

Absolutely stunning. English Heritage folklore and history videos just keep improving. Love it

[@neoandlykkecat]

This channel is so informative. I love it! Thank you! Hugs from Norway.

[@EnglishHeritage]

Glad you enjoy our videos, thanks for watching!

[@val-schaeffer1117]

Mitras are ancient Sun God in proto-Indo-Aryan culture. Its worship was however limited to ancient India and Europe (Temple under City of London). But people in India still have Mitra as surname

[@capitalizingcapitalist1202]

Makes you wonder why all the need for secrecy.

[@Donlinos]

Iranian-European

[@realSSarkar9]

Mitra means friend in Sanskrit. Sometimes Sun god or the god of light is also referred as mitra in hinduism. Also, Mitra is a popular bengali surname.

[@Sestra_Prior]

Literally just read about the cult of Mithras in Mary Stewart's The Crystal Cave! What a coincidence!

[@breeinatree4811]

I love her books.

[@BRUMAICANGYAL87]

Good evening from birmingham hope you are having a wonderful evening! 👍🏻🙂

[@grannykiminalaska]

Damn, the music started and for a sec i fully. Expected crimson & clover....

[@hyekang3850]

I haven't yet heard about a temple ruin of Mithraeum that has been standing near Hadrian's Wall, I'm surprised to see that! It is extraordinary that the old Roman walls used to have a temple attched to them. Probably they also have other examples like this in elsewhere, even other than the UK. I heard that there's a basement Mithraeum in London under Bloomberg, though I've never seen it myself. Wierd and wonderful.

[@Nossaki]

I really love the mysteries of this history folklore stories. Thanks for sharing these amazing relics.

[@alejandrosakai1744]

Your videos about Roman Britannia have fascinated me, they made me understand how the Celtic Britons, the Romans, and the Picts shaped Britain, it is awesome! Greetings from Mexico!

[@normamoore7024]

Absolutely loving these tales!!!😍

[@thepeacefish]

Mrs Crocombe is a Time Lord proof at 0:14

[@thekingsdaughter4233]

Appearing there in the form of St. Hilda of Whitby. 😊

[@marionwhite8468]

Wonderful. Hope for quite a few more. Very enjoyable.

[@thegourmetgrandadandfamily]

So very interesting bit Spooky though...

[@rachelball1174]

Thank you so much for this video. I found it most interesting.

[@finnmacky7106]

That's cool! Thanks!

[@aryakaaryakaaryaka]

Hails to you

[@MeadowBear99]

There is very little known about the cult due to the complete absence of any texts written by initiates. The only reliable things that give us an idea of what the cult was all about is the archeological findings such as the subterranean rooms, statue inscriptions, mosaics, etc. What is the source for the blindfolded ritual, where does that information come from?

[@Christy_Kuri]

Sucha wonderful story. BTW, that professor looks like Argus Filch if he wasn't a Squib and became a teacher at Hogwarts. 😂 The setting around makes him look even more so. 😂

[@hyekang3850]

I hope he doesn't hide a Hiram's hammer somewhere in his desk drawers and gives a good ! on the cameraman's head. 😅

[@violetrose415]

Omg, you're right! 😂😂

[@adrianinha19]

I want to know more!

[@whatgamesweplay]

the problem with Mystery cults is that they rarely put anything in writing

[@EnglishHeritage]

You can read more about Mithras and eastern religion on Hadrian's Wall here: bit.ly/2Ygx9xt

[@idraote]

little-known god? Mithras? He was at a time the most revered deity in the whole of the empire!

[@perplexedmoth]

Yet there's not much known about it, isn't it?

[@Texasmade74]

@@perplexedmoth there's a lot known about it

[@watermelonlalala]

He was little known to the British, anyway.

[@okeribok]

Came here after watching “raised by wolves”

[@lilly-b874]

Looks like a few lads having a beer to me

[@MissesFateful]

Anyone knows the music artist/ band from the beginning?

[@Scorpio_Moonshine]

I'd like to know, too.

[@hyekang3850]

?? totally irrelevant to the point of this vid

[@MexieMex]

@@hyekang3850 but not irrelevant to the people asking, or do you alone get to decide what does and doesn't interest people?

[@hyekang3850]

@@MexieMex That's exactly what I was saying, so I doubt this is not what 'English Heritage' would primarily direct ppl's interests to. ?? I don't think it bothers to know anyway, perhaps originated from the Roman Catholic chant, or some soundtracks similar to Amanda Amar or the film the Gladiator main theme, who knows

[@EnglishHeritage]

The music in the beginning is 'Europa' by Faberge.

[@laurametheny1008]

Thanks EH!😍🇬🇧

[@adyingdream4585]

Wtf you guys have already achieved 600k...

[@SiansBookcases]

What's with the music ?

[@garryferrington811]

Why is "Mithraism" a "cult" while "Christianity" is a "religion?"

[@corvuscorone7735]

What's the music you used, please?

[@jorge69696]

Yeah the music was great.

[@EnglishHeritage]

The music in the beginning is called Europa, by artist Faberge. The later track is Keep an Open Mind by Olive Musique.

[@corvuscorone7735]

@EnglishHeritage thank you :)

[@DanielMacLir]

@@EnglishHeritage what's about the song right before 'Europa', the very first background music when the book opens?

[@ghoghnosash8569]

Persian's God. Still use the name Mithra but for girl 👧. And celebrate longest night 21 December...

[@jorge69696]

I'm listening to The Forgotten Legion audiobook by Ben Kane and Mithras saves the asses of the protagonists all the time lol.

[@cloudywithachanceofrain7613]

Mithras was the god of friendship so the cult was just a cult of friendship

[@Texasmade74]

No Mithras has solar associations

[@Texasmade74]

@LagiNaLangAko23 no it's not and Mithras isn't a god of friendship

[@nviz47]

Maybe the rites were the Persian ones?

[@silliceliproductions6285]

Hiii

[@quaesitrix881]

Mithras is "a little known god" ? O_O

[@corvus_king3282]

Well, we don't know who the Roman Mirthras was. We know there a indo-iranian god named Mirthra, but it doesn't seem they are the same. That's the problem with Mystery Religion people didn't write about what they did lol

[@quaesitrix881]

Very true... it always saddens me : so many things about history which we will never know, no matter how much science advances. Mystery religions like the cult of Mithras or the Eleusisian Mysteries, oral traditions and histories, and so much more... T_T Unless science eventually develops time travel, that is ! Although... I am afraid that even then, history research wouldn't have priority... Snif. It would probably be at the bottom of the pile of potential applications. Or am I too cynical ? If I am, it is because TV has taught me that humans are incurably stupid when it comes to time travel, and TV never lies ^_^ Anyway, I always had the impression that Mithras was among the more popular imported eastern deities (or supposed to be, I never knew that this one was actually Roman !), along with Isis and so on. Not as widespread as the usual Roman deities, but still popular for a (not really) foreign one. However, I do admit that an impression, which I probably got from occasional mentions (it had to have been, since I never read anything specifically about Mithras) during years of history reading and research, does not equate a fact supported by verifiable sources ^_^ Therefore if you, or anyone else, knows of any reliable source about the cult of Mithras, I will gladly take titles ! It is an interesting subject :)

[@corvus_king3282]

@@quaesitrix881 I would recommend this video. The guy is a religion major and does great videos. In this one he gives a few sources about the cult and cuts through the myths people have made up about Mithras and his cult kzbin.info/www/bejne/rp2pYZqMmsmCeqc

[@nathanm3995]

Is this a degree in esoteric Freemasonry??

[@peggytegeler1733]

How is to say Mithras is a cult and that it is dead.

[@tiffanyspencer1082]

That narrator tho

[@thevioletskull8158]

Oh yeah that creepy English club I heard about.

[@hyekang3850]

That's what you are interested.. I see the historical importance of the Roman tranditions and political dynamics between Mithraic cult and other religions. Read.

[@MsHazard1]

No, not English, Roman.

[@watermelonlalala]

Mithras is not an English Folktale.

[@justno5356]

spoOky

[@purtzian]

3:30

[@風間烈]

拜託，中文…看不懂……

[@jongreenleaf1000]

I like turtles

[@VagrantButterfly]

ok but that does this have to do with Britain??

[@madelynkarstedt2504]

Lunella Gray The Romans conquered Ancient Britain and the temple ruins showed are in Britain as well.

[@EnglishHeritage]

Good question, Lunella. The Temple of Mithras featured in the video is on Hadrian's Wall, the wall which marked the north-western frontier of the Roman Empire. You can find out more about its history here: bit.ly/30LMxzF

[@roshanakarya1081]

It is a goddess not a god. And it is Persian. Even the statue remains show that it's a goddess. Get your facts straight.

[@violetbrown2372]

My God, They're like Trump followers!

[@MichaellaSapphire]

Mithraism is alive and well in 2019.

[@quasigod6607]

Bill Gates and Mike Bloomberg are perfect examples of that.

[@realSSarkar9]

Hinduism is similar to mithraism

[@Susieq26754]

FREEMASONS

[@elisaviviani9337]

Soldiers talk also in Italian

[@Abbe1133]

Thank God that Christianity was established. I for one don’t fancy worshipping demons. Great video, as usual!

[@peggytegeler1733]

One person's god is another person's demon.

[@Abbe1133]

@@peggytegeler1733 true.

[@metatron-scribeofgod6572]

Its a copy paste faith.

[@garyrayner6501]

.

[@whospilledmybeans]

He was early pewdiepie

[@AngelaBuyck]

His birthday is yule

[@tesselaynes5428]

Mithras is Probably Nimrod just like all the other fake gods are.

[@hector18650]

the music is so awful and irrelevant

[@chefevilee9566]

Freemasons and Satanism that sounds like what they were about. In the picture the bull looks pretty small compared to him. So he must be a giant. So that pretty much coincides with my first assessment of this situation.

[@defenestrator3900]

Freemasonry was influenced by what was known about the Mithraic cult but there's no connection between the two groups

[@wendyeames5758]

Freemasonry has zero connection to Satanic anything.

[@jj_mgtow1755]

@@wendyeames5758 exactly freemasonry is awesome

[@BarrieMcKokiner7229]

The Persians got it from the Hindus