People understood still for a long time that loss of mind is the most terrible in life. It is difficult to present what occurs in consciousness of the mad person. Ancient Greeks thought up the deity which punishes madness for violation of the established rules and norms.
The goddess of madness in Ancient Greece
The goddess of madness in Ancient Greece was called Maniya. Its cult had confidential character. Its temple was in a way from Arkady to Messeniya in that place where Orestes lost mind in punishment for murder of the mother. Exactly here admirers of a cult of the goddess Maniya carried out the secret and terrible ceremonies.
Ordinary people of that time had a tradition to hang up the image of the Mania at an entrance to the dwelling. Was considered that this goddess can protect the house from misfortunes.
Maniya personifies all possible types of madness, madnesses and fury. This goddess is capable to inspire in the person infinite self-confidence and contempt for surrounding and other deities. Maniya blinds and is capable to destroy mentality, to bring to a mental disorder. Often Maniya was compared to Evmenidami – goddesses of revenge. Evmenida pursue the person not only during his terrestrial existence, but also go down behind it and in an underworld. As a sacrifice the attendants of a cult of the goddess Maniya used porridge from beans. But later ancient Greeks began to make the human victims. To people cut off the head. Was considered that the human soul is exactly there. Later the ritual of a sacrifice changed: instead of the human victims began to bring onion and garlic.
From where there was a goddess Maniya and her analogs at other people
Initially the Mania was considered as the goddess of Etruscans who lived in the territory of modern Italy in the Area of Tuscany. Was considered that god Vulcan was her husband. From this union children – evil spirits of Mana which represented a machismo were born. A men's embodiment of the Mania – god Pang. Days of a celebration of these gods coincide – May 1. Pang was a patron of animals and was able to send madness on the person. At the time the cult of the Mania enjoyed wide popularity at ancient Greeks. Ancient Romans identified the Mania with Medusa Gorgona and too brought it bloody sacrifices. Already in those days people understood that it is more terrible to lose mind sometimes, than to die. In Slavic tribes the goddess of madness was called Manya. According to legends, Manya was in an image of the terrible mad old woman who killed the son and now everywhere searches for it. The cult of the Mania is closely connected with the goddess of the moon Artemis. It is well-known that phases of the Moon make strong impact on the people having sincere diseases. It turns out that the term "mania" which is widely used in psychiatry by the roots back traces to an extreme antiquity.