Mithra or Mithras is an Indo-Iranian god, son of Anahita, whose cult reached its peak in Rome around the third century AD.
Mithraism was then a competing religion of Christianity. His worship was especially very popular in the armies, which led to a fierce rivalry between believers of the two religions, so much so that the Church had to make many concessions to the pagan worship of Mithras (we know for example today that c It is because the cult of Mithras took place around the current winter solstice that Christmas is celebrated on December 25). In pagan Rome, the "Saturnalia" took place, from December 17 to the "Calendes" of January (first day of the Roman year). One of the festivals, "Natalis Invicti" (Nativity of the Invincible Sun) or "Sol Invictus" (Invincible God), precisely celebrated Mithra, god of light, symbolizing purity, chastity and fighting against dark forces. We celebrated on December 25, for the winter solstice, the birth of Mithra, the unconquered sun (Dies natalis solis invicti) by the sacrifice of a young bull.
An initiatory religion with mysteries, Mithraism worships the bull. This type of worship, however, has very ancient origins in Europe and most certainly dates back to the Upper Palaeolithic, or the Epipalaeolithic. Bullfighting in Spain and in the Hispanic world is a distant survival.
Mithra, who created himself out of cave rock, is both primogenitur and autogenitur. His first exploit, tauroctony, was to defeat, barely born, a torus as furious as it was powerful.
During the initiation, the followers, during agape, sprinkled the blood of the sacrificed bull and reciprocally traced a cross of ashes on the forehead and the back of the hands. The mystic probably descended into a pit above which the animal was sacrificed, its blood thus falling on him. The ritual took place in secluded places and preferably in caves.
It would seem that Freemasonry was inspired by many rites and myths of Mithraic origin. Some have also thought that the Mithras cult inspired the Christian religion.