Zalmoxis

Zalmoxis (Greek: Ζάλμοξις) is a divinity of the Getae (a people of the lower Danube), mentioned by Herodotus in his Histories IV, 93–96.

In later interpretations, which began with Jordanes (6th century AC) and proliferated during the 19th and 20th century, mainly in Romania (where it is known by the name of Zamolxis), he was regarded as the sole god of the Getae or as a legendary social and religious reformer who, according to Herodotus, taught the Getae a belief in immortality, so that they considered dying merely as going to Zalmoxis. Herodotus states that Zalmoxis was also called by some of the Getae Gebeleizis, which made some researchers conclude that Getae were actually henotheists or even polytheists. Another discussion exists about the chthonic (infernal) or uranian (heavenly) character of Zalmoxis.

Herodotus

Herodotus writes about Zalmoxis in book 4 of his Histories:

Herodotus asserts that Zalmoxis was originally a human being, a slave who converted the Thracians to his beliefs. The Greeks of the Hellespont and the Black Sea tell that Zalmoxis was a slave of Pythagoras, son of Mnesarchos, on the island of Samos. After being liberated, he gathered huge wealth and, once rich, went back to his homeland. Thracians lived simple hard lives. Zalmoxis had lived among the wisest of Greeks, such as Pythagoras, and had been initiated into Ionian life and the Eleusinian Mysteries. He built a banquet hall, and received the chiefs and his fellow countrymen at a banquet He taught that neither his guests nor their descendants would ever die, but instead would go to a place where they would live forever in a complete happiness. He then dug an underground residence. When it was finished, he disappeared from Thrace, living for three years in his underground residence. The Thracians missed him and wept fearing him dead. The fourth year, he came back among them and thus they believed what Zalmoxis had told them.

Zalmoxis (harvestman)

Zalmoxis is a genus of harvestmen, within the Zalmoxidae family. They are found in tropical Australia, Borneo, New Guinea, the Philippines and on Pacific islands.

Species

Zalmoxis armatus (Roewer, 1949) — New Guinea

Zalmoxis armatipes Strand, 1910 — New Guinea

Zalmoxis aspersus Roewer, 1949 — Milgrave I., Torres Strait

Zalmoxis austerus Hirst, 1912 — New Guinea

Zalmoxis australis (Sörensen, 1886), (Roewer, 1949) — New Guinea

Zalmoxis bonka (Forster, 1949) — Solomon Is.

Zalmoxis bendis Sharma et al., 2012 — Borneo

Zalmoxis brevipes (Roewer, 1949) — New Guinea

Zalmoxis cardwellensis Forster, 1955 — Queensland

Zalmoxis cheesmani (Roewer, 1949) — New Guinea

Zalmoxis convexus (Roewer, 1949) — New Guinea

Zalmoxis crassitarsis S. Suzuki, 1982 — Bismarck Archipelago

Zalmoxis cuspanalis (Roewer, 1926) — Philippines

Zalmoxis dammermani (Roewer, 1927) — Java

Zalmoxis darwinensis Goodnight & Goodnight, 1948) — Australia

Zalmoxis derzelas Sharma et al., 2012 — Philippines

Zalmoxis gebeleizis Sharma et al., 2012 — Philippines

Zalmoxis (insect)

Zalmoxis is a genus of assassin bug family (Reduviidae), in the subfamily Harpactorinae.

Partial list of species

Zalmoxis gracilis (Stål 1855)

Zalmoxis pallidiventris (Germar 1837)

Zalmoxis

Herodotus

Zalmoxis (harvestman)

Species

Zalmoxis (insect)

Partial list of species

References

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