By identifying Minoan sacred symbols, cult objects and the evidence of rituals from reliefs and frescos, it is possible to build up an image of what motivated Minoan religion and how the gods were worshipped and petitioned.
Minoan Ancient Symbols
Depicted on reliefs, masonry and in frescos, the sacred symbols of Minoan religion were associated with fertility, nature and the links between the Minoan gods and humanity.
- Double Horns. The most common Minoan sacred symbol. Also known as the bull’s horns. They were found crowning altars or the tops of sacred buildings, such as the ceremonial wing of the palace of Knossos. Their exact significance is unknown. They may have been associated with the bucranium or head of the bull which was the symbol of one of one of the Minoan’s sacred animal. There is no proof that this meant a link with a bull cult.
- The Double Axe or Labrys was the most important Minoan religious symbol, often found in association with the bull’s horns or carved on masonry and vases. Reliefs often depict them as held by female figure interpreted as goddesses or priestesses. Their sacred nature possibly relates to their role in bull sacrifices which were carried out as part of religious rituals.
- Sacral Knot. Symbolizing the binding of and protection from the deity, this was a stylized symbol of a piece of material knotted in the centre with loose hanging end, often found in ivory models.
- The Sacred Tree. Depicted in frescos, this represented a living tree that would have been in the sacred enclosure of palaces. An altar was often situated close by. The tree was a symbol of the close association made by the Minoans between the gods and nature.
Worship of the Minoan Gods
Evidence for Minoan religious rituals comes from frescos and reliefs. Formal Minoan worship was led by priests who carried out sacrifices and libations. They also prayed to the gods and carried out exorcisms. The highest priests in Minoan society were members of the royal family. Frescos show them sitting under thrones under the sacred tree where the people worship them, presumably as proxies for the gods.
The priests were marked out by their distinctive dress which consisted of animal skins and in the case of men, long female styled garments.
Worship took various forms. It could consist of a series of formal postures which were used for prayer, supplication or surrender to the deity. Such poses involved the worshipper standing straight with their fists on their foreheads or chests, or with their arms held high, extended to the side or folded.
Offerings were also part of Minoan religious ritual. Sacrifices of bulls and goats were made on altars and their blood was collected in troughs or bowls. The gods were also left bloodless thanksgiving gifts of fruit or liquid. When making offerings to the gods in vessels, priests would have carried them ritually at arm’s length.
Models of clothing, animal, thrones and human limbs were also left for the god, in gratitude or else as a way of ensuring divine help. People would often leave models of themselves to show their faithfulness to the gods.
Other forms of worship were less formal. Religious processions were common but seals, frescos and reliefs show that dance had a sacred function in Minoan rites, as did other spectator activities such as bull leaping, boxing and hunting.
The Cult Objects of Minoan Religion
Many of the religious objects used in the rites of the Minoans survive. They include:
- Altars. These were rectangular or square dressed stone, often crowned with sacred horns. Examples can be found at Knossos and Phaistos palaces. Used for blood sacrifices and bloodless offerings such as fruit and objects
- Offering Tables. Round stone slabs used for solid bloodless offerings. Liquid offerings were made from libation tables which were shaped like an inverted pyramid offering tables are often found mountain sanctuaries. Many are inscribed with Linear A script.
- Kernoi. These were special vessels with two or more cavities for offerings of fruit or seeds. They could be rectangular or round slabs of stone with depressions in them or clay vessels of two or more joined cups. Their purpose was to contain offerings that were to ensure a good harvest or act as thanksgiving gifts. There function is known because the use of kernoi has survived into Christian rites on the isle of Crete.
- Rhyta or libation vases. Made of semi precious stone, metal or clay, these libation vessels were shaped as animals, shells or simple conical or oval shapes. They were filled through one mouth whilst the offering was poured out of another orifice.
- Tubular stands. Used to hold libation vases or baskets of other offerings, these were tube shaped vessels with many handles. Often they were decorated with snakes, bull’s heads and goats.
- Lustral bowls. These were often a sacred feature in semi basement rooms of the religious wings of palaces. They were for ritual bathing.
Sources
Minoan Crete: From Myth to History (1999) by Andonis Vasilakis. Adam Editions: Athens
