Mitra
Mitra is a Demon in the Megami Tensei franchise.
Profile
Origin
This demon represents both the Vedic god Mitra[a] and the Iranian god Mithra,[b][1][2][3] though he is typically only mentioned in in-game official profiles as being of Persian, Iranian, or Zoroastrian origin. Mitra and Mithra are believed to have a common Indo-Iranian origin, though the figures diverged over time.
Mitra and Mithra's names derive from the Indo-Iranian word mitrá, a common noun meaning "contract" or (in later Sanskrit) "friend." Mitra and Mithra are associated mainly with contracts, like the name suggests. In the Vedas, Mitra has a close relationship with the god Varuna. To the Iranians, he is also associated with the sun and light, though he is not a personification of the sun itself. Additionally, while the Iranian Mithra is a warrior god, this role is taken by Indra in the Vedas.[4]
Mithra would be incorporated into Zoroastrianism, though he is not mentioned in the Gathas, which are traditionally attributed to Zarathustra (Zoroaster) himself. In Zoroastrianism, he is believed to be the overlord and judge of living beings.[4] The Manichaeans would adopt the name of Mithra[c] to refer to either the Living Spirit (in Persian) or to the Third Messenger (in Parthian and Sodgian).[5]
Mithra is the namesake of the seventh month of the Zoroastrian calendar and of the Solar Hijri calendar of present-day Iran.
The Romans adapted the name of Mithra as Mithras, though Mithras is distinct and has little to do with the Indo-Iranian god aside from his name,[6] even though he was perceived as a Persian deity by his followers.
Atlus has connected Mitra to the bodhisattva Maitreya,[1][2] but this connection is only linguistic rather than there being any continuity between religious beliefs.
Design
Mitra's Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II and Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne designs appear to be inspired not by how the Iranian Mithra or Vedic Mitra are usually depicted, but by depictions of an unknown figure in the Roman Mithraic religion, whose name is hypothesized to be Aeon, Zurvan, Arimanius (the latter of which is derived from Ahriman). In commentary on the Nocturne design, Kazuma Kaneko identified the figure as "Zurvan, the god of time".[7]
Gameplay
- For complete gameplay information, see Gameplay:Mitra.
Compendium
| Compendium Entries | |
|---|---|
| Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne |
An ancient Iranian god of contracts, he was also worshipped as a sun god. At the end of time, he will descend from the heavens and raise the dead for final judgment. |
| Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster | |
| Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey |
A sun deity of Zoroastrian lore. He is the son of the god of light, Ahura Mazda. He is the sunlight that appears before dawn and has the power to expel darkness. He also has a fearful war god side to him; those who opposed him would have their bones crushed. |
| Shin Megami Tensei IV |
A sun deity of Zoroastrian lore. He is the son of the god of light, Ahura Mazda. He is the sunlight that appears before dawn and has the power to expel darkness. He also has a fearful war god side to him; those who opposed him would have their bones crushed. |
| Shin Megami Tensei V |
Commonly known as Mitra-Buddha or Mitra. An ancient Persian god of contracts, he was also revered as a sun god. He is a protector of the world's harmony and truth, and passes judgment upon those who threaten it. It is said that one of his powers to safeguard harmony allows him to cure any illness. |
| Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance |
Commonly known as Mitra-Buddha or Mitra. An ancient Persian god of contracts, he was also revered as a sun god. He is a protector of the world's harmony and truth and passes judgment upon those who threaten it. It is said that one of his powers to safeguard harmony allows him to cure any illness. |
| Persona 2: Innocent Sin |
Zoroastrian war god who is also god of justice and light. |
| Persona 2: Eternal Punishment |
Zoroastrian war god of rain and light. |
| Persona 3 |
An ancient Iranian god of contracts, he was also revered as a sun god. At the end of time, he will descend from the heavens and raise the dead for final judgment. |
| Persona 3 FES | |
| Persona 3 Portable | |
| Persona 3 Reload |
An ancient Persian god of contracts, who was also revered as a sun god who brought harvests when he was introduced to the Zoroastrian religion. |
| Persona 4 |
An ancient Iranian god of contracts, he was also revered as a sun god. At the end of time, he will descend from the heavens and raise the dead for final judgement. |
| Persona 4 Golden | |
| Persona 5 |
An ancient Persian god of contracts, who was also revered as a sun god who brought harvests when he was introduced to the Zoroastrian religion. |
| Persona 5 Royal | |
| Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth |
An ancient Persian god of contracts, he was also revered as a sun god. At the end of time, he will descend from the heavens and raise the dead for final judgement. |
| Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth |
An ancient Persian god of contracts, he was also revered as a sun god. At the end of time, he will descend from the heavens and raise the dead for final judgment. |
| Persona 5 Strikers |
An ancient Persian god of contracts, who was also revered as a sun god who brought harvests when he was introduced to the Zoroastrian religion. |
| Persona 5 Tactica |
An ancient Persian god of contracts. He was also revered as a harvest-bringing sun god when he was introduced to the Zoroastrian religion. |
| Persona 5: The Phantom X |
An ancient Persian god of contracts. He was also revered as a harvest-bringing sun god when he was introduced to the Zoroastrian religion. |
| Devil Survivor: Overclocked |
The god of contracts in Zoroastrian lore. He is a high-ranking god, seen as a god of war and the sun. He presides over the harmony of the entire world, and any with malicious intent to disrupt it is judged and punished. He also has the power to heal sickness, as one of his powers to protect harmony. |
| Devil Survivor 2 |
An ancient Iranian god of contracts, he was also revered as a sun god. At the end of time, he will descend from the heavens and raise the dead for final judgement. |
| Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker | |
Game Appearances
Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II
Prior to the game's story, Mitra, a member of the Asura tribe and also known as Ahura Mazda, was a significant rival to YHVH. Mitra had defeated Baal and his domain spread from Rome to India, and even Japan as Maitreya. However, Mitra would be defeated by YHVH due to the rise of Christianity and Islam, and Mitra was sent to the Makai.[8]
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
Nomenclature
Gallery
Notes
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "インドからペルシアにまたがる、古い光明神。アシュラやアフラマズダの一族に属する。光と炎と叡知をつかさどっていた。牛を殺す神話が有名で、その血をあたりにまき、作物の肥としたことから、豊饒神としても崇められている。その信仰とギリシア/ローマ世界におよび、兵士に人気があって、一時はキリスト教に対抗するだけの力があった。仏教では弥勒菩薩となった。" Megami Tensei II no Subete (1990), Daisuke Narisawa. Japanese. p. 58. ISBN-13: 978-4-88063-925-3.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "古代アーリヤ人の神で意味は“契約”。紀元前15世紀まで遡るバラモン教の聖典『リグ・ヴェーダ』に、その名がみえる。ペルシアのゾロアスター教の聖典『アヴェスター』ではミスラと呼ばれた。牧場の主、仇敵を打ち砕く最も強き者、千の耳と観察のための万の目を有する欺かざる者、その顔は全世界に向いている、などと称され、牧畜・審判・戦争を司る。やがて光明神の性格が強調されたミトラを主神とするミトラス教が起こり、キリスト教公認前のローマ帝国において盛んに信仰された。古代ローマの冬至である12月25日は、太陽が生まれた日と考えられ、ミトラが創世の岩から生まれた日となる。仏教ではマイトレーヤ、中国に伝来し弥勒と呼ばれた。" Shin Megami Tensei: Demons Bible (2003). Published by Shinkigensha. Japanese. p. 30. ISBN-13: 978-4-7753-0149-4.
- ↑ "インド&イランの光明神。名の意味は“契約”。バラモン教の聖典『リグ・ヴェーダ』によれば、父はダクシャ(意力)、母はアディティ(無垢)。アーディティヤ神群の重要な神で、畏怖すべき魔力に富むアスラの一柱だ。ゾロアスター教の聖典『アヴェスター』では、ミスラ(ミフル)と呼ばれ、神々の下位グループたるヤザタ(崇めるに値する者)に属す。「ミフル・ヤシュト」によれば、光の最高神アフラ・マズダーによって創られた。広き牧地の主・千の耳と万の目を有する眠らざる者・ヤザタのなかで最も強き者などと、讃えられる。次第に司法神的性格が強調された。" Kazuma Kaneko Works III (2008). Published by Shinkigensha. Japanese. p. 1. ISBN-13: 978-4-7753-0609-3.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Hanns-Peter Schmidt, MITHRA i. MITRA IN OLD INDIAN AND MITHRA IN OLD IRANIAN. Published August 15, 2006. Retrieved December 16, 2023. Encyclopaedia Iranica.
- ↑ Werner Sundermann, MITHRA iii. IN MANICHEISM. Published July 20, 2002. Retrieved August 8, 2024. Encyclopaedia Iranica.
- ↑ "It is nevertheless impossible on present evidence to trace much if any direct continuity between the Achaemenid, or more vaguely Iranian, cult and the Roman one." Romanising Oriental Gods: Myth, Salvation and Ethics in the Cults of Cybele, Isis and Mithras (2008). Published by Brill. p. 80. ISBN-13: 978-90-04-13293-1. https://doi.org/10.1163/ej.9789004132931.i-486
- ↑ "ミトラは善神と悪神を仲裁する神様なんです。描きようとしては、差別化するために、時の神ズルバンと合体しているバージョンで違う側面を描いてます。" Shin Megami Tensei: Demons Bible (2003). Published by Shinkigensha. Japanese. p. 30. ISBN-13: 978-4-7753-0149-4.
- ↑ "The Gods of Megami Tensei", Megami Tensei I · II Shōkan-ban · Gattai-ban (1991), Kazunari Suzuki. Published by Victor Entertainment. Japanese. pp. 31-32.
- Demons from Zoroastrianism
- Demons from Iranian Culture
- Demons from Hinduism
- Demons in Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II
- Bosses in Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II
- Demons in Kyūyaku Megami Tensei
- Bosses in Kyūyaku Megami Tensei
- Demons in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
- Demons in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Maniax
- Demons in Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
- Bosses in Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
- Demons in Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux
- Bosses in Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux
- Demons in Shin Megami Tensei IV
- Demons in Shin Megami Tensei V
- Demons in Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
- Demons in Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine
- Demons in Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2
- Demons in Majin Tensei II: Spiral Nemesis
- Personas in Persona 2: Innocent Sin
- Personas in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
- Personas in Persona 3
- Personas in Persona 3 FES
- Personas in Persona 3 Portable
- Personas in Persona 3 Reload
- Personas in Persona 4
- Personas in Persona 4 Golden
- Personas in Persona 5
- Personas in Persona 5 Royal
- Personas in Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
- Personas in Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
- Personas in Persona 5 Strikers
- Personas in Persona 5 Tactica
- Personas in Persona 5: The Phantom X
- Shadows in Persona 5: The Phantom X
- Personas in Persona Mobile Online
- Demons in Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner 2
- Demons in Devil Survivor: Overclocked
- Demons in Devil Survivor 2
- Demons in Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker