Shrine of Papaios

For the Scythians, Papaios was a father figure, and the king of the gods. As might be expected of a Greek writer, Herodotus immediately recasts him in the image of Zeus, and with much the same responsibilities and powers. This 'explaining the world in Greek terms' was a piece of cultural chauvinism, but gives us our only real insight into the Scythian pantheon by a contemporary observer. As with the other gods, Papaios was honoured by sacrifices, with offerings of horses being particularly highly regarded. For steppe nomads, who lived and died by their ability to travel, such offerings must have been genuine and heart-felt sacrifices, and not simply for form’s sake. The widespread use of horses in sacrifices by many peoples across Europe suggests that this type of offering was very ancient indeed, and probably predated any tribe or group that could be called 'Scythian'.