Sanctuary of Zibelthiurdos

Little is known about Zibelthiurdos. However, it is thought that he was the Thracian god of storms, who sent thunder and lightning from the heavens down to the earth. Like many Thracian deities there are parallels with the Greek pantheon, in this case most notably Zeus. Zeus was the king of the gods, and was also worshipped for harnessing the power of the sky and thunder. It’s also possible to link Zibelthiurdos to the Celtic god of thunder, Taranis, as there is an etymological connection between the two. Both gods were believed to personify the elements; 'thiurd' meaning to 'push' or 'crash down' in Thracian, and the word ‘toranos’ meaning 'thunder', from which Taranis is derived. It is possible that the Thracians worshipped the god of the storm as one of the 'Thracian Hero' gods, along with Zalmoxis and Gebeleizis.