ALEXANDER - RELIGION AND SUPERSTITI0N 1.

After routing the Getae on the Danube Alex sacrificed to Zeus and to Heracles and to the god of the Danube itself. 2. He celebrated the victory over the Greeks by a games in honour of Olympian Zeus at Aegae in Macedonia. 3. Alexander sacrificed on both sides of the Hellespont to Zeus, Athene and Heracles. During the crossing he sacrificed a bull to Poseidon and poured wine in to the sea to appease the Nereids (sea goddesses). 4. At Troy he sacrificed to Athene and to the soul of Priam to avert his anger from a descendant of Achilles. 5. At Heliopolis in Egypt he sacrificed to Apis, the Egyptian sacred bull. 6. After he took Tyre he sacrificed to Heracles and held a huge military parade in honour of the gods. 7. Alex spent the night before Gaugamela performing mysterious sacred ceremonies. Before the actual battle he prayed to the gods to protect the Greeks if he really was the son of Zeus. 8. At Babylon he restored the temple of the Persian god Bel and worshipped him. 9. Plutarch believes that Alex felt he was the son of Zeus Ammon but did not become foolishly arrogant, instead used this to assert his power over others. SUPERSTITION 1. Consulted the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi (Story of priestess saying "You are invincible my son"). 2. After the destruction of Thebes he did not sell priests or priestesses in to slavery. He put later troubles down to persecution by Dionysus god of wine who favoured Thebes. (Incidents such as Cleitus, Hyphasis...etc.) 3. At Miletus an eagle landed on shore behind his fleet. Parmenio interpreted this to mean that his fleet would defeat the Persians.

But Alex took it to mean that the Persian fleet would have to be defeated from dry land. 4. At Halicarnassus a swallow flew repeatedly over his head. When he attempted to shoo it away it landed on his head, Aristander said this meant attempted treachery but that the plot would be revealed. 2. 5. N.B.The Gordian knot story. 6. Alex's dream before the siege of Tyre in which Heracles beckoned him to enter.Aristander interpreted this to mean it would be taken but with much labour. 7. Another dream before Tyre was of chasing a satyr (half man half goat) who evaded his grasp but was eventually caught. This was explained by dividing the word into "Sa Tyros" meaning "Tyre will be yours". 8. At the siege of Gaza a bird of prey dropped a stone on Alex's shoulder. Aristander said the city would be taken but that Alex should be careful. He was wounded in the shoulder in the siege. 9. At Alexandria he set out the boundaries of his new city with a trail of barley. When it was all eaten by birds he was worried, but the soothsayers interpreted this to mean that it would be a wealthy city and would feed many other nations too. 10. One of the priests at Siwah greeted Alex by mistake instead of saying "O Paidon" (my son) he said "O Paidios" (son of Zeus). 11. At Gaugamela an eagle passed over his head and flew towards enemy lines. 12. Alex may have been influenced by Olympias his mother who was deeply religious. She was very much into mystery religions. Philip must have been too as he went to Delphi to consult the oracle about the sight of a serpent in bed with Olympias.