Mitra

Religion in NetHack
priests alignment alignment record altars atheism anger gods sacrifice prayer turn undead

In NetHack, Mitra is the lawful god of the Barbarian pantheon.

Origin

In the Conan the Barbarian stories of Robert E. Howard, Mitra is a deity that is personification of goodness and is also associated with righteousness, truth, healing, authority, and the sun. Mitra is the most common god worshiped in Hyboria, and his worship effectively serves as the state religion. Mitra is the chief god of most of the civilized Hyborian kingdoms, including Aquilonia, Ophir, Nemedia, Brythunia, Corinthia, and Zingara; in other lands within the setting, Mitra is at best one god among many, and his worship is even forbidden in Stygia. Mitra is most likely based in part on the Zoroastrian Mithra and (to a lesser extent) the Vedic/Hindu Mitra, sharing several features in common.

Mitra's holy symbol is a phoenix, and his religion is quasi-Christian in several aspects: he is understood to be omnipresent; his followers are urged to forgive their enemies (though many of them fail to do so); adherents to his religion are sometimes martyred trying to spread their faith to hostile peoples; and Mitra's worship recognizes the existence of other gods, particularly that of his hated adversary Set. The cult of Mitra never practices sacrifice (unlike in NetHack) and values aesthetic simplicity, with the only recurring iconography being the idol of a bearded man used to represent him - this idol serves as the object of worship, but is neither considered a vessel for the deity nor representative of his appearance.

Variants

dNetHack

In dNetHack and notdNetHack, Mitra is a lawful god of holiness, and his minions consist of Archons.

Encyclopedia entry

Originating in India (Mitra), Mithra is a god of light who
was translated into the attendant of the god Ahura Mazda in
the light religion of Persia; from this he was adopted as
the Roman deity Mithras. He is not generally regarded as a
sky god but a personification of the fertilizing power of
warm, light air. According to the _Avesta_, he possesses
10,000 eyes and ears and rides in a chariot drawn by white
horses. Mithra, according to Zarathustra, is concerned with
the endless battle between light and dark forces: he
represents truth. He is responsible for the keeping of oaths
and contracts. He is attributed with the creation of both
plants and animals. His chief adversary is Ahriman, the
power of darkness.

[ The Encyclopaedia of Myths and Legends of All
Nations, by Herbert Spencer Robinson and
Knox Wilson ]