To justify this worship, as we have already seen, that mother, of course, must be raised to divinity, and divine powers and prerogatives ascribed to her. Whatever dignity, therefore, the son was believed to possess a like dignity was ascribed to her. Whatever name of honour he bore, a similar name was bestowed upon her. He was called Belus, "the Lord"; she, Beltis, "My Lady." He was called Dagon, "the Merman"; she, Derketo, "the Mermaid." He, as the World-king, wore the bull's horns; she, as we have already seen, on the authority of Sanchuniathon, put on her own head a bull's head, as the ensign of royalty. *
* EUSEBIUS, Proeparatio Evangelii. This statement is remarkable, as showing that the horns which the great goddess wore were really intended to exhibit her as the express image of Ninus, or "the Son." Had she worn merely the cow's horns, it might have been supposed that these horns were intended only to identify her with the moon. But the bull's horns show that the intention was to represent her as equal in her sovereignty with Nimrod, or Kronos, the "Horned one."
He, as the Sun-god, was called Beel-samen, "Lord of heaven"; she, as the Moon-goddess, Melkat-ashemin, "Queen of heaven." He was worshipped in Egypt as the "Revealer of goodness and truth"; she, in Babylon, under the symbol of the Dove, as the goddess of gentleness and mercy, the "Mother of gracious acceptance," "merciful and benignant to men." He, under the name of Mithra, was worshipped as Mesites, or "the Mediator"; she, as Aphrodite, or the "Wrath-subduer," was called Mylitta, "the Mediatrix." He was represented as crushing the great serpent under his heel; she, as bruising the serpent's head in her hand. He, under the name Janus, bore a key as the opener and shutter of the gates of the invisible world. She, under the name of Cybele, was invested with a like key, as an emblem of the same power. *
* TOOKE'S Pantheon. That the key of Cybele, in the esoteric story, had a corresponding meaning to that of Janus, will appear from the character above assigned to her as the Mediatrix. He, as the cleanser from sin, was called the "Unpolluted god"; she, too, had the power to wash away sin, and, though the mother of the seed, was called the "Virgin, pure and undefiled." He was represented as "Judge of the dead"; she was represented as standing by his side, at the judgment-seat, in the unseen world. He, after being killed by the sword, was fabled to have risen again, and ascended up to heaven.