Weeping for a god (1)

Text
Ibn Waḥshīya, Asrār al-falak fol.87b:
When they mentioned him (= Dawānāy), they used to say “the Lord of Mankind.” He used to be called “the Lord of Mankind” (already) during his life time. When he died, the people of this clima, I mean the clima of Bābil, wept for him for a whole year and every year they held a ceremony for him in which they wept and lamented for him, like the people of Syria wept for Tammūzā by which they mean Hermes. Some Kardānians of the clima of Bābil also wept for Tammūzā, but the Syrians wept for Hermes for thousands of years and till the end of the days of their domination, but the Kashdānians wept for this Dawānāy for a year after his death, each day, as a ceremony. After his death they did things to his body which it is not proper to mention. They wrote about this to all regions and countries. It is said that they claim that he (= Dawānāy) contrived and extracted the secrets of the spheres and the wonders of the actions in this world of the two luminous ones (the Sun and the Moon) and the other stars, what none before him had done.

Source (list of abbreviations)
Ibn Waḥshīya, Asrār al-falak fol.87b

Bibliography

Amar Annus

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