The Ideology Of The Ninth And Tenth Centuries 71
the Thracian king Lycurgus crossed Dionysus, for which the latter drove him
insane (took away his wisdom), and as a result Thrace was plagued by drought.
According to the prophecy of an oracle, probably connected to the sanctuary
of Dionysus upon Mount Pangaeus, the fertility of the land could be restored
only after the death of the king.234 Examining the ideas, incorporated in the
myths of Orpheus, Rhesus and Zalmoxis, A. Fol assumes that “these three per-
sonifications appear to be the transmitters of the premonitions of the Son (of
the Great Goddess, such as Dionysus—Author’s note), both in his hypostasis
of the Sun (the Celestial Light) and in the hypostasis of Fire (the Earthly or
chthonic energy). Moreover, from a doctrinal point of view these personifica-
tions represent the epitome of the institution of the king: to interpret the will
of the main god and to rule accordingly, both as an arbiter (political leader) and
as a chieftain (military commander). His main function, therefore, requires
him to be the high priest, i.e. to perform the one and only regal rite—to depict
the death and rebirth of the god in order to maintain the existence of power
and the existence of the Universe”.235
In V. Flerova’s opinion, the two rulers of Khazaria were “incarnations of the
Cult of Dionysus, divided between two periods and traceable everywhere with
regard to the institution of the sacral king and his strictly regulated life and
violent death. The division here, however, is manifested not through alternate
ruling periods for the khagan and the bek, but by the division of the sacral
functions between them. The bek personified the upper, right world, the white
principle, the summer season of plant growth, the day and the shining sun-
light, burning fire, vital activity and its highest point—war. The khagan on
the other hand symbolized the lower, left, dark world that was hidden from
the eyes, as well as winter, night and calmness. Usually in mythology it is this
state of nature, immersed in a winter or nocturnal sleep that is considered
as having utmost importance for the process of fertility. Hence the khagan’s
responsibility for poor crops during droughts and his harem of 25 wives and
60 concubines”.236
Some of V. Flerova’s statements are probably disputable—such as fire not
always being associated with light, whiteness and the sun, but also with dark-
ness, the night and chthonic forces. But in this case the details are not impor-
tant. The mythological origin of the power division in Khazaria signifies the
existence of two principles, personified by the rulers—mirror opposites that
simultaneously represented a single entity. The question is whether such a
234 Stoianov 2006b, 47; Fol 1997, 238.
235 Fol 1997, 247.
236 Flerova 2001a, 117.