Alexandros, a prophet/oracle from Abonoteikhos (modern-day Kastamonu, Turkey), and his god Glycon. The story told by Lucian is quite intriguing; what particularly catches my attention is his emphasis on how a person, ready to exploit the religious sentiments of the people—despite their religious beliefs being very pure and naive (!)—was able to become wealthy through this means. The deity Glycon, whose images you see below, is generally depicted as a serpent with long hair or a beard. Interestingly, aside from Abonoteikhos, most of our information about this god comes from Tomis, Romania.

According to Lucian, Alexander had already learned about this serpent god from the magicians and followers of Dionysus in Macedonia. Indeed, inscriptions dedicated to Glycon are still found in the vicinity of modern-day Romania:

“Glyconi M(arcus) Ant(onius) Onesas iusso dei l(ibens) p(osuit)”

“Marcus Antonius Onesas voluntarily erected this votive monument to Glycon by the god’s command”

The statue image provided below is an example unearthed from excavations there, along with an example of a coin minted in Marcianopolis.

The fact that Lucian relegated a god with so many followers to the background actually teaches us a great deal about the ancient world. Differences between regions could reach extremes when it came to religious matters. Antiquity was generally not a battleground for religious disputes; that would be left to the Middle Ages. Still, the denigration of various groups due to religious differences, the exploitation of this situation for personal gain, and the enrichment of certain segments of society by manipulating public sentiment all struck me as quite modern.

As is almost always the case, this self-serving god, too, thinks of his prophet before anyone else:

“Τιέμεναι κέλομαι τὸν ἐμὸν θεράπονθʼ ὑποφήτην

οὐ γάρ μοι κτεάνων μέλεται ἄγαν, ἀλλʼ ὑποφήτου”

“Honour I bid you to give my faithful servant, the prophet;

No great store do I set upon riches, but much on the prophet”