Men was a lunar god worshipped in the western interior regions of ancient Anatolia, his name in Greek meaning month or moon and possibly influenced by the Avestan word for moon. Local forms of his cult carried epithets identifying the sanctuary or dynasty involved, such as Men Askaenos at Antioch in Pisidia and Men Pharnakou at Ameria in Pontus. He was typically depicted with crescent horns emerging from his shoulders, and in Roman-era images he sometimes wears a Phrygian cap; scholars have connected him to the Persian goddess Anahita and to the Zoroastrian lunar divinity Mah.
Facts
Attestation
Veneration TodayHistorically attested; no continuous cult 1 HistoricityNot a historical person: a divine or other-than-human being 1 Function
Domain / Function Belief
TheologyPolytheistic: many gods 1 Sources
1. The Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend
Anthony S. Mercatante, revised and expanded by James R. Dow, Facts on File
2. Men, Structured Record (Wikidata Q)
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