Global InformationVelchanos information
| Velchanos | |
|---|---|
| Tree | Oak |
| Festivals | Velchania |
| Parents | Mother Goddess |
| Consort | Mother Goddess |
| Equivalents | |
| Greek equivalent | Zeus Adonis |
| Roman equivalent | Jupiter |
| Mesopotamian equivalent | Tammuz |
Velchanos, properly Welchanos (Greek: Ϝελχάνος, Welkhános), Gelchanos (Γελχάνος, Gelkhános), or Elchanos (Ελχάνος, Elkhános), is an ancient Minoan god associated with vegetation and worshipped in Crete. He was one of the main deities in the Minoan pantheon, alongside a Mother Goddess figure who appears to have been his mother and consort, with the two participating in an hieros gamos.
The cult of Velchanos was likely influenced by the Mesopotamian deity Dumuzid. Following the rise of Mycenaean Greece and contact with the Minoans, Velchanos' cult influenced that of Zeus, who was at times referred to by Greeks under the name Zeus Velchanos. Other possible influences include the Roman deity Vulcan.