Religion / idea · deity

Zalmoxis

Zalmoxis was a god or deified teacher of the Getae and Dacians north of the Danube. Herodotus reports that the Getae believed they did not die but went to Zalmoxis, and that every four years they sent him a messenger by throwing a man onto spears. Greek writers also told of him as a former slave of Pythagoras, a story Herodotus himself doubted.

Zalmoxis
Image: Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

GetaeKingdom of Dacia

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Zalmoxis. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/zalmoxis
MLA
“Zalmoxis.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/zalmoxis. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Zalmoxis.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/zalmoxis.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Zalmoxis’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/zalmoxis (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻