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Glycon: The Snake God With a Man's Face

Original: the snake with a mans face: glycon, alexander and the man who tried to kill a god with a book Somewhere around the 150s

Around 150 AD, the town of Abonoteichus on the Black Sea coast of Paphlagonia, in present-day northern Turkey, became home to a new deity: Glycon, a snake said to have a human face. The story is tied to Alexander of Abonoteichus, the prophet behind the cult, and to the writer Lucian, who famously tried to expose the god as a fraud in a scathing book. The tale of ancient religious con artistry is drawing fresh attention.

Why now: The bizarre story of an ancient fake god and Lucian's attempt to debunk it with a book is being shared as fascinating historical trivia.

GlyconAlexander of AbonoteichusLucianAbonoteichusPaphlagonia

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• the snake with a mans face: glycon, alexander and the man who tried to kill a god with a book Somewhere around the 150s AD, on the Black Sea coast of Paphlagonia (north Turkey now), a little town called Abonoteichus got a god. Not one that evolved over centuries like everybody · KamiOKingPaimon · 11

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