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>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 (Hephaestus)
>According to Arthur Evans, a tree cult played one of the most important aspects of the Minoan religion in ancient Crete. In this cult, two deities were worshipped; one male and one female. In this tree cult, while the Mother Goddess was viewed as a personification of tree-vegetation, the male god formed a "concrete image of the vegetation itself in the shape of a divine child or a youth", with the two forming a mother and child relationship. Given the role of the hieros gamos between the two, it has been theorized that Velchanos was partially based on the Mesopotamian Dumuzid
>Coins from Phaistos depicted Zeus Velchanos with a cock in his lap. These coins also depicted him with an oak tree. He was also depicted with a bull. At other times, Velchanos was depicted as an eagle
