Zoroastrian prophet Zarathustra.

“As for the substance of his body, created in heaven, it fell with the rain and brought forth the plants eaten by the two heifers belonging to the Prophet’s parents; the substance passed into their milk, which, mixed with haoma, was drunk by his parents: they united for the first time, and Zarathustra was conceived.”

—

On the origins of the Zoroastrian prophet Zarathustra. From A History of Religious Ideas, volume 1, by Mircea Eliade. What is notable about this mystical quote is that none of it is scientifically implausible. Translation: Matter in the sky (heaven) fell as rain and was incorporated (corporeally) into the bodies of plants, which were then eaten by cows and transformed into milk. The milk was mixed with haoma (a stimulating beverage made from the ephedra plant) and consumed by his parents. The matter was then transformed into Zarathustra’s body. We learn about the water cycle and the digestive system in middle school. We learn about these systems in completely secular language, devoid of metaphysical weight. It’s remarkable that when the same systems are described in a religious text, they can take on so much numinosity