DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.638#0074
CHAPTER II
The Great Vedic Deities
Agni the Fire God—Source of Life—The Divine Priest—Myths regarding
f|s Origin—The Child God—Resemblances to Heimdal and Scyld—Messenger
aj the Gods—Martin Elginbrodde—Vayu or Vata, the Wind God—Teutonic
Ate and Odin—The Hindu "Wild Huntsman"—Rudra the Howler—The
Rain God—Sublime Varuna—The Omniscient One—Forgiver of Sins—Mitra,
an ancient Deity—Babylonian Prototype—A Sun God—A Corn God—Mitanni
Deities—Surya, the Sun God—The Adityas—Ushas, Goddess of Dawn—Ratri,
Night—Chandra, the Moon—Identified with Soma—The Mead of the Gods—
A Humorous Hymn—Sources of Life—Origin of Spitting Ceremonies.
Agni, the fire god, was closely associated with Indra, and
i$ sometimes called his- twin brother. The pair were the
most prominent deities in Vedic times: about 250 hymns
are addressed to Indra and over 200 to Agni.
Indra gave the "air of life" to men; Agni symbolized
the "vital spark", the principle of life in animate and
inanimate Nature; he was in man, in beast, and fish; he
was in plants and trees; he was in butter and in intoxicat-
ing Soma. The gods partook of the nature of Agni. In
one of the post-Vedic Creation myths he is identified with
the Universal soul; Brahma existed in the form of Agni
jjJre the worlds were framed and gods and men came to
be. Agni was made manifest in lightning, in celestial
sun flames, in the sacred blaze rising from the altar and
In homely household fires. The fire god was the divine
priest as contrasted with Indra, the divine warrior.
In the Vedic invocations there are evidences that
The Great Vedic Deities
Agni the Fire God—Source of Life—The Divine Priest—Myths regarding
f|s Origin—The Child God—Resemblances to Heimdal and Scyld—Messenger
aj the Gods—Martin Elginbrodde—Vayu or Vata, the Wind God—Teutonic
Ate and Odin—The Hindu "Wild Huntsman"—Rudra the Howler—The
Rain God—Sublime Varuna—The Omniscient One—Forgiver of Sins—Mitra,
an ancient Deity—Babylonian Prototype—A Sun God—A Corn God—Mitanni
Deities—Surya, the Sun God—The Adityas—Ushas, Goddess of Dawn—Ratri,
Night—Chandra, the Moon—Identified with Soma—The Mead of the Gods—
A Humorous Hymn—Sources of Life—Origin of Spitting Ceremonies.
Agni, the fire god, was closely associated with Indra, and
i$ sometimes called his- twin brother. The pair were the
most prominent deities in Vedic times: about 250 hymns
are addressed to Indra and over 200 to Agni.
Indra gave the "air of life" to men; Agni symbolized
the "vital spark", the principle of life in animate and
inanimate Nature; he was in man, in beast, and fish; he
was in plants and trees; he was in butter and in intoxicat-
ing Soma. The gods partook of the nature of Agni. In
one of the post-Vedic Creation myths he is identified with
the Universal soul; Brahma existed in the form of Agni
jjJre the worlds were framed and gods and men came to
be. Agni was made manifest in lightning, in celestial
sun flames, in the sacred blaze rising from the altar and
In homely household fires. The fire god was the divine
priest as contrasted with Indra, the divine warrior.
In the Vedic invocations there are evidences that