Indo-European smith god

Not to be confused with H1n̥gʷnis, the Proto-Indo-European fire god unrelated to smithing, or H₂epom Nepōts, the Proto-Indo-European god of underwater fire.

Smith God
Equivalents
Greek equivalent	Hephaestus, Daedalus
Roman equivalent	Vulcan
Norse equivalent	Wayland the Smith
Slavic equivalent	Svarog
Hinduism equivalent	Tvastr
Hittite equivalent	Hasameli
Irish equivalent	Goibniu
Ossetian equivalent	Kurdalægon

The Proto-Indo-Europeans had a smith god in their pantheon. ^{[1] [ failed verification ] [2] [ failed verification ]} Although the name of a particular smith god cannot be linguistically reconstructed. ^[3] Smith gods occur in nearly every Indo-European culture, as well as contemprary non Indo-European cultures, ^[3] with examples including the Hittite Hasammili, the Vedic Tvastr, the Greek Hephaestus, the Germanic Wayland, the Irish Goibniu, the Lithuanian Teliavelis and the Ossetian Kurdalagon and the Slavic Svarog. ^{[1] [2]} Mallory notes that "deities specifically concerned with particular craft specializations may be expected in any ideological system whose people have achieved an appropriate level of social complexity". ^[4]

Nonetheless, two motifs recur frequently in Indo-European traditions: the making of the chief god's distinctive weapon (Indra’s and Zeus’ bolt; Lugh’s spear) by a special artificer ^[5] Such weapons include Indra's Vajra in Hindu mythology ^{[6] [7] [8]} made by Tvastar, ^[9] Ukko's Ukonvasara in Finnish mythology, ^{[lower-alpha 1] [6] [7] [8]} Thor's Mjolnir in Norse mythology ^{[6] [7] [8]} and Perkwunos' *meld-n-. ^{[10] [11]} or *h₂ekmōn. ^{[lower-alpha 2]}

Daedalus escapes (iuvat evasisse) by Johann Christoph Sysang (1703-1757)

Smith mythical figures share other characteristics in common. Hephaestus, the Greek god of blacksmiths, and Wayland the Smith, a nefarious blacksmith from Germanic mythology, are both described as lame. ^[13] The craftsman god is associated with the immortals’ drinking. ^[5] Additionally, Wayland the Smith and the Greek mythical inventor Daedalus both escape imprisonment on an island by fashioning sets of mechanical wings and using them to fly away. ^{[14] [15]}

Notes

1. Not an Indo-European mythology, but with a lot of influence. For more info see Ukonvasara#Indo-European influence.
2. A term for the sky, also used as a term for the weapon of Perkwunos occasionally. ^[12]

References

1. West 2007, pp. 154–156.
2. Jakobson 1985, p. 26.
3. Mallory & Adams 2006, p. 529.
4. Mallory & Adams 1997, p. 139.
5. West 2007, p. 157.
6. Thomas Berry (1996). Religions of India: Hinduism, Yoga, Buddhism . Columbia University Press. pp.  20–21. ISBN   978-0-231-10781-5.
7. T. N. Madan (2003). The Hinduism Omnibus. Oxford University Press. p. 81. ISBN   978-0-19-566411-9.
8. Sukumari Bhattacharji (2015). The Indian Theogony. Cambridge University Press. pp. 280–281.
9. Rigveda 1.32, translated by Ralph T. H. Griffith
10. West 2007, p. 251.
11. Watkins 1995, p. 429.
12. Le Quellec 1996, p. 292.
13. West 2007, p. 156.
14. West 2007, p. 155.
15. "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines: Typological Perspectives on Wayland and Daedalus | IASH". www.iash.ed.ac.uk. Retrieved 2023-03-07.

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