H₂weh₁-yús is a god of the wind from ancient Proto-Indo-European mythology, a figure recognized in many old stories.
This god is hypothesized to have been linked to life and death through adding and taking breath from people.
Etymology[]
The term H₂weh₁-yú itself is made from a Proto Indo European root meaning "to blow" or "to breathe," with the added part *-yú, which was typically used to make personal names. So, H₂weh₁-yú essentially means "the one who blows/breathes.
The name comes from the ancient word *h₂weh₁-, which means "to blow," leading to names for the wind like *H₂weh₁-yú- and *H₂w(e)h₁-nt-.[1][2] This wind god is often shown as part of a pair in Indo-Iranian myths. For example, in the Avesta (a collection of sacred texts), Vayu-Vāta represents two aspects of the wind: Vāta is linked with stormy winds and is said to come from all directions, while in the Vedas (ancient Hindu scriptures), Vāyu is the lord of winds allied with Indra, the ruler of the heavens, and Vāta is seen as a harsher wind connected with Parjanya, the deity of rain and thunder. This concept has parallels in various languages and cultures, with related words for wind found in Hittite, Lithuanian, Tocharian B, Latin, Germanic, and Welsh.[2]
Cognates[]
The term *h₂weh₁- has cognates in the aforementioned languages. The Hittite. huwant-, Lithuanian. vėjas, Tocharian. B yente, Latin. uentus, Proto-Germanic. *windaz, Welsh gwynt, and English wind, with a possibie cognate with Slavic Viy. The Latin uentus became the word Venti.
References[]
- ↑ Mallory, James P.; Adams, Douglas Q. (2006). The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-929668-2. https://books.google.com/books?id=tF5wAAAAIAAJ.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 West, Martin L. (2007). Indo-European Poetry and Myth. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-928075-9. https://books.google.com/books?id=ZXrJA_5LKlYC.