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The Proto-Indo-Europeans included a deity associated with metalworking in their religious beliefs, though a specific name for such a god remains

untraceable through linguistic methods.[1] Smith deities are a common motif across a wide array of Indo-European cultures, as well as in some non-Indo-European traditions,[1] with notable figures like the Hittite Hasammili, the Vedic Tvastr, the Greek Hephaestus, the Germanic Wayland, the Irish Goibniu, the Lithuanian Teliavelis, the Ossetian Kurdalagon, and the Slavic Svarog.[2][3] Mallory observes that gods dedicated to specific crafts tend to emerge in societies that have attained a certain level of social and technological advancement.[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 Tvastr,[9] Ukko's Ukonvasara in Finnish mythology,[10][6][7][8] Thor's Mjolnir in Norse mythology[6][7][8] and Perkwunos' *meld-n-[5] or *h₂ekmōn.[11]

Another common aspect linked to these deities is their association with the gods' consumption of intoxicating beverages. Moreover, a recurrent motif among these figures is lameness, with Hephaestus and Wayland the Smith being prominent examples of crippled craftsmen in mythology.[5]

The narrative of escape from captivity, notably through the ingenious creation of mechanical wings, is another shared story among these mythological figures, exemplified by Wayland the Smith and the Greek inventor Daedalus, highlighting their resourcefulness and ingenuity.[5][12]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 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. 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. 
  3. Jakobson, Roman (1985). "Linguistic Evidence in Comparative Mythology". In Stephen Rudy. Roman Jakobson: Selected Writings. VII: Contributions to Comparative Mythology: Studies in Linguistics and Philology, 1972-1982. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9783110855463. https://books.google.com/books?id=gsucH7YYr7kC. 
  4. Mallory, James P.; Adams, Douglas Q. (1997). Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-884964-98-5. https://books.google.com/books?id=tzU3RIV2BWIC. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 https://books.google.com/books?id=ZXrJA_5LKlYC
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Thomas Berry (1996). Religions of India: Hinduism, Yoga, Buddhism. Columbia University Press. pp. 20–21. ISBN 978-0-231-10781-5. https://archive.org/details/religionsofindia00berr. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 T. N. Madan (2003). The Hinduism Omnibus. Oxford University Press. p. 81. ISBN 978-0-19-566411-9. https://books.google.com/books?id=EUsqAAAAYAAJ. 
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Sukumari Bhattacharji (2015). The Indian Theogony. Cambridge University Press. pp. 280–281. https://books.google.com/books?id=lDc9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA280. 
  9. Rigveda 1.32, translated by Ralph T. H. Griffith
  10. Not an Indo-European mythology, but with a lot of influence.
  11. A term for the sky, also used as a term for the weapon of Perkwunos occasionally.
  12. https://www.iash.ed.ac.uk/event/those-magnificent-men-their-flying-machines-typological-perspectives-wayland-and-daedalus
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