Re: Vanir

From: tgpedersen
Message: 11795
Date: 2001-12-14

--- In cybalist@..., tgpedersen@... wrote:
> --- In cybalist@..., "João S. Lopes Filho" <jodan99@...> wrote:
> > I think *Wagn- would give Vagn- or Vakk-, nor Vanir.
> >
> True, if you insist the word was first used in Germanic. And
> therefore I can assume some other tribe had *waGn- > *va:n-. That's
> not assuming much.
>
> Torsten

And I found this:

"
The earliest Armenian pantheon was most likely similar to the pre-
historic Indo-European pantheon; and, it probably included eponymous
and other legendary heroes as well. It seems that the Armenians also
had nature gods and, indeed, worshiped the elements.

During the fifth century BC, the Armenians adopted the Iranian form
of these divinities and domesticated them. Ahura-Mazda, who assumed
the status of father of the gods, was wor- shipped as Aramazd.
Mithra, god of light and justice, was known as Mihr. Anahita, goddess
of fertility and mother of all wisdom, became Anahit--the favorite
goddess of the Armenians. Verethrangna, the god of war, was
worshipped as Vahagn. Astghik was the goddess of love. Tir, the
scribe of Aramazd, was the god of science and the recorder of man's
deeds of good and evil. Barshamin and Nane, probably of Syrian
origin, also formed part of the Armenian pantheon.

With the conquests of Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), and the
successor Seleucid Empire, Armenia entered the Hellenistic orbit and
identified its gods (as did the Romans and others) with the Greek
pantheon. Thus Aramazd became Zeus; Mihr became Hephaestus; Anahit
became Artemis; Vahagn became Heracles; Astghik became Aphrodite; Tir
became Apollo; and Nane became Athena; only Barshamin retained his
original form.
"

from:

http://www.umd.umich.edu/dept/armenian/papazian/armenia.html

Vahagn? Does anybody know whom the Vani in the Caucusus were
worshipping? And identified with Hercules? Whom Tacitus (or was it
Caesar) insists the Germani knew?

Torsten