Re: [tied] why did romans and greeks have had the same gods?

From: Piotr Gasiorowski
Message: 13864
Date: 2002-06-17

Zeus does not come "from" Dyaus.pitar but represents an independent development of PIE *djeus-, which historically underlies both names (but not Saturn or anything in the Book of Genesis). Dyaus.pitar was an Aryan god only if by "Aryan" you mean Indo-Aryan, but he was by no means the single greatest god in that branch. Most of the major functions of the 'luminous diurnal sky' god have been taken over by Varun.a by the Vedic times. Whether PIE *dje:us ph2te:r 'Father Sky' was regarded as the giver of bread cannot be known; the wide attestation of the name only proves that he was important and, shall I say, popular. "Daylight" is commonly associated with transcendence, creativity, fertility, priestly functions etc. Note also that "Father Sky" almost automatically presupposes "Mother Earth" (as in Rigvedic <dya:va:pRtHivi:> 'Sky & Earth'), though the latter is not equally well documented.
 
Piotr
 
 
----- Original Message -----
From: simona
To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, June 17, 2002 9:09 AM
Subject: Re: [tied] why did romans and greeks have had the same gods?

Dyaus Pitar - The one that brings the bread; the first great god of the Aryans; from him we have then Zeus and Saturn and, maybe, the story of the Genesis, when the Supreme God liked the Earth and gave birth through his breath to the 7 gods of the world genezis, their leader being the great god Dak-Sha.
Tara