The Russian God Svarog

From: Richard Wordingham
Message: 26638
Date: 2003-10-27

I've just encountered references to a Russian god called Svarog.
The best reference I encountered in a quick internet search was at
http://www.geocities.com/cas111jd/slavs/slavs_svarog.htm , which
looks sound. (cas111jd looks familiar, but I can't put a name to
the Yahoo ID.) I've also seen a claim that the Lithuanians knew him
as Laukosargas.

How sound is this? He seems to be being used as a comic-book
character, and the 'Stargate SG-1' series has at the very least
borrowed his name, so sober information on the web is more difficult
to find. (I don't rate the chances of finding anything out about
him at the local public library very highly.)

The name appears at first sight to be connected to Sanskrit
_svarga_ 'heaven', which Pokorny derives from *swel 'smoulder,
burn', but Pokorny does not make the connection. That suggests that
we are looking at an Iranian (Scythian?) loan. However, the
vocalism of _Svarog_ is strange - one should expect *_Svorog_.

An alternative etymology connects the name with Albanian
_zgjuar_ 'bright'.

What is known of the etymology of _Svarog_?

Richard.