Re: The Russian God Svarog

In his "Comparative Mythology", Jaan Puhvel, a competent Indo-
European linguist, gives etymologies for most of the gods he
discusses. So when he writes "Svarogu ... this apparently fire-
related or solar-tinged god of obscure name", I would suppose it
means he has considered and rejects or doubts the etymology you
mention.
If I'm reading Puhvel rightly, this was the only deity known
from both West and East Slavic sources; Zuarasici was an important
god in the west, while Svarogu, whose dimunitive form Svarozici
(with haceks over the z and c) corresponds to Zuarasici, was
recorded as only a minor god in the East.
Dan
*********
In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Richard Wordingham"
<richard.wordingham@...> wrote:

> 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.