Goddess of decayment, age, death

From: Joao S. Lopes
Message: 36889
Date: 2005-03-30

I'm focusing myself in some traits shared by different
IE goddesses. It seems to me that PIE had some kind of
goddess linked to the ideas of death, decayment,
corpse, decomposition, disarraying. In Jaan Puhvel's
Comparative Mythology I found a few slight mentions,
but without more development.
So, we have:
1) Norse Hel (<*Germanic *Haljo: "Dark, black" <PIE
*KoliH-, and her "doubler" Elli (<Germanic *Althi:n-,
"age"). The Death Goddess, Queen of Hell.
2) Roman Lua Mater (<*lue:s "blight, decay" < *leu- to
dissolve, to melt, to break). An obscure Saturnus's
consort, to whom Roman armies dedicated and burned
enemy weapons.
3) Sanskrit NirRti (< Nis-Rti- "disorder"). A goddess
meaning disorder and decrepitude.
4) Avestan Asto: Vidatu "Bone Decomposition", who
appears beside Nasu (<PIE *nek^-) "dead matter"
5) Greek Styx, whose main traits is a very corrosive
and cold water, according to Hesiod, "a goddess feared
by the gods". Perhaps I can add the ke:res, winged
she-demons that feed on corpses.
6) Celtic Bodua (Irish Badb,Bodb), the crow-goddess of
battles. This link to carrion-feeding birds like
ravens or crows may connect her to Greek Ke:res and
Norse Valkyrjar.



Joao Simoes
Rio, Brazil





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