Re: [tied] The Russian God Svarog

27-10-03 04:42, 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?

I'll provide some info on Svarog/Svaroz^ic later (gotta run now). The
names, at any rate, are real enough, as Daniel has already said.

> 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_.

The chief problem is not the vocalism but the initial cluster: *sw- >
*xW- in Iranian (including Scythian), and known Iranian loanwords in
Slavic have *xv-, not *sv-, for it.

> An alternative etymology connects the name with Albanian
> _zgjuar_ 'bright'.
>
> What is known of the etymology of _Svarog_?

None can be said to be generally accepted, but more about that later.

Piotr