Re: [tied] Bhima, a wolf-man?

----- Original Message -----

From: Francesco Brighenti

To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Monday, July 04, 2005 1:19 PM

Subject: [tied] Bhima, a wolf-man?

Dear List,

I am making a research on the Mahâbhârata hero Bhîma's aspect as
a `mad warrior'. My inquisitiveness arises from a paper written by
an Italian Indologist suggesting that the figure of Bhîma may be
partly reminiscent of the IE proto-berserkr's aspect as a
lycanthropist or wolf-man.

 

***

As the name says, the beserkr were emulating a bear rather than a wolf.

 

***

Apart from the descriptions of Bhîma's cruel and frenzied way of
fighting found in the MBh (f.e., he often ends up fighting with his
bare hands, he drinks the blood of his worst enemy, DuHzâsana, and
makes a meat ball of Kîcaka etc.), I take the cue from the possible
cultural and mythological implications of epithet vRkodara (`wolf-
bellied') attributed to the PANDava hero in the epic. VRkodara as an
epithet of Bhîma is traditionally taken to denote his slimness of
waist and insatiable hunger, or else, Bhîma is known after this name

 

***

'Slim of waist'? I do not think so.

 

It is a characteristic of the bear to have insatiable hunger - after all, he must eat for a year inside only a few months.

 

As you probably also know, canines are also insatiable; they will eat until they regurgitate.

 

***

 

because of his enormous appetite and of the fact that his belly
would always remain flat irrespective of the quantity of food he
ate. Yet, couldn't this epithet have been at one time referred to
Bhîma because of an unattested association of this hero with the
hypothesized cultic and initiatory `wolf-complex' of IE `mad
warriors'?

***

I think you will find with more study, that wolves and dogs are associated with gods of medicine and knowledge.

 

The animal I have found consistently associated with IE warriors is the horse; and that, probably, only the basis pf kumiss which provided Dutch courage.

 

***

 

The following are the titles of two works, relevant to this issue, I
read of recent:

Speidel, Michael. Berserks: A History of Indo-European 'Mad
Warriors'. Journal of World History, Vol. 13, No. 2, Fall 2002, pp.
253-290. Univerity of Hawai'i Press.

Kershaw, Kris. The One-eyed God: Odin and the (Indo-)Germanic
Männerbünde. Wahshington, D.C.: Institute for the Study of Man, 2000
[Journal of the Indo-European Studies Monograph No. 36].

***

 

Only is the type of wod who would be associated with dogs/wolves: like Geri and Freki.

 

***

This line of research on IE Männerbünde intrigues me a lot. I am
aware of the highly speculative nature of such studies, which are
mainly based on linguistic and philological arguments, but I also
feel something important is to be found in them as regards the
reconstruction of a putative PIE cultural heritage. I also read of
Wikander and Dumézil's theory about the paired Bhîma-Arjuna
representing the split, in an Indic socio-cultural environment, of
the IE warrior function in two complementary halves, which are
described in Indic texts as the vîrya (`chivalrous') and bala
(`brutish') aspects of that function, and which would correspond to
the pairing off of Rgvedic war gods as Indra (Arjuna's father) and
Vâyu (Bhîma's father).

 

***

 

Another frequent equation: the weather-god is father to the warrior-god. Odin seems to be a mix of the weather-god, properly Thor, and the knowledge-god he originally was.

 

***

 

 

Some functional equivalences have been
further proposed between Vâyu and Wotan (also etymological: PIE *wê-
 `to blow' > IA Vâyu seems connected with *wet- `to blow, inspire,
spiritually arose' > OHG Woutan), keeping in mind that Wotan was
the `shamanic god' of the Scandinavian `mad warriors' (berserkrs,
ulfedhnars).

***

 

Yes, the shaman not the war-chief.

 

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On the other hands, the Maruts -- who in the epic alternate with
Vâyu as the other father(s) of Bhîma -- were also, according to the
study by K. Kershaw cited above, a divine symbol of the IE
Männerbünde. The latter institution, according to the same author,
would have been exemplified in Vedic India by the Rudra-worshipping
Vrâtya brotherhoods -- in this case, do we have the `wild' Rudra as
a different cultic projection of the `shaman god' of IE brotherhoods
formed by consecrated young warriors?

***

 

In my opinion, definitely not unless you think drunks in bars are highly informative.

 

Rudra is, also certainly, a warrior-god whose red face is not only seen in triumphal parades.

 

Indra and Arjuna are probably representative of the god of wealth and old age, decay. A frequent theme we find is the struggle between the young warrior-god and the old god of wealth for the favors of the goddess of love.

 

***

Please help me somebody!

Thanks.

Francesco Brighenti
VAIS -- Venetian Academy of Indian Studies
Venice, Italy


***

 

Hope this was helpful.

 

 

Patrick

 
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