The German counterpart of Odin is Wotan. It means, supposedly, “furious” or “raging” (wütend) which would make for a nice etymology of a storm god.
But the name isn’t as clear as that…The name appears as Wadon and Wodan and may have originated as Wado or Wate and may have even been Vadi or Vada. Odin is also the “Wanderer”.
But words such as wander or rage (wüten) are conceptually complex. So the question becomes where do they come from?
Here we come to the real issue and the issue is water. The water meanders or, if you will, wanders. Little wonder about that…
But here are some other interesting facts “water” in:
- in Suavic is woda
- in Old Prussian wenda or Lithuanian vanduo (yet see here for Suavic cognates
One might ask whether wandering or even the Wendell name (period?) could be derived from these. On the aquatic character of Wodan I wrote a bit here.
If one wanted to stretch this a bit, one might also note that Mercury has been variously identified with Wodan. The Roman Mercury is the Greek Hermes whose mother is the eldest of the Pleiades – Maia. Now, Johannes Lydus says the following in his “Of the Months”:
“…but by the methods of natural philosophy, the majority assert that Maia is water. Indeed, among the Syrians who do not speak Greek water is still to this day called that, so that also water-vessels are termed mêiouri. And it was not without reason that Varro manifestly dedicated the month to her…”
and then:
“…During this month also the festival of the Rosalia was celebrated among the Romans; and the businessmen would pray to Maia and Hermes that their profits would be free of risk. Accordingly, all the profits grow in matter and out of the same, and in it, as it were “god-sends” [Hermaia] are found and distributed, they say, in accordance with merit…”
Thus, May is connected with water and the rebirth of nature. It does not take much to connect the Rain God or Storm God to such events.
Now, explain the Suavic:
- wojewoda – “warrior leader”
- wódz – “leader”
- wodzić – “to lead”
The “z” sound at the back makes a tempting comparison to the reconstructed *Wōdanaz or *Wōdinaz. Though, if you really wanted to stretch things you could also connect the latter to vocative wodzu nasz… 🙂
Or, for that matter, wozić – “to transport.” Curiously the Big Dipper or Great Bear is known as the Great Wagon among the Suavs – Wielki Wóz.
The verb jechać with which Yessa may be cognate brings up similar notions – including, given the context of a wedding, that of something like the “Wild Hunt” but with the leader (bridegroom) “hunting” for a bride along with his “pack” (wataha or Männerbund?):
Jasiowe bojary
pod wieś podjechały
O Łado, Łado, Łado, Łado!
In fact, you could be tempted to suspect that the above may reflect a darker “tradition” in the history of the Central/Eastern European lands when roving bands of male northmen ravaged the countryside. But, what makes that unlikely is the attested existence of the agricultural Iasion already in the Greek times.
In any event, I could accept that the various “leader” words as derived from Teutonic languages. That is, that all these words come from the Raging Wodan (but also raining – hence, temptingly, reign?) … But matters get more complicated when you mention water (woda) or the number one (jeden or один though Óðinn is closer to the soft Othin). Surely, the Suavs had their own word for “water” and did not derive it from the name of a Teutonic God (or any other God).
Already a few years ago, I noted here that the Slavic term for ruler/leader, i.e., wódz may also come from “water” noting “that the Slavic wodit (i.e., to lead but also to lead about) is therefore related to the Germanic wend, i.e., as a river meanders that is wends itself (though, as noted, wend also has Prussian and Slavic aquatic meanings, e.g., wędka (wendka) (fishing rod) or wędzić (wendzić) (to smoke, i.e., remove water from, fish). (note here how the Polish ę is a likely result of an earlier -en).” Specifically, the reason for this being that tribes had to have fresh water and so they traveled along water ways “led” by their “water” guide/leader.
In this respect, there is an interesting connection from the English language – “to wade”. This meant “to go forward, proceed, move, stride, advance” from *wadanan. Curiously, though this word meant or at some point began to mean specifically “to walk into or through water.” Why?
Another interesting aspect is the reference to Wodan among the East Suavs. Hence:
Oj, Łado, Łado, oj dana dana,
idem do pana, do pana Wodana
Of course, what’s really curious is that if those Suavs had gotten this notion from the Goths, then Wodan would have been Godan but that is not the case with the above quote suggesting an older source of the reference. See here for the context.
As noted in that post, the dana, dana refrain while common in Suavic songs generally and here probably meaning “I am given away, given away” to Wodan, could also be a reference to the hypothetical Goddess Danu/Dana of the Tuath(a) Dé Danann or of the Vedic Goddess Danu. That would make Dana the Mother Goddess but also consort – the Łada – of Wodan. Dana Wodana rhyme may, thus, be of rather deeper interest (assuming, of course, that this Wodan reference is not just a fabrication).
Further, note that the fact that a Rain God should be associated with fire is hardly surprising as fire melts ice in northern climes. Thus, the Wodanaz name has both a water connotation and possibly a fire connotation. As I wrote before:
- agni or ogień becomes wügin for Polabian Suavs/Slavs which, incidentally, they pronounced wüdjin
Interestingly, similar conclusions were reached by the much under-appreciated Friedrich Nork (Frierich Korn) in his Etymologisch–symbolisch–mythologisches Real-wörterbuch:
You can also compare this with the Latvian for water – ūdens – strikingly similar to Odin.
Another curious linguistic Suavism that connects fire with water is the etymological creation of related spirits. Thus, we have both the wodnik who is a mean spirit of the waters and, attested in Belarus, the wognik – similarly constructed – who is the nasty spirit of fire. However, these spirits are not water and fire themselves. Rather, for example, the wognik appears when the family hearth’s fire (each family had their “own” fire) is somehow mistreated (for example, by spitting on it).
Curious also is the under-appreciated Norse God Óðr who may have given his name to the river Odra. On the water connotations of the “dr” segment in Polish I wrote here (szczodra (generous/bountiful), modra (dark blue), wydra (otter), wiadro (bucket)),
At this juncture note that the word wataha (or pack/group) appears in Russia very early, first with the “leader of the pack” forms of wataman and wotaman which were used for the older leader of fishermen, peasants and, curiously, also the leader of a boat crew and a helmsman (!). According to Brückner, all this comes from the Tatar language wherein odaman meant the head shepherd (Tatars being pastoralist nomads originally). That Yassa was also the legal code of the nomadic Tatar empire of Genghis Khan, I need not remind anyone.
One can even try to connect the rosalia with Wodan’s horse – Ros (leaving interesting possibilities for Rurik’s people’s name). And, at the Penthecost the Suavs had to walk around barefoot on grass to touch the Earth. They, of course, walked on the morning dew which is called rosa.
Now, is that the sweat from the Jasion’s galloping horse? From the Temple at Arkona, we know that the white horse of Swantovit came back in the morning perspiring from his night rides. It gets better, however, since Ross is a German form of “horse”, a word with which it is cognate. In fact, “horse” is cognate with the OHG hros and Old Norse hross and the Old Saxon hors.
It is not that far-fetched to ask whether Dadzbog Chors of the Kiev Pantheon is in fact the Rider and His Horse combined into one (see here for the Rider). Already Vatroslav Jagić thought Dadzbog Chors was the same deity (Chors = χρυσ? Hence “golden” – Brückner mocked this idea but there is much he mocked that proved right) and so we can have a “golden Dagon”. Here it is worth noting that this “giver” may be cognate with the word for grain – specifically in Ugaritic, the root dgn also means “grain” (also Hebrew, דגן) which, once again, creates an agricultural connection for our Jaryło, that is the Ruthenian or Belorussian/Russian Ярило or Ярила/Ярыла.
Maybe that rider rides just on the horse or on the Sun’s chariot. But it is not necessary to go all “solar”. In fact, whether He is to be identified with the Sun or the Moon or both is another interesting matter – for a discussion of Osiris and Horus connections, you can look below.
But there are other connections with the Penthacost/May and Zielone Świątki. The Polish wada means “fault”. But it means a bit more. It means a “feud” or a “conflict”. Thus, we have:
- wadzić się, swada, zwada, swaditi
But that’s not all. Then there is the same meaning for:
- swarzyć się
That furious Wotan was also quite mischievous and caused conflict need not be further elaborated on.
To sum this up:
- woda > Wodan > Swaróg
Whether Swarożyc is an aspect of Swaróg (such as fire) or his offspring is almost secondary. Kazimierz Moszyński’s mentions a fisherman on lake Chervonoye (Red Lake) (earlier Lake Kniaź/Князь) in the Polesie region who, hearing thunderbolts, says: “Boh svarycsa“. That is “God is raging.” According to Moszyński, the same saying was present in Poland: “Bóg swarzy.” The Gothic svarjan (to swear) also raises the question of whether phrases that include both “swearing” and “so help you God” do not exhibit a redundancy. Interestingly too, “to vote” also meant “to vow” earlier (though the word may come from Latin, whether that ends the matter or not is a question of how far back we are willing to delve).
On the other hand… there are some aspects of Svarog/Swaróg that point to a chthonic character (such as the German Zwerg – dwarf; the OHG twerg – or, the Polish tworek though not from Tworki). This raises the possibility that the “smith” (or Vulcan) comes from a different tradition and that the cult of Iasion may have ultimately prevailed over the cult of the smith for some peoples at least. Later Iasion Himself being, at least in some geographies (such as Scandinavia), pushed aside to create Taranus/Thor/Perkunas – in Poland perhaps represented by Turoń – the bull or tur – that is auroch – like creature.
As for the Suavs – at least the Poles, I would be inclined to say the following:
Jaś as the Sky Deity – Łada (aka Dzidzilela?) as the Earth
(Theory 1A)
Jaś or Jasion/Jesion/Jasień the diminutive Jesza or Jasza is the Sky God. When winter frost ends, the farmers throw the Marzanna that is the frozen earth (zamarzła) out – in fact they melt her in streams (or burn her). This ritual being known in Czechia, Ukraine, Suavic parts of Austria and Germany, Italy and even Scotland. The Sky God steps in and throws some thunderbolts down on the Earth. Note that the bolts “melt” the Earth (compare the PIE *meldh- with młot or molot (hammer) and miollnir – the “melting tool” of the Sky God with which He unfreezes the Earth, that is is the “Great Melter”). This results in the ice breaking, the water coming and the spring arriving – all of which culminates on “Saint John’s” Eve. There Jaś as Łado aka “Wodan” or Iasion impregnates the Earth (perhaps even comes down to Earth as someone akin to an avatar) – now unfrozen – which produces the harvest (recall the feast of the pępkowe which symbolically treats the cutting of the final grain stalk as the cutting of an umbilical cord). This happens in the summer – lato – when the “wife” – a direct translation of Łada – arrives. In this version Jaś is himself the Łado, that is the groom. In the physical appearance He is also the lawgiver – hence ład meaning “order.” You can compare this with Voluspa’s Lóðurr who gave man lá (law, order?) – lá gaf Lóðurr ok litu góða. The litu perhaps cognate with lico (oblicze) – in other words “color.” It is almost as if man himself is “unfrozen” after the winter.
Perhaps Łada is the Earth aka Dzidzilela or, alternatively in the Marzanna or Dziewanna/Devana form. Tellingly perhaps Jaś is at times connected with Marysia (though at other times with Kasia – the diminutive of Catherine). From her and Jasion‘s “connection” the harvest is born (and people – recall that there is an agricultural feast of ) – that is the agricultural harvest but perhaps also the rebirth of the same entities – Jasion and his Łada. That Łada, perhaps Demeter – in her Suavic form of Dzidzilela or Marzanna or Dziewanna/Devana – is both the consort of Jasion and, perhaps, also the vessel of her own and a vessel of Jasion‘s rebirth – the mother of the Gods. She is the gardzina of Jasion by being the protector or guardian (rather than as a heroic adventurer or Mars) perhaps only while He is on Earth in the avatar-like form. Perhaps that avatar-like Łado is the “traveling” form of Jasion while on Earth.
It is interesting to note that similar cults occurred in other places with connotations of the Slavic/Suavic cult both in substance and in nomenclature. Thus, we have Semele, a consort of Zeus in Greek mythology of whom Dionysus is born. But the name Semele is not Greek but likely “Thracian” or “Thraco-Phrygian,” that is Zemele. That name meant “Earth” and, in the case of the Greek fable, this make her “mother earth” too. Zemele is obviously cognate with the Russian & Ukrainian zemlya (земля), then Polish ziemia – all meaning Earth. That the Earth should be associated with both water and death (frozen – zamarzana) and unfrozen when it becomes a source of life generates little surprise in the context of agricultural societies. Spinning more wheels we can also connect Jasion to actually being the world ash tree – in the sense of our solar system (?). This is especially so since the Slavic and Baltic word for “star” is an ancient word for a tree. (Interestingly, all this raises the question of whether other “Jasions” “rule” other solar systems or whether Jasion is universal 🙂 ).
Thus, we further have an answer why a “tree” God (note the “column” like beams – poles – idols that were constructed for the Tree but also fertility God throughout Europe) would be connected with “Mother Earth”. Such a God would be born or arrive, would then die or leave but seed the Earth (with the help of his “devices” – the Sun and the Moon – which was also associated with agriculture) of Whom the God would then be reborn or Whom He then would come back to when the time was appropriate. To connect this with the day cycle, the seasons or even the life of the universe takes little effort obviously. Thus, we have an agricultural theology of a people who lived far enough in the North that seasons resulted in freezing but not so far as to have experienced a permanent winter.
Jaś as the Sky Deity, Łada as His Female Gardzina, Dzidzilela, Marzanna or Dziewanna as the Earth
(Theory 1B)
Another possibility is that Jasion and Łada are a pair of Gods that couple during the time of Dziewanna, that is when the Earth is not in the Marzanna but in the Dziewanna phase. In this case, Jasion is still the Łado to his Łada but the Earth itself is separate. Łada can be the gardzina of Jasion by being the heroic Amazon. Hence the reference to the Goddess Łada in Mazovia. An interesting aspect of this role assignment is that the female Łada may nevertheless be the enforcer of Jasion‘s laws here on Earth – the English lada for example – which also meant an assembly. Hence “land.” It is tempting, if this is the case to also ask whether Jasion (as Łado) and Łada are sibling Deities (Moon and Sun?) that come to Earth when it has been “unfrozen” in its “breathing” (Dziewanna – ziewa) phase.
Kolberg’s view from vol 2 of his series
A variant of this would have Jasion couple not with Łada (whether or not She is His sister) but with the Earth Marzanna or Dziewanna with Łada not being party to this. This is less likely given that Łada literally means spouse beloved but is perhaps the closest to the Greek myth of Iasion and Demeter coupling at Harmonia’s wedding. In this case, we would have to find the Suavic Cadmus. In this case too, perhaps both Jasion and Łada are the reborn as a result of Jasion‘s coupling with Mother Earth when She is in the Dziewanna/Devana form. In this way Jasion’s act would allow for the Gods’ return. Whether the Gods are then “reborn” from Mother Earth (creating Oedipal issues) or merely as a result of the coupling they are “replenished” is another matter (so to speak).
Jaś as the Sky Deity, Łado as His Male Gardzina (Either Coupling with the Earth or Protecting the Arrival of Jaś to Couple with the Earth)
& Dzidzilela, Marzanna or Dziewanna as the Earth
Theory 1C
Another possibility is that Jasion is “above it all” and that His representative (avatar?) on Earth is a separate but male Łado. That Łado becomes the “Mars” of Długosz’s later telling. He rages but is subservient to Jasion. This is reminiscent of Odin being of the Aesir but with a twist that Łado is not the ultimate Áss (though perhaps the ultimate being was always, the ash Yggdrasil). Łado is thus the male protector, guardian or hero of Jasion‘s.
A variation (Theory 1C1) on this role assignment (again so to speak) has Łado coupling with the Earth. Like Didis Lado this could be Didis Lela or Dzidzilela (in this version also known as or titled Łada) or perhaps Marzanna/Dziewanna. While this preserves the Polish Olympus’ Mars, it smacks of being more elaborate than the agricultural rituals attested in Polish folklore. It also raises the question why the farmers speak of Jasion as riding to the wedding – not – though that Name is mentioned – of Łado. You could suggest that Łado was the Sky God and Jasion His representative (avatar?) on Earth but this would flip Długosz’ (but not only) hierarchy upside down. Of course, another possibility is that Łado was referred to as “the” Jasion the same was way as Odin became “the” Áss. Didis Łado and Didis Lela as Jasion’s children, perhaps, mating together and preserving Jasion’s continuation. Of course, Łado in this version is also a Jasion (or, being youthful, Jasieńczyk – coat of arms a key – perhaps to “open” Mother Earth) since He is Jasion’s Son and Hero. Whether the spring thunders and lightning were the work of Jasion the Father, announcing the arrival of Łado or were the work of Łado Himself (with the rains being that of Łado/Wadon/Wodan) is another question.
Another variation (Theory 1C2), however, is that Jasion is the Ruler but still comes down to Earth Himself while Łado only provides the support, protection and law. This variation is similar to the above-discussed theory which has Łada be a supporting Goddess to Jasion (that is separate from the Earth). In this iteration Jasion’s Łada is still the Earth but not Łado‘s “łada” (beloved) but Jasion‘s. Support for this type of reasoning (Łado as subservient to Jasień) may come from Germanic mythology where (in Adam of Bremen) we hear that “Thor, they say, presides over the air, which governs the thunder and lightning, the winds and rains, fair weather and crops. The other, Wotan—that is, the Furious—carries on war and imparts to man strength against his enemies” and that “[i]f plague and famine threaten, a libation is poured to the idol Thor; if war, to Wotan…” In this telling, Thor is the ruler and is the same as Jasień – the lightning and thunder are His but also, importantly, he seems a Deity of rains, weather and crops – that is, of fertility. Also, Thor sits in the center in Uppsala – not Wotan.
Thus, we have the paradigm of the Sky God Jasień – responsible both for thunder and lightning and for fertility. This is the same Divinity as Iarilo and, likely, Piorun/Perun as well as the God of Procopius. In other words, Taranis and Esus become One (Assathor?)? Jasień is the Gallic Esus as he strikes (like piorun-thunder) a tree.
On the other hand, Didis Łado, the Divinity of Order but also of war (war to maintain order perhaps) is Jasień’s hero and “Mars”. Perhaps, He is a leader (wodzin, wojewoda). In that telling He is the leader of the Jasiowe Bojary (“bojary” itself is an interesting word describing members of the drużyna – the companions – very similar to Boii/Voii or, in the diminutive, boiki/voiki).
He may be responsible for water (woda) and for fire (wogień) but more as a messenger of Jasień’s or as an intermediary between Jasień and Man. Thus, He is the “first” (Odin/adin/jeden) in the sense that He is the First Son of Jasień’s.
Who mates with Mother Earth? Łado Jasieńczyk (Theory 1C1) or Jasień Himself (Theory 1C2 – with Łado providing protection to the Couple)? Given that Łado carries the title “beloved” it might seem Łado. However, in that case, Łado should not be a Child of Mother Earth either (at least if we want to prevent any oedipal issues).
What is the Name of Mother Earth here? A number of possibilities exist. She could be the functional “łada” (beloved) of Jasień’s. Of the Names above She could be Łada or Didis Lela or Marzana or Devana or, interestingly, even Nya (representing barrenness until the lightning strikes of Jasień) or “Iashera” meaning the Goddess of Jasień’s or Jaszer’s (in East Suav spellings).
The other Gods in this telling would be, depending on the above choices for Lady Łada’s Name: Devanna (responsible for the hunt and the wilderness), Marzanna (covering the sea, death and the cold generally), Pogoda (covering good weather and happiness) and Zywie (the God of Life). In effect, two Sons and Three Daughters.
It is also conceivable that Jasion and Łado were brothers (Lel and Polel?) (rather than brother and sister). As above, a question then arises as to whether they are then born of Mother Earth or are merely replenished via the coupling.
(A less likely variation might see Łado as the Ruler and Jasion and Lela as the couple. This Theory 2 is discussed here In either case, perhaps the Ruler vies, via his champion Łado against the nothingness of Nia and/or its allies such as Marzanna – perhaps a child of the couple along with other Lelki – Dziewana, Pogoda (Zorze?). Zywie might be a separate Divinity though likely on the “good” side of the cosmic struggle).
Other Jasion Matters
Curiously, the Suavic słońce may not be a diminutive but plural (Smolensk Slavs, Montenegrins and Yugoslavs know tales of multiple Suns) and – in which case the term may have at some point referred to both the Sun and the Moon. (This would not be unprecedented – thus, in Egyptian myth there, apparently, was a tendency to merge Osiris with Horus. This before we even get into the etymology of the word sunset or the Egyptian name for the moon – Yah… Further, as already mentioned multiple times we have the Canaanite deity Yarikh (“illuminator of the heavens” and provider of the morning dew – see the discussion of the rosa above) and the Palmyran Yarhibol or Iarhibol (“Lord of the Spring” which fits right with Jaryło, the diminutive being Jesza, Jessa, Yessa, Yassa or Jaś).
Let us just note that the Polish Suavs sang yaya (meaning “egg”?) and that ya-ra-ti (jarać) means to burn (tempting a Yah-Ra – the moon and sun connection). Curiously, it was with the moon Deity – then called Khonsu – that the Goddess Nut plotted to get extra light to give birth to Isis, Osiris and others against Ra (though she also assist in the rebirth of Ra – in addition to Osiris’ resurrection). Is there a connection with… Porenut? 🙂 )
At some point among some IE people, a need arose to replace Jaś and so they did, likely with another Sky God who would now toss thunders at Iasion or with the thunder himself as the son personified (Thor who is born of the Earth) with the father perhaps tossing growing angry at the son’s Oedipal act (like Iasion with Demeter). No such elaboration appears necessary to the above, however, in the basic form of the story as Piorun is merely Jasion‘s lightning “fork”. Incidentally, piorun itself although derived from “oak” (Latin quercus) may also be derived from “fire”. Thus, for example, we have pyrotechnics or pyre from the Greek –pyro – meaning fire. Perhaps from the same root we also have the Norse Fjörgyn and Fjörgynn. Again, whether Lel and Polel are references to the children of this coupling or to the couple itself reborn we do not need to determine.
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