In vedic religion, Dyaus Pita is the Sky Father, husband of Prthivi and father of Agni and Indra (RV 4.17.4).
His origins can be traced to the Indo-European sky god *Dyeus, who is also reflected as Zeus in Greek mythology, Jupiter (from Latin Iove pater, "father-god") in Roman mythology, Div in Slavic mythology and Tyr in Norse mythology.
Sharing a fate similar to nordic Tyr's, already in the Rig Veda, Dyaus Pita is all but featureless, appearing in hymns 1.89, 1.90, 1.164, 1.191 and 4.1 in simple invocations.
In RV 1.89.4b, Pita Dyaus "Father Sky" appears alongside Mata Prthivi "Mother Earth".
Details of the myth are sketchy, but Indra seems to have killed his father (RV 4.18.12). Thomas Oberlies tentatively identifies Asura and Dyaus in pre-vedic religion (both appear as Indra's father, but Asura is never associated with Prthivi, so there is a possibility of two conflicting myths).
In art, he appears in two different forms: as a red bull who bellows thunder, or as a black horse adorned with pearls, symbolizing the stars.
Literature
- Thomas Oberlies, Die Religion des Rgveda, Wien 1998.
