Query: Antelope chariot (from another group and lists)

[Guest guest]

Query :

 

Dear Members of the List,

 

I am looking for a reference from early Indian culture, about a

mythological figure who drives a chariot drawn by antelopes. It

probably figures in the Mahabharata. Can you help me find this

reference and possibly notify me about additional literature written

on this subject?

 

 

Replies

 

1. Chandra (Moon) and Vayu (Wind) both are said to have antelopes as

their 'vahanas' or mounts/vehicles. Some times they are shown seated

on the antelope and sometimes as the animal driving their chariots.

Perhaps, there is an explanation somewhere, why these gods are

associated with the antelope. In the case of Chandra, the dark

shades on the moon looks like a deer or antelope when viewed from

India, and that may be the reason for the antelope as the choice of

vehicle for Chandra.

2. Chariots drawn by antelopes are as old as the Rgveda, and typical

for the chariots of the storm gods, the Marut. See for example RV I

85.4. In the new RV translation of Witzel, Goto et al. (Verlag d.

Weltreligionen, 2007):

 

4. Die guten Kämpfer, die mit den Speeren hell funkeln,

(fahren), während sie sogar unbewegliche Dinge mit Körperkraft

fortbewegen, wenn ihr, Maruts, die gedankenschnellen Antilopen an

eure Streitwagen geschirrt habt, (ihr) die Stiere als (eure) Truppe

habt.

3. We have the Deer cart in Buddhist literature which in Sanskrit is

Mrigayana,

 

Mriga in Buddhist art is usually represented as an antelope

4. > Interesting is the chariot of Thor drawn by goats - in

> Scandinavia there are no antelopes.

 

It is true that there are no antelopes in Scandinavia, but we have

red deer

and roes, both of which might be regarded as suitable substitutes.

Among the

sami, there is the reindeer, which actually functions as a draught

animal.

If the antelope mythology was originally created further to the

north in

Eurasia, the reindeer may very well have been the model. No other

deer is

used as a draught animal, as far as I know. But then, on the other

hand,

mythology does not need to copy reality, as we all know.

 

5,Deer of all varieties play a significant role in religious

iconography. A key motif in the art of IndoEurasian-speaking nomads

from the Ordos to the Ukraine, they are found in Achaemenid,

Sasanian and Buddhist art in various forms. Among the near-

contemporary tribes of Siberia such as the much-studied Evenki, they

are the vehicle through which the shaman ascends into the spirit

world. And of course Santa Claus rides in a flying sleigh drawn by

reindeer.

6.We should have mentioned that Saroltar herself has written a far-

reaching paper on deer iconography throughout Eurasia. Her paper is

ready or near-ready for publication, and one of these days we'll

convince her to post it for the List. What she was looking for in

her

recent List inquiry (answered by Michael) pertains to early

references to deer-pulling chariots in early Indian sources -- I

assume just to fine-tune her paper.

 

Sarolta gave a really fine talk in Edinburgh back in late August on

this topic. Here is a link to the abstract of her talk:

 

http://www.safarmer.com/Indo-Eurasian/Sarolta.Tatar.abstract.jpg

 

Maybe we should get her deer together with your lions sometime? :^)

Have you decided yet on publishing your dissertation on lion

iconography?

7.Dear List,

 

In Sarolta Tatar's abstract, she speaks of " the exchangeable role of

the

deer and the horse, from Scandinavia to Central Asia, suggesting a

mythological tradition that dates from at least 600 BC " . The Minoan

Hagia

Triada sarcophagus, dated to about 1400 BC, shows a chariot drawn by

Cretan

wild goats (agrimia). The two women in the chariot may well be

goddesses.

Goats are not deer, but they do have horns.

 

There is also a Minoan seal with a similar motif.

 

About the Potnia aigOn, se also Hiller's article:

 

http://tinyurl.com/27fpzg

[Guest guest]

Various vahanas:

 

Agni : ram

Ayyappan : tiger

Bhairava : dog

Brahma : hamsa / goose / swan

Brihaspati : elephant

Budha : horse/winged lion (as depicted in Ramghur temple

Chamunda : owl

Chandra : chariot pulled by an antelope or by ten white horses /

rams

Durga : lion or tiger named Manashtâla

Ganesh : rat named Kroncha / mouse named Mushika

Ganga : makara

Indra : Vimana (flying chariot) pulled by a horse named

Uchchaisshravas / white elephant named Airavata

Kama : green parrot / makara

Kamakhya : snake

Kaumari : peacock

Ketu : eagle

Kubera : mongoose / horse / man

Kuja: ram

Lakshmi : two[2] or four[5] elephants / owl named Uluka

Manasa : snake

Muneeswarar: donkey

Murugan : elephant / peacock with spread tail

Pushan : chariot pulled by goats

Rahu : blue or black lion

Rati : pigeon

Saraswati : swan[2] / peacock[6] / rarely, lion or lamb[7]

Saman : elephant

Shani : raven / vulture / crow[8]

Shashti : Cat. [9]

Shukra : camel or a horse or a crocidile

Shiva : white bull named Nandi or Vrishaba

Skanda : peacock named Parvani

Surya : chariot pulled by seven horses or by a seven-headed horse

Ushas : chariot pulled by seven cows

Varuna : makara / crocodile / tortoise / swan

Vayu : antelope

Vishnu : human-headed beaked white eagle named Garuda

Yama : black water buffalo

Yamuna : tortoise

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vahana

[Guest guest]

Dear K. Patnaik,

Your list of Vahanas will be very

useful to me.

Thank You.

Kathie Brobeck

[Guest guest]

My pleasure, Kathie, I hope you will find the group useful in future too,regards, Kishore patnaik