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[Y-Indology] Purusa: IE or not?

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Dear Ferenc,

the motif of the primaeval giant sacrificed (or sacrificing

himself) in order to establish the order and life-death

cycle in the world seems to be universal or archetypal (I remember reading

somewhere about a human sacrifice connected with a creation myth

among South American Indians: a man was tied to a wooden frame

symbolising the Universe, immolated, and his different parts were

given [in order to be eaten] to different social groups of tribesman).

But Indo-European versions have some specific features in common.

Unfortunately I have not read Bruce Lincoln's book, so I don't know

did he take into account, or note, the important article:

S. Schayer. A Note on the Old Russian Variants of the PuruSasUkta. -

Archiv Orientalny, 1935, t.7, pp.319-329.

On PuruSa in connection with a related (Indo-Iranian) image of

a primaeval sacrificed giant I have wrote recently in: An Iranian Myth

in Eastern India: Gayomart and the Mythology of GayA. In: Oriantalia

Suecana, XLVII (1998), pp. 140-141.

Hope this will help.

Best regards,

Yaroslav Vassilkov

 

Sat, 05 May 101 23:07 +0300 MSK Ferenc Ruzsa wrote to

<indology>:

 

> Friends,

>

> based on parallels (e.g. Old Norse Ymir) the central motif of the puruSa-sUkta

> has been considered to be of Indo-European origin. However, there are other,

> non-IE versions of the myth.

>

> I have read Bruce Lincoln's 1986 book, Myth, Cosmos and Society. Indo-European

> Themes of Creation and Destruction. [Thank you, Lars Martin, for the

> suggestion!] Is there anything else important to read on this? Something more

> recent, or presenting the opposite view, or adding more material?

>

> Thank you,

> Ferenc

> -----------------------

> Ferenc Ruzsa, PhD

> associate professor of philosophy

> E¶tv¶s LorÓnd University, Budapest

> e-mail: f_ruzsa

>

>

>

> indology

>

>

>

> Your use of is subject to

>

>

>

---

Yaroslav Vassilkov (yavass)

Institute of Oriental Studies

Sun, 06 May 101 11:35 +0300 MSK

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Thank you for your suggestions, Yaroslav and Lars Martin. I will trace them.

Lincoln does not quote Schayer, but one of his principal sources is the _Poem

on the Dove King_ (Stic' o golubinoj knig).

 

With best wishes,

Ferenc

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