Hausos
Encyclopedia
One of the most important goddess
es of reconstructed Proto-Indo-European religion
is the dawn goddess. Her name is reconstructed
as Ausōs (PIE
or , an s-stem), besides numerous epithets.
Cognates of in the historical mythologies of Indo-European peoples include Indian Uṣas
, Greek Ἠώς
(Ēōs), Latin Aurōra
, and Baltic Aušra ("dawn", c.f. Lithuanian Aušrinė
). Germanic *Austrōn-
is from an extended stem .
thus translating to "the shining one". Both the English word east and the Latin auster "south" are from a root cognate adjective . Also cognate is aurum "gold", from .
The name for "spring season
", is also from the same root. The dawn goddess was also the goddess of spring, involved in the mythology of the Indo-European new year
, where the dawn goddess is liberated from imprisonment by a god (reflected in the Rigveda as Indra
, in Greek mythology
as Dionysus
and Cronus
).
Besides the name most amenable to reconstruction, , a number of epithets of the dawn goddess may be reconstructed with some certainty.
Among these is *wenos- (also an s-stem), whence Sanskrit vanas "loveliness; desire", used of Uṣas in the Rigveda
, and the Latin name Venus
and the Norse
Vanir
. The name indicates that the goddess was imagined as a beautiful nubile woman, who also had aspects of a love goddess.
As a consequence, the love goddess aspect was separated from the personification of dawn in a number of traditions, including Roman Venus vs. Aurora, and Greek Aphrodite
vs. Eos. The name of Aphrodite may still preserve her role as a dawn goddess, etymologized as "she who shines from the foam [ocean]" (from aphros "foam" and deato "to shine"). J.P. Mallory and Douglas Q. Adams
(1997) have also proposed an etymology based on the connection with the Indo-European dawn goddess, from "very" and "to shine".
Other epithets include Ἠριγόνη Erigone "early-born" in Greek.
The Italic goddess Mater Matuta
"Mother Morning" has been connected to Aurora by Roman authors (Lucretius
, Priscianus). Her festival, the Matralia, fell on 11 June, beginning at dawn.
who imprisons her, is a central myth of Indo-European religion, reflected in numerous traditions.
Most notably, it is the central myth of the Rigveda
, a collection of hymns surrounding the Soma rituals dedicated to Indra
in the new year celebrations of the early Indo-Aryans.
Goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
es of reconstructed Proto-Indo-European religion
Proto-Indo-European religion
Proto-Indo-European religion is the hypothesized religion of the Proto-Indo-European peoples based on the existence of similarities among the deities, religious practices and mythologies of the Indo-European peoples. Reconstruction of the hypotheses below is based on linguistic evidence using the...
is the dawn goddess. Her name is reconstructed
Linguistic reconstruction
Linguistic reconstruction is the practice of establishing the features of the unattested ancestor of one or more given languages. There are two kinds of reconstruction. Internal reconstruction uses irregularities in a single language to make inferences about an earlier stage of that language...
as Ausōs (PIE
Pie
A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients....
or , an s-stem), besides numerous epithets.
Cognates of in the historical mythologies of Indo-European peoples include Indian Uṣas
Usas
is a side-view platform game released by Konami for the MSX2 computer platform in .Each of the game's five stages is divided into four sub-stages and a boss area . All four ruins need to be completed and their respective sub-bosses defeated before the shrine can be entered and the level's boss beat...
, Greek Ἠώς
Eos
In Greek mythology, Eos is the Titan goddess of the dawn, who rose from her home at the edge of Oceanus, the ocean that surrounds the world, to herald her brother Helios, the Sun.- Greek literature :...
(Ēōs), Latin Aurōra
Aurora
Aurora most commonly refers to:*Aurora , a glow in the sky seen at polar latitudes*Aurora , the goddess of the dawn in Roman mythologyAurora may also refer to:-Literature:*Aurora , a superheroine in the Marvel Universe...
, and Baltic Aušra ("dawn", c.f. Lithuanian Aušrinė
Aušrine
Aušrinė is a feminine deity of the Morning Star in the Lithuanian mythology. She is the antipode to Vakarinė, the Evening Star. Her cult possibly stems from the Proto-Indo-European religion and is related to Latvian Auseklis, Greek Eos, Roman Aurora, and Vedic Ushas. Aušrinė is the goddess of...
). Germanic *Austrōn-
Eostre
Old English Ēostre and Old High German Ôstarâ are the names of a Germanic goddess whose Anglo-Saxon month, Ēostur-monath , has given its name to the festival of Easter...
is from an extended stem .
Names and function
The name is derived from a root / "to shine",thus translating to "the shining one". Both the English word east and the Latin auster "south" are from a root cognate adjective . Also cognate is aurum "gold", from .
The name for "spring season
Spring (season)
Spring is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition period between winter and summer. Spring and "springtime" refer to the season, and broadly to ideas of rebirth, renewal and regrowth. The specific definition of the exact timing of "spring" varies according to local climate, cultures and...
", is also from the same root. The dawn goddess was also the goddess of spring, involved in the mythology of the Indo-European new year
New Year
The New Year is the day that marks the time of the beginning of a new calendar year, and is the day on which the year count of the specific calendar used is incremented. For many cultures, the event is celebrated in some manner....
, where the dawn goddess is liberated from imprisonment by a god (reflected in the Rigveda as Indra
Indra
' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...
, in Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
as Dionysus
Dionysus
Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
and Cronus
Cronus
In Greek mythology, Cronus or Kronos was the leader and the youngest of the first generation of Titans, divine descendants of Gaia, the earth, and Uranus, the sky...
).
Besides the name most amenable to reconstruction, , a number of epithets of the dawn goddess may be reconstructed with some certainty.
Among these is *wenos- (also an s-stem), whence Sanskrit vanas "loveliness; desire", used of Uṣas in the Rigveda
Rigveda
The Rigveda is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns...
, and the Latin name Venus
Venus (mythology)
Venus is a Roman goddess principally associated with love, beauty, sex,sexual seduction and fertility, who played a key role in many Roman religious festivals and myths...
and the Norse
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
Vanir
Vanir
In Norse mythology, the Vanir are a group of gods associated with fertility, wisdom and the ability to see the future. The Vanir are one of two groups of gods and are the namesake of the location Vanaheimr . After the Æsir–Vanir War, the Vanir became a subgroup of the Æsir...
. The name indicates that the goddess was imagined as a beautiful nubile woman, who also had aspects of a love goddess.
As a consequence, the love goddess aspect was separated from the personification of dawn in a number of traditions, including Roman Venus vs. Aurora, and Greek Aphrodite
Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.Her Roman equivalent is the goddess .Historically, her cult in Greece was imported from, or influenced by, the cult of Astarte in Phoenicia....
vs. Eos. The name of Aphrodite may still preserve her role as a dawn goddess, etymologized as "she who shines from the foam [ocean]" (from aphros "foam" and deato "to shine"). J.P. Mallory and Douglas Q. Adams
Douglas Q. Adams
Douglas Q. Adams is a professor of English at the University of Idaho and an Indo-European comparativist. Adams studied at the University of Chicago, taking his PhD in 1972. He is an expert on Tocharian and a contributor on this subject to the Encyclopædia Britannica.He has also co-authored two...
(1997) have also proposed an etymology based on the connection with the Indo-European dawn goddess, from "very" and "to shine".
Other epithets include Ἠριγόνη Erigone "early-born" in Greek.
The Italic goddess Mater Matuta
Mater Matuta
Mater Matuta was an indigenous Roman goddess, whom the Romans eventually made equivalent to the dawn goddess Aurora, and the Greek goddess Eos. Mater Matuta had a temple on the Forum Boarium, and she was also associated with the sea harbors and ports, where there were other temples to her.Her...
"Mother Morning" has been connected to Aurora by Roman authors (Lucretius
Lucretius
Titus Lucretius Carus was a Roman poet and philosopher. His only known work is an epic philosophical poem laying out the beliefs of Epicureanism, De rerum natura, translated into English as On the Nature of Things or "On the Nature of the Universe".Virtually no details have come down concerning...
, Priscianus). Her festival, the Matralia, fell on 11 June, beginning at dawn.
Myth
The abduction and imprisonment of the dawn goddess, and her liberation by a heroic god slaying the dragonDragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
who imprisons her, is a central myth of Indo-European religion, reflected in numerous traditions.
Most notably, it is the central myth of the Rigveda
Rigveda
The Rigveda is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns...
, a collection of hymns surrounding the Soma rituals dedicated to Indra
Indra
' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...
in the new year celebrations of the early Indo-Aryans.