Journeys into Vedic Thought
Long-form, researched essays on the deities, language, ritual and history of the Rig Veda. All free to read.
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The Falcon That Stole the Drink of the Gods: Reading the Śyena Myth of Rigveda 4.26-27
Two hymns in the fourth book of the Rigveda tell how a falcon flew to the highest heaven, snatched the gods' soma past an armed guardian, and lost a single feather to an arrow. The same story turns up in Iran, Scandinavia, and Greece.
The God You Pray Away: Rudra, the Archer Who Heals, and the Long Prehistory of Śiva
Rudra gets only three hymns in the Rigveda, yet he is the most carefully handled god in the collection. The poets praise his arrows so he will aim them elsewhere, and call him kind so he will become so. This is how a feared archer turned into Śiva.
The Twins on the Treaty Tablet: The Aśvins and the Indo-European Divine Horsemen
A clay tablet from northern Syria, written around 1350 BCE, swears an oath by gods named Mitra, Varuṇa, Indra, and the Nāsatya. The last pair are the Aśvins, the Rigveda's horse-riding twin rescuers, and they are also the best surviving witness to a myth Indo-Europeans told before any of these languages existed.
Vedic Gods Across the Indo-European World: From Dyaus Pitar to Zeus
Dyaus Pitar = Zeus = Jupiter. Uṣas = Eos = Aurora. Indra slaying Vṛtra = Apollo slaying Python = Thor and Jörmungandr. How comparative philology reconstructs the religion of the Proto-Indo-Europeans — with the Rig Veda as the most conservative witness.