Year: 2024
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: In the following, I explore several possible meanings of the epithet śvànvant-, attributed to the Apsarases in both Atharvaveda Saṁhitās but not found outside these texts. While it is extremely difficult to arrive at any firm conclusions, I highlight the fact that this epithet only occurs in passages where the Apsarases are depicted as being threatening and harmful. With this in mind, I suggest that the‘dogs’ (śván-) that accompany the Apsarases are most likely a metaphorical reference to either death or the Gandharvas. One way of making sense of the latter metaphor, I propose, is to view the figure of the Gandharva alongside related figures from other branches of Indo-European mythology.
DOI: 10.5167/uzh-276265
Author: Leach, Robert
Language: English
Topic: Indian and Buddhist Studies
Subfield: Religious studies
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6929833629
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