Appropriate for a Wednesday – another not-quite Techno-Heraldry US military patch. This time, for the NRO (National Reconnaissance Office) L-34 “Odin” satellite launch.

Now, there’s a few (space) oddities to the patch that may seem a bit peculiar upon first inspection – yet which have perhaps surprising resonances with the underlying characteristics of the project and/or the Indo-European deific complex it’s referencing.

The first of these being the otherwise odd choice of armament – Odin, as we all know, customarily wields a spear after all. Except in Hindu understanding, where a battle-axe is also eminently appropriate, and is one of the prime weapons of Rudra.

The second is the fact that there is but a single Raven perched on Odin’s shoulder. Although this has … additional peculiarity, as the NOSS-3 satellite is always launched as a pair. So in terms of “Odin’s Ravens” acting as spies – there should be two Ravens, two Satellites. And there were … except something apparently happened to one of these post-deployment, leading to its official designation as “debris”. So – one Raven, one officially operational Satellite. The resonancy of the iconography post-facto asserts itself? Who can say. Well .. the NRO, probably, but they ain’t telling.

The third point to be made is that there is a lesser-known (these days, at any rate) typology for the Indo-European Sky Father Deific being hailed as having one All-Seeing Eye, located in the Sky. I’ll be writing more about this in reference to another rather cool unit patch later, but suffice to say that it is my belief that Odin is also the bearer of this iconographic and conceptual element – in much the same manner, indeed exactly the same manner as we find RigVedic attestation for Varuna.

And speaking of this … it is interesting to note that the “Odin” [as in, the satellite] is a Naval Ocean Surveillance System project – which is used to track and monitor ships upon the sea.

Or, to phrase it in RigVedic terms … RV 1 25 7 :

” He knows the path of birds that fly through heaven, and, Sovran of the sea,
He knows the ships that are thereon.”

For more detail upon how the Sky Father deific is also the Sovereign of the Sea – for the Sky is, after all, also another kind of Sea (particularly up there, out there, in Space), please consult my earlier work: “Swear By The Sea, Swear By The Stars, Swear By The Sky – On The Mytholinguistics Of Varuna Neptune Ouranos” .

All things considered, a perhaps surprising incase of a US military blazon referencing some archaic and oft-obscured Indo-European mythology.