It is Monday – Rudra’s Day

And therefore, in brief, the Roman correlate for Rudra as Tripurantaka, the Destroyer of the Three Forts.

We have previously demonstrated the situation of Vejovis / Vediovis as, effectively, Baleful Jove (‘malus Iovis’, per Mythographi Vaticani III 6 1), a wrathful ‘Facing’ for Jupiter (the Sky Father, Dyaus Pitar); ‘Rudra’, contrasted with ‘Shiva’ (and, indeed, Gellius’ definition for Latin ‘Ve-‘ [Noctes Atticae V 12 10-11] corresponds closely to ‘Hara’ / ‘हर’ for Him).

We have also mentioned the circumstance for Vejovis as ‘Young Jupiter’ (“Iuppiter est iuvenis”, per Ovid’s Fasti [III, 437], etc.) in relation to Rudra described Vedically as ‘Kumara’ (the ‘Young Prince’ – as at SBr VI I 3 9, in a context the pertinence for which we may examine at some other time).

The occurrence for the Tripurantaka myth within the Roman legendarium is most prominently visible immediately following this detail, courtesy of Ovid. Who helpfully directs us to, as Kline’s translation puts it: “But so the strange name won’t confuse you, unknowingly, / Learn Who this God is, and why He is so called.” [Fasti III, 435-6]

Initially, He – ‘Young Jupiter’, Veiovis – is unarmed – the point is made that it is only following the Gigantes’ attempt to assail the Divine that this state changes. Thus concording with that which we have from the Shatapatha & Aitareya Brahmanas, wherein the necessary Upasad Rites, the Rites of Siege, are undertaken in order to arm Him with the Triple Weapon with the potency of Thunderbolt (Vajra) which He discharges as an Arrow (TriKanda) in order to sunder the Triple Forts of the Demons.

These ‘Triple Forts’ – they are depicted as ‘keyed’ to the ascending hierarchy of the TriLoka, the Three Worlds (Ait. Br. I 23). They are said to be of Copper/Bronze, of Silver, and of Gold (ibid., also TS VI 2 3, etc.) , for ‘Earth’/’down here/’This World'(‘Asmiṃloke’ – Idam Loka)’, ‘Mid-Atmosphere’ (‘Antarikṣa’), and ‘(High) Heaven’ (‘Divi’ – ‘Dyu-‘), respectively (Ait. Br. I 23). They are to be struck simultaneously, per later iterations of the myth.

Now, observe what happens within the Fasti:

“Fulmina post ausos caelum adfectare Gigantas
sumpta Iovi: primo tempore inermis erat;
ignibus Ossa novis et Pelion altius Ossa
arsit et in solida fixus Olympus humo.”

As we have said, it is following the Gigantes’ assailing of Heaven, (Young) Jove is armed with this Thunderbolt ; and, when this is deployed – His Fire(power) burns upon ‘Ossa’, (higher) ‘Pelion’, and ‘Olympus’. (c.f. TS I 2 11, wherein we find Three Fire-Forms, marshalled by the ‘Dread Form’ (as Keith’s translation puts it – “Rudriyā tanūs”) of Agni as Vratapati (‘Lord of Law’ – c.f. Rudra as Vratapā / Vāstoṣpati), likewise identified with the three pertinent metals for the respective Radiances – ‘Ayas’, ‘Copper/Bronze’, for Fire, ‘Rajāśayā’, ‘Silver’, inferentially ‘Moon(light)?’, ‘Harāśayā’, ‘Gold’, implicitly ‘Sun(light)’ – and utilized implicitly toward driving away ‘at all layers’, the expressions of the anti-divine)

As is well-known, there is quite the overlap between “Fortress” (or ‘strong-point’) and “Mountain”, within the pertinent Indo-European linguistic and theological fields (consider, for instance, that which underpins the “borgar ása” which one encounters for the correlate deed within the Völuspá at verse 24 – Proto-Germanic *burg- (‘Fortified Place, Town’), from PGer. *berga- (‘Mountain’), overlapping with PGer. *bergan- (‘To Keep (Safe)’), per Kroonen, who observes these to possess an “apparent etymological link”).

The Mountains, here, are being ‘stacked’, one atop the other, per other presentations as to the myth (such as that found at Apollodorus’ Bibliotheka I 7, Virgil’s Georgic I 280-3, Odyssey XI 315, Seneca’s Aetna 49, Hercules Furens 971-2, and Agamemnon 337-47; and inferentially declared here also where we find Pelion to be “altius” – higher – than Ossa, and with Olympus, obviously, intended in dual resonancy to communicate the emplacement that is right up there in the (High) Heaven, ‘Dyu-‘ style Loka where also the Realm of the Gods); and with other Vedic narratives housing not entirely dissimilar occurrences featuring the demons attempting to assail the Heavens via the stacking of bricks in the manner of Vedic altar construction in similarly comparable fashion (see SBr II 1 2 13-17, Tait. Br. I 1 2 4-6, etc. – albeit with the Indra-centric narrative for the former, I would suggest, being of a somewhat different subtype, more akin to what we find at Völuspá 25-26, and which has evidently been expanded in curious fashion to produce the Þrymskviða)

And so, the Mountains (Roman), corresponding to Fortresses (Vedic), arrayed up one-two-three from the foundational world of Earth right up to the high realm of Heaven (Both Roman & Vedic) … are struck by the Triple Fire(power) of the Sky Father, and the demonic assault smote to a standstill accordingly.

This being the Baleful Form of the Sky Father – Rudra, or as the Romans would also hail Him, Vejovis / Vediovis ; a Form Who is also, not at all coincidentally, depicted “holding arrows” (“sagittas tenet”, per Noctes Atticae V 12 12) – which has quite logically lead to inferences of an Archer God, even as numismatic evidence seems to prefer something potentially closer to a javelin or spear (indeed, “a youthful god brandishing an arrow or spear with three points, Who is usually supposed […] to be Apollo Veiovis”, as one coin of the Gens Caesia is described as depicting in Smith’s Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology). This ‘overlap’ or ‘ambiguity’ also being that which is expressed via the TriKanda of Rudra being also aligned with the TriShula of Rudra – and, indeed, the manner in which one finds ‘Pināka’ utilized with reference to both Bow and Spear of the Great God.

In truth, there is much potential coterminity for Arrow and Spear – and we have detailed that, also, at other times elsewhere. The important point – indeed, three-point – remains the direct one. Just as visible in Vedic terms as it should prove through the proper parsing of the Roman correlation:

The Wielding, in Upholding of Divine Order, of that Power Unsurpassed throughout the Three Worlds –

Superior Firepower, we might call it.

Jai Śri Rudra.