Norse
Odin
wisdom, poetry, war
Indra
Hindu tradition. See the whole pantheon.
- Domains
- thunder, rain, kingship of the Vedic gods
- Symbols and attributes
- Vajra thunderbolt; elephant Airavata
- Parents (per the sources used)
- Dyaus Pitar and Prithvi
Key myth
The most-praised god of the Rigveda: he kills the serpent Vritra and releases the waters. In later texts Indra is a king of the heavens whose power is limited and who can be humbled.
Where sources differ or caution applies. Rigveda 4.17 gives Dyaus as father; the Puranas make Indra son of Kashyapa and Aditi.
Primary sources
- Rigveda 1.32 (Indra and Vritra)
- Rigveda 4.17
All sources for the Hindu pantheon
Lineage in the sources used: Dyaus Pitar, Prithvi.
Place in the family graph
More traditions
Elsewhere in the world
Deities in other traditions who share a theme with Indra: sky, storm and thunder, war and fighting. This is overlap in one area only.