Avestan haecat.aspa-, Rigveda 4.43, and the myth of the divine twins.

• Author: Nikolaev, Alexander
• Position: Essay

To the memory of my teacher Leonard Herzenberg (1934-2012)

Avestan Haecat.aspa-, known from later Zoroastrian tradition as the name of an ancestor of Zara[theta]ustra, (1) is twice attested in the Gathas. In Y. 46 the singer addresses several characters of the Gathic world by name, beginning with Zara[theta]ustra himself and continuing in stanza 15 with haecat.aspa spitamanho (voc. pl.), apparently a branch of Zara[theta]ustra's own clan. Bartholomae interpreted the form as a genitival formation 'descendants of H.', derived from the name of that individual through accent shift. (2) but it seems likelier that haecat.aspa here is simply the plural of the ancestor's name used to designate the entire family. (3) In addition, in Y. 53.3 we learn that Zara[theta]ustra's daughter Pourucista had a propatronymic haecat.aspana. (4) On the basis of this evidence a personal name *haicat-acua- can be safely posited. (5)

The first member of this compound is clearly derived from the root of Avestan hinca-, Vedic sinca 'pour out'. (6) This verb is used with different kinds of liquids and substances, including semen and urine; accordingly, Haecat.aspa- has been translated as 'having studhorses' (Justi (7)) or as 'having horses that urinate' (Humbach, followed by Mayrhofer). (8) Both of these translations fail to convince. Humbach's reference to Yt. 5.120 for a myth about the urine of the heavenly steeds does not support his argument, because the critical form misti which he, following Geldner, (9) translated as 'with urine' is extremely unclear: the context and etymology allow a plethora of other possibilities, including 'with seed', 'by care', 'always', or 'together'. (10) The alleged Vedic parallel cited by Humbach also fails, if RV 10.96.1 ghrtam na yo haribhis caru secate means "[soma] which flows like lovely butter in golden [drops]," (11) and not "[soma], like lovely butter, which is gushed out by the golden [steeds]." (12)

In my opinion, the translation of Haecat.aspa- to be preferred is 'having horses that splash'. (13) Importantly, the first member of the compound is synchronically associated with the middle stem: (14) even though *[haeca-.sup.te] is not attested in Avestan, its absence is likely to be fortuitous, since such a stem is the expected cognate of Vedic [seca-.sup.te]. (15) The translation of the compound should therefore be 'having horses that besprinkle/bathe themselves' (bahuvrihi) and not 'sprinkling/bathing the horses'. (16)

But what is such a name actually supposed to mean? It looks like a reference to a mythological narrative of some sort. The first step towards a solution was made by Kellens, who noted in passing that both members of *haicat-acua- corresponded exactly to the Vedic phrase sincad asvan (RV 4.43.6). (17) Kellens did not attempt to build on this important observation, and this Vedic parallel has been overlooked by nearly all later scholarship. (18) It behooves us therefore to examine the context in which sincad avail, is attested.

RV 4.43 is a hymn to the Asvins. In it we learn first that Surya had chosen the chariot of the divine twins (2cd: ratham ... yam sur yasya duhitavrnita), that this chariot comes from the sea (5ab: rathah ... a yat samudrad abhi variate vam), and finally (in stanza 6) that the Asvins obtained Surya on a trip during which their horses were bathed in the water:

sindhur ha vam rasdya sincad asvan ghrna vdyo arusasah pari gman tad u su vam ajiram ceti yanam yena pati bhavathah suriyayah Sindhu sprinkled your horses together with Rasa; (19) the red birds (viz. horses--A. N.) have escaped the heat. (20) This rapid vehicle of yours has just appeared splendid, through which you become the masters of Surya. There is no consensus among the commentators regarding this passage. Bergaigne thought that divan here is a metaphor for streams poured forth by both Sindhu and Rasa. (21) Pirart saw here a "mythe autrement inconnu" of Sindhu consecrating the horses for the Asvins. (22) Others have assumed that sincad asvan refers to a moistening that protected the horses from overheating during a race: as a result the Asvins won and obtained Surya. (23) But nothing else in the hymn suggests a chariot race, nor are there any hints of such a competition in two other Rigvedic stanzas where the Asvins' horses are said to suffer from heat in the presence of Surya. (24) Moreover, whenever in the Rigveda Surya ascends the Asvins' chariot, she does so of her own will (avrnita): Surya's marriage was a svayamvara, as Jamison has shown, (25) and so any interpretation according to which the bride Surya was the prize in a race is effectively precluded.

Now the presence of stndhu- in pada 6a is potentially significant, and the word is a promising starting point for the exegesis of the entire passage, because sindhu- is not just any river, but rather the frontier of the inhabited world (26) or a mythical stream in heaven. (27) What the Vedic text is telling us therefore is that the Asvins went to the ends of the earth or to heaven, where their horses got wet in the waters of some mythical stream, (28) and as the result of this adventure Surya. willingly got into the Asvins' chariot. Is there any evidence for a myth in which the Agvins took such a trip? Yes, but it has to be reconstructed from scattered parts. (29)

Firstly, we know that the Asvins, one of whose epithets is sindhumdtard 'having sindhuas their mother' (RV 1.46.2), are strongly associated with water. The evidence is ubiquitous: they are said to be in company with rivers, (30) their chariot comes out of the sea (3l) or is parked right at a ford, (32) they often ride it at sea, etc.

Secondly, the Asvins are known for their ability to save others, especially from drowning: in fact, their "middle name" Nasatya (Avestan Na[eta]hai[theta]) is derived from the root *nes 'to save'. (33) The most frequently occurring story is the one about Tugra's son Bhujyu, who was drowning in a shipwreck, when the Asvins came to the rescue (18x in the RV). (34) The theme of rescue at sea must predate the Rigveda simply because the immense ocean (samudra) in which Bhujyu was fighting for his life is unlikely to have been inspired by any of the river basins with which the Rigvedic Aryans were familiar (e.g., the Punjab).35 And indeed, this narrative finds a close parallel in Yt. 5.61-63 (the story of Pauruua) and can therefore be projected to the Common Indo-Iranian period. (36)

Thirdly, Surya is one of the three female deities to whom the Asvins are linked in the Vedic myth (along with Ups and Saranyu). Their tangled relationship is characterized by polyandry and incest: the divo napata 'scions of the sky' act as suitors and joint husbands of the Sun maiden, 'daughter of the sky' divo duhitd (RV 1.92.5+). (37)

All of the above is also true of the Greek Dioscuri, whose unmistakable affinity with the Vedic Asvins has long been noted and has become firmly entrenched in handbooks of comparative mythology. (38) The Dioscuri often act as rescuers from danger, hence their most frequent epiclesis [sigma][omega][tau][~.[eta]][rho][epsilon][zeta] 'saviors'. (39) They were protectors of sailors, invoked before a sea trip or during the storm. (40) Finally, the Dioscuri are closely associated with a female figure, their sister Helen: the key theme of this relationship is the saving of Helen, whether from Athens or from Egypt. (41) (The legend of Helen may have more than one point of contact with the Vedic tradition). (42) Other accounts about miraculous twins in Greek mythology are likewise focused on the theme of rescuing a female relative and restoring her to her rightful place. (43)

The tertium comparationis for the Asvins and the Greek Dioscuri has long been sought in the "sons of the sky" in Baltic mythology, Lithuanian Dievo suneliai and Latvian...