The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum

Whenever I'm studying Celtic religion, I often see comparisons to other Indo-European cultures. Generally, there's a focus on three societal classes, divine kingship, land-goddesses, and a beginning and end to the universe. I really have two questions.

1) Does anyone know of any other themes or motifs that would be defined as Indo-European?

2) What features of other major cultural groups would you say distinguish them from Indo-European culture and religion?

Sorry if this topic seems ill formed, but I'm super tired and won't be able to sleep until I get this out there Thanks, all.

Hi!

So I'm no scholar on PIE, but since no one else has answered you, i thought i'd have a stab at it.

You already mentioned social classes, divine kingship, and land goddesses. I think the 'sky father' is another euro-motif (Zeus, Odin, Jupiter), as well as 'the thunderer' (Thor, Perkunnos, Taranis). Divine twins, such as castor and pollux, romulus and remus, and hengest and horsa.

The number 3, including divine triads, might also be one. Rome had it's triads on the capitol (Jupiter, Minerva, Juno) and Aventine (Liber, Libera, Ceres), and even an archaic triad of Jupiter, Mars and Quirinus. Hinduism has the triad of Brahman (creator), Vishnu (sustainer) and Shiva (destroyer). There's also the trinity. And the importance in some cultures (i forget which) of the numbers 3 and 9 (3x3). This may tie in with the 3 social classes you mentioned earlier.

Also, I feel reincarnation might qualify. Most people would associate it with Asia, but it's prevalent there mostly in buddhism and hinduism, both of which originated in India (the 'I' in PIE). When you look at something like Shinto, i don't believe they have a native concept of re-incarnation. I've also heard people mention it in relation to the Celts, and i know Greek myths were full of journeys to and from the underworld (Dionysus, Hermes, Orpheus, Persephone, Sisyphus, possibly Odysseus).
Reincarnation is often based on the idea of spiritual cause and effect: nothing exists in isolation and everything has consequences. That''s pretty much the theory underpinning such concepts as Karma, Wyrd, and magical correspondances.
 Lately it's come to be associated with the concept of morality and 'judgement', which we've learned from near-eastern religions (also PIE) such as christianity, judaism, zoroastrianism, and which was latent in european paganisms with their Elysium and Tartarus and what-not.

2)What distinguishes other systems from PIE themes? Well, first you have to identify the other systems, and that's a BIG task. I don't know non PIE religions well enough to distinguish the 'native' ones and then identify their themes.

I hope i've helped in some way!

Whenever I'm studying Celtic religion, I often see comparisons to other Indo-European cultures. Generally, there's a focus on three societal classes, divine kingship, land-goddesses, and a beginning and end to the universe. I really have two questions.

1) Does anyone know of any other themes or motifs that would be defined as Indo-European?

2) What features of other major cultural groups would you say distinguish them from Indo-European culture and religion?

Sorry if this topic seems ill formed, but I'm super tired and won't be able to sleep until I get this out there Thanks, all.

Some of motifs and concepts I've found interesting have included: cow goddesses vs. mare goddesses; other functions of deities; the structure of the (possible) creation myth, including the formation of the earth out of the body of the first human*; the divine twins. I only read Serith's book ('Deep Ancestors') a few months ago - I wish I'd started there, or with other Indo-European reading, before I tried to get my head around pre-Christian European myth. It was helpful.

*ETA: I am aware that I still haven't understood this one properly.