As I told you at the end of my Potrimpo thread, I would examine the idea of the divine triad. The concept of the "divine triad" is closely associated with the "trifunctional hypothesis" of Georges Dumezil. This hypothesis argues for a division of proto-indo-european society...

...into three castes: priests, warriors and commoners. Ergo, Dumezil says, the stratification of the deities reflects this model, with, e.g. Jupiter representing priests, Mars warriors and Quirinus commoners. Is the theory correct and, if not, how do we explain the divine triad?

Let's find out!

Well, Dumezil is WRONG. His hypothesis was based on the rigid stratification of Hindu society in three castes. Of course, this is inspired by the orientalist 19th century approach, that viewed India as the ideal reflection of the archaic IE society.

We have talked elsewhere of the ramifications of this approach and how it not only bogged down research of the past, but also how it led (and leads) to glorification of Asian cultures, totally unrelated to us Europeans and often to the detriment of true European cultures.

Furthermore, such a stratification doesn't truly apply to any European society. Caste division was not a European idea and social mobility existed in ancient Europe, unlike in India. Dumezil haphazardly interprets any seemingly tripartite division in this light, because...

...he has already selected the interpretation before examining the material.

But, going to the divine triads themselves, we should examine their functions, from culture to culture.

Beginning with ancient Greece, in Orphism, the triad was of Hermes, Zeus and (Aegi)pan.

In the Rhapsodic theogony, preserved only in fragments, we have clear information that they constitute a triad. Aegipan is the well-known deity Pan, whose symbolism we have explained elsewhere. Pan, in both Orphic and non-Orphic context, is very similar to Dionysus,...

...who personifies the regenerative force of nature, the spark that tips off the rebirth both of the crops and of man himself. Hermes is, of course, the sum total of our forebears and Zeus is the life-force that enters the novus homo when he completes the reincarnation ritual.

This triad replicates itself in the Archaic Capitoline Triad. We have Jupiter, Mars and Quirinus. Jupiter here is the archaic Jupiter, also known as Summanus ("leader of the shades"). Of course, his symbolism is that of the whole of the ancestors. Mars is the life-force,...

...as reinforced by the invocations made to him in the "Carmen Arvale". Quirinus (whose name means "spear", from Sabine "quiris") is the same as Liber (Bacchus), the regenerative power. The spear symbolism is familiar by now, since it refers to the severing of the umbilical cord.

The connection to rebirth is plainly seen.

In Celtic regions, this triad is that of Teutates, Taranis and Esus. The name "Teutates" is related to the Germanic root *theudo-, meaning "of the people". Ergo, Teutates is associated with the tribe, he is the divine progenitor,...

...the sum total of the ancestors. Therefore, we can connect him to Lugus, the "Gaulish Mercury" as attested by classical sources. Taranis is the life-force god, associated both with the sun wheel and the thunder. As for Esus, his name is connected to an IE root meaning...

..."energy, passion". Ergo, we can connect him with the third aspect, the regenerative force.

In Germanic mythology, we have Odin, Vili and Ve. Or, Odin, Thor and Freyr. Their symbolism has been explained by others many times, but I guess you can make the analogies easily.

In Baltic mythology, the corresponding triad is Patollo, Perkunas and Potrimpo. I explained Potrimpo yesterday, Perkunas is easy to decipher, so I will tell you that Patollo is associated both with the chthonic element and with wealth. The association with wealth...

... alludes to the sacred objects deposited into the passage grave that the initiate retrieves. Ergo, Patollo is the ancestor, the one who will be revived, hence him being portrayed as bearded in the Flag of Widewuto. His name is similar with that of the Paktolos...

...the mythological gold river of Phrygia. His other name, Peckols, can be connected to Old Norse fehu, id est "deer horns", the proto-shovel used by Neanderthals. So, his function as representing the ancestors should be clear by now.

I could go on and explain all...

...European mythology in this thread, but I will just add that the concept is not only Indo-European, but rather pan-European. You can, e.g. see it amongst Finns, with the figures of Vainamoinen, Ukko and Tapio.

Thanks for reading.

Dixi.