Dictionary Of God And Godedesses

336 Valliwarrior and an excellent shot. He slew HODERand thus avenged the death of BALDER. One ofthe survivors of Ragnarok destined to live in theland which replaces Asgard, Idavoll. Also Ali.ValliGoddess. Hindu. The second consort of SKANDA,usually depicted standing to his right. In its originalcontext the word Valli may mean “earth.”ValtamGod. Nordic (Icelandic). According to the PoeticEdda (Balder’s Dreams) Valtam is the father ofOTHIN.VamanaIncarnation of the god VIŠNU. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). The fifth avatara of Višnu whichappears as a dwarf, symbolizing the puny state ofmankind in the cosmos. According to legend, thegod took the guise in order to trick BALI, a greatgrandsonof Hiranyakashipu (see NARASINHA),whose prestige had begun to overshadow that ofINDRA. To restore a proper balance Vamanarequested from Bali a plot of land three paceswide on which to meditate. Višnu returned tohis proper stature and claimed heaven andearth in two steps. He declined to take the thirdwhich would have also claimed the underworld,but instead gave its rule to Bali. The dwarfishform bears two arms. Attributes: umbrella andwaterpot.Vana-DurgaAspect of DURGA. Hindu (Puranic). A form ofthe goddess invoked by woodsmen and foresters.She often wears an elephant skin, is eight-armedand carries an assortment of weapons.VANIRORIGIN Nordic (Icelandic). A major group ofNorse deities concerned primarily with peaceand prosperity and with the fertility of the land.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP Viking period circaAD 700 and earlier, until Christianization circaAD 1100 and in some instances beyond.SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT various throughout areas ofNordic influence, but particularly at Uppsala inSweden.ART REFERENCES stone carving and sculpture;artwork on weapons, etc.LITERARY SOURCES Icelandic codices; Prose Edda(Snorri); Historia Danica (Saxo); various classicalauthors.A smaller race of deities than the AESIR gods ledby OTHIN. The most important among them areFREYR and FREYJA. The sea god, NJORD, hadoriginally been a Vanir but became hostage to theAesir when the two races were at war.Varaha (boar)Incarnation of the god VIŠNU. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). The third avatara of Višnu, whichappears as a boar. According to legend, hedescends in this guise to the bottom of theprimeval sea to rescue the earth, which has beenremoved there by a demon. He retrieves it in theshape of a girl. The avatara may be depicted inwholly animal form or as a human with a boar’shead. Epithets include Adivaraha.VarahiMother goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). ASAKTI who in later Hinduism becomes one of agroup of MATARAS regarded as of evil intent.Also one of a group of eight ASTAMATARAS. Inanother grouping, one of nine NAVASAKTIS who,