Dyaus Pita

In the Vedic religion Dyauṣ Pitar is the Sky Father, husband of Prithvi and father of Agni and Indra (RV 4.17.4).

His origins can be traced to the Proto-Indo-European sky god *Dyeus, who appears in Greek as Zeus patēr (accusative Día, genitive Díos; theos pater), in Latin as Jupiter (from archaic Latin Iovius pater, "father-god"; deus pater), in Slavic mythology as Div, and Norse mythology as Tyr.

Sharing a fate similar to Nordic Tyr's, already in the Rig Veda, Dyaus Pitar is all but featureless, appearing in hymns 1.89, 1.90, 1.164, 1.191 and 4.1 in simple invocations.

In RV 1.89.4b, Pitar Dyaus "Father Sky" appears alongside Mata Prithvi "Mother Earth".

Details of the myth are sketchy, but Indra seems to have killed his father (RV 4.18.12). Thomas Oberlies tentatively identifies Asura and Dyaus in pre-vedic religion (both appear as Indra's father, but Asura is never associated with Prithvi, so there is a possibility of two conflicting myths).

In art, he appears in two different forms: as a red bull who bellows thunder, or as a black horse adorned with pearls, symbolizing the stars.