Cattle in religion and mythology

"The cow and horse, go and ashva, are constantly associated... A study of the Vedic horse led me to the conclusion that go and ashva represent the two companion ideas of Light and Energy, Consciousness and Force."

"It is impossible to read into the story of the Angirases, Indra and Sarama, the cave of the Panis and the conquest of the Dawn, the Sun and the Cows an account of a political and military struggle between Aryan invaders and Dravidian cave-dwellers. It is a struggle between the seekers of Light and the powers of Darkness; the cows are the illuminations of the Sun and the Dawn, they cannot be physical cows; the wide fear-free field of the Cows won by Indra for the Aryans is the wide world of Swar, the world of the solar Illumination, the threefold luminous regions of Heaven (Aurobindo [1914–20] 1998: 223)"

"Contrary to what is often stated, the horse (or its symbol) is not the `Rgveda’s foremost animal: that honour goes to the bull, a symbol of power and might, as in many other ancient cultures. The bull makes his appearance over 400 times in the `Rgveda alone; every powerful Vedic god – Indra, Agni, Varuna, Vishnu, Rudra, etc. – is praised as a “mighty bull”, very rarely as a horse... It is curious that the bull, as either animal or metaphor, receives so little attention from Indo-Europeanists; J.P. Mallory’s and D.Q. Adams’s monumental Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture has no entry for the bull, while it devotes six pages to the horse"

"In sum, if we adopt a literalist approach, we must concede that the horse is as much an animal of the Dasyus as it is of the Aryas: the horse can no longer be seen as a marker for immigrating Indo-Aryans. The only way out of such self- inflicted conundrums is to abandon colonial readings of the Veda and to look deeper for what 'horse', 'bull' and 'cow' really stood for in the Vedic rishis' mind. Let us also note that contrary to what is often stated, the horse (or its symbol) is not the Veda's primary animal: that honour goes to the bull, a symbol of power and might, as in many other ancient cultures. Every powerful Vedic god—Indra, Agni, Varuna, Vishnu, Rudra, etc.—is praised as a bull, very rarely as a horse."

"The discovery of the sealing with the inscription Shaushtatar, son of Parshatatar, the king of Mitanni‘ (circa 1440 BC) is extremely important. It was also used later by at least four generations of kings of this state with Indo-Aryan names. The impressions of this seal were found on tablets with the texts mentioning the ruler and his donations of villages in the region from the eastern bank of the Tigris to the western bank of the Euphrates in the settlements of Nuzi, Umm el-Marra, Tell Brak and Tell Bazi (northern Syria). This seal depicts the slaughter of a one-horned zebu... Thus it combines two images of Rigveda and Mature Harappa in a socially, politically and ritually significant context — that of a unicorn and that of a zebu."

"There is a humped bull on the royal seals of Muwatalli II (c. 1295–1272 BC). The joint seals of Muwattalli II and Tanuhepa also depict a humped bull. The figure of the bull is a hieroglyph and a part of the name of Muwatalli (syllabogram "mu"), but it is important that the king preferred to use the image of the zebu bull to write his name. In some Hittite images, the humpback bull represents the god of the storm. In the name of Muwatalli II, the image of the bull also functions as a symbol of the god of the storm - the personal patron of the ruler, whose power is manifested in the power of the king. Signs on the figure of the bull on the seals of Muwatalli II are found only on the images of the bull, calf and deer — i.e. animals– representatives of the god of the storm and the god of the fields — which emphasizes the sacred character of the humped bull on the seals."

"The importance of cattle in various aspects of the Gathic doctrine can be taken as certain. This importance can be explained as a reflection in religious practice and myth of a socioeconomic set-up in which cattle-raising was a basic factor."

"The cows had settled in their stalls, the beasts of prey had sought their lairs, Extinguished were the lights of men, when things unseen infected me."

"The Angirasas gained the whole enjoyment of the Pani, its herds of the cows and the horses."

"He “found the cattle, found the horses, found the plants, the forests and the waters”."

"Compassing those who bore away Dabhīti, in kindled fire he burnt up all their weapons. And made him rich with kine and cars and horses. These things did Indra in the Soma's rapture."

"He gained possession of the Sun and Horses, Indra obtained the Cow who feedeth many."

"Indra conquered all cows, all gold, all horses."

"So, of a truth, Indra and Soma, Heroes, ye burst the stable of the kine and horses, The stable which the bar or stone obstructed; and piercing through set free the habitations."

"Ten horses and ten treasure-chests, ten garments as an added gift, These and ten lumps of gold have I received from Divodāsa's hand. Ten cars with extra steed to each, for the Atharvans hundred cows, Hath Asvatha to Payu given."

"Split apart the enclosure of the cow and the horse like a stronghold for your comrades."

"Finder of horses, pour on us horses and wealth in kine and gold, And, Indu, food in boundless store."

"I won myself these herds of cattle, steeds and kine, and gold in ample store, with my destructive bolt. I give full many a thousand to the worshipper, what time the Somas and the lauds have made me glad."

"Paved with the rock is this our treasure-chamber; filled full of precious things, of kine, and horses. These Paṇis who are watchful keepers guard it. In vain hast thou approached this lonely station."