A thunderbolt is a traditional expression for a discharge of lightning or a symbolic representation thereof. In its original usage the word may also have been a description of meteors1, although this is not currently the case. As a divine manifestation it has been a powerful symbol throughout history, and has appeared in many mythologies. Drawing from this powerful association, the thunderbolt is often found in military symbolism and semiotic representations of electricity.
Lightning plays a role in many mythologies, often as the weapon of a sky and storm god. As such, it is an unsurpassed method of dramatic instantaneous retributive destruction: thunderbolts as divine weapons can be found in many mythologies.
- In Hindu mythology, the god Indra is known as the god of lightning. His main weapon is the thunderbolt (Vajra).
- In Hittite and Hurrian mythology, a triple thunderbolt was one symbol of Teshub.
- In Greek mythology, the thunderbolt is a weapon given to Zeus by the Cyclops.
- In Roman mythology, the thunderbolt is a weapon given to Jupiter by the Cyclops.
- In Germanic mythology, Thor is specifically the god of thunder and lightning, wielding Mjolnir.
- In Maya mythology, Huracan is sometimes represented as three lightning bolts.
- In Native American mythology, the Ani Hyuntikwalaski ("thunder beings") cause lightning fire in a hollow sycamore tree.
The thunderbolt continues into the modern world as a prominent symbol; it has entered modern heraldry and military iconography, typically depicted as winged and emitting flames.
In medieval Europe, fossil belemnites were said to be petrified thunderbolts.
See also
References
- ^ Clube V. & Napier B. 1982, The Cosmic Serpent, pg.173ff,
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