- 4, Pind. Ol. 1. 41); the compound híran
̇
yaratha‘gold-charioted’ (of Agni,
RV 4. 1. 8) has equivalents in Avestan zaranyo ̄.va ̄sˇ
̇
a (of Vayu, Yt. 15. 57) and
Greek χρυσα ́ ρματο (of Athena, Bacchyl. 12. 194). Gold too are the vehicle’s
parts:
Mount your car with the golden seat and the golden reins, O As ́vins...
Golden are your handgrips(?), the shaft, the axle is golden,
both the wheels are golden. (RV 8. 5. 28 f.)The Iranian Vayu too has golden wheels (Yt. 15. 57). The axle of Hera’s
chariot is of iron, and the wheels of bronze, but
they have a rim of gold...
The car is strapped fast with gold and silver thongs,
and there are two rails running round it.
From it extended a silver shaft; on its end
she fastened the fair golden yoke, and put in
the fair golden yoke-straps. (Il. 5. 724–31)Artemis and other deities are χρυσ νιο, ‘of the golden reins’. Both Indra
and Zeus wield a golden goad (RV 8. 33. 11; Il. 8. 44 = 13. 26).
Of gold too are the gods’ armour and weapons. Pu ̄s
̇
an wields a golden axe
(RV 1. 42. 6), as do Br
̇
haspati (7. 97. 7) and the Maruts (8. 7. 32). Mithra
iszaranyo ̄.va ̄rəθman-, ‘gold-armoured’ (Yt. 10. 112). Vayu is celebrated in
Yt. 15. 57 with a long series of compounds in zaranyo ̄-: he has a gold helmet,
diadem, collar, chariot, wheels, weapons, garment, footwear, girdle. Athena
too has a golden helmet (Il. 5. 743 f.). Indeed she was born in armour of
shining gold (Hymn. Hom. 28. 5 f.). Apollo has a golden sword (Il. 5. 509,
etc.), a golden bow (Pind. Ol. 14. 10), and a golden lyre (Pyth. 1. 1).
The gods’ houses are of gold (Il. 13. 21 f.; Hes. Th. 933; Pind. Nem. 10. 88,
Isth. 3/4. 78; cf. Od. 4. 74), as are their thrones (Il. 1. 611, etc.; Pind. Pyth. 3.
94). The hall in Ásgarð where the Nordic gods have their thrones ‘is the best
built on earth and the biggest. Outside and inside it is all like gold and
nothing else... they had all their household effects and all their utensils of
gold’ (Gylf. 14).
The divine smithThe Æsir constructed this edifice without the help of a specialist craftsman.
Snorri says that they set up forges and made all their own tools, with which
they then shaped metal, stone, and wood. The Greek gods’ houses on Olym-
pus, on the other hand, were built for them by Hephaestus (Il. 1. 607 f.). He is
their regular smith and general artificer. He is the idealized projection of a
154 3. Gods and Goddesses