Danu

Danu is a figure in Hindu and Indo-Vedic literature, regarded as a primordial mother goddess. In the standard Indian cosmology, she is the wife of Kashyapa and the mother of the Danavas, a clan of asuras who oppose the Devas in various myths. The Danavas are descended from Danu; another group of asuras, the Daityas, are born of Diti and Kashyapa. The origin of Danu is associated with the concept of the primal waters or rivers, and the name is sometimes linked to Sanskrit for ‘to flow’ or ‘river.’

In the Vedas and subsequent Puranas, Danu’s role is largely cosmological rather than devotional. She appears as a divine matron whose children populate a vast but often adversarial lineage. The narratives portray the Danavas as powerful beings who play a central part in the cosmic cycles of conflict with the Devas, including episodes that structure the mythic history of the universe.

Beyond Hinduism, the name Danu also appears in Celtic mythology as Danu, a mother goddess of the Tuatha Dé Danann, underscoring a cross-cultural resonance of mother-goddess figures. Some scholars also connect the name with the river Danube, from the ancient river-name Danuvius, though etymological links are debated.

In modern scholarship, Danu is often discussed as a symbol of primordial feminine energy and a genealogical figure that helps explain the relationships between Devas and Asuras in the Vedic pantheon.