Week 6 StoryLab Research

 For this story lab I decided to conduct more research for by storybook about Indra. I found a lot of new information, and pictures, that I think will be very useful when writing my storybook. This new information pertains Airvata his elephant mount and one of his most powerful weapons Vajra.

Airvata: Indra's mount is a white elephant named Airvata which means "elephant of the clouds". He is depicted to have ten tusks and five trunks, also he is a pure white color. The connection of elephants with water and rain is emphasized in the mythology of Indra, who rides the elephant Airaavatha when he defeats Vritra. This mighty elephant reaches down his trunk into the watery underworld, sucks up its water, and then sprays it into the clouds, which Indra then causes to rain forth cool water, thereby linking the waters of the sky with those of the underworld.

Airvata

Vajra: This is Indra's most powerful weapon and also the one he used to defeat Vritra. It is a ritual weapon symbolizing the properties of a diamond, indestructability, and a thunderbolt, irresistible force. The vajra is a type of club with a ribbed spherical head. The ribs may meet in a ball-shaped top, or they may be separate and end in sharp points with which to stab. The Rigveda states that the weapon was made for Indra by Tvastar, the maker of divine instruments, because no one weapon crafted so far had the power to kill Vritra.

Vajra