Druhyus

The Druhyus (Sanskrit: द्रुह्यु) were a people of Ancient India. They are mentioned in the Rigveda,^[1] often together with the Anu tribe. Some early scholars have placed them in the northwestern region. ^[2]

The Epic and the Puranas say that they are located in the "north" (that is, Gandhara), and are settled in Gandhara, Aratta and Setu. (Vishnu Purana IV.17) The Druhyus were driven out of the land of the seven rivers by Mandhatr and their next king Gandhara settled in a north-western region which became known as Gandhāra. The sons of the later Druhyu king Pracetas too settle in the "northern" (udīcya) region (Bhagavata 9.23.15-16; Visnu 4.17.5; Vayu 99.11-12; Brahmanda 3.74.11-12 and Matsya 48.9.). More recently, scholars have theorised that the Druhyu could be ancestors of Zoroastrian, Iranian, Greek or European peoples, or more likely, the Celtic Druid class^[3]. Particularly, as the Rg Veda describes this proto-Indo European tribe as migrating North ^[3]. Of particular note, vid in Druid comes from the same root as Veda which means knowledge in both cultures ^[4]. Evidence from archaeogenetics also support the pan indian origin of the proto-indo-europeans^[5].

Notes

1. ^ e.g. RV 1.108.8; 7.18; 8.10.5; 6.46.8
2. ^ Macdonell-Keith, Vedic Index 1912, vol. I p. 395
3. ^ ^{a b} Sanskrit in English
4. ^ Our Druid Cousins
5. ^ [1] underhill et al."separating post glacial ancestry"

References

• Rig Veda
• Vishnu Purana
• Frawley David: The Rig Veda and the History of India, 2001. (Aditya Prakashan), ISBN 81-7742-039-9
• Pargiter, F.E. [1922] 1979. Ancient Indian Historical Tradition. New Delhi: Cosmo.
• Talageri, Shrikant: The Rigveda: A Historical Analysis 2000, ISBN 81-7742-010-0 [6]; --Aryan Invasion Theory and Indian Nationalism. 1993.

See also

• Druid