Imra ( Kamkata-vari: ''Imro'') was the chief

creator deity A creator deity or creator god (often called the Creator) is a deity responsible for the creation of the Earth, world, and universe in human religion and mythology. In monotheism, the single God is often also the creator. A number of monolatr ...

of the

Nuristani people The Nuristanis, formerly known as Kafiristanis, are an ethnic group native to the Nuristan Province of northeastern Afghanistan and Chitral District of northwestern Pakistan. Their languages comprise the Nuristani branch of Indo-Iranian langua ...

before their conversion to Islam. Imra was believed to be the creator of the earth. With his breath, it was believed, he created the three other main deities of the pantheon: Mon,

Gish ''Gish'' is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins, released in May 1991 through Caroline Records. Frontman Billy Corgan has variously described ''Gish'' as a "very spiritual album" and "an album about spir ...

and Bagisht.

Etymology

The name of the deity is considered a reflex of Indo-Iranian

Yama Yama (Devanagari: यम) or Yamarāja (यमराज), is a deity of death, dharma, the south direction, and the underworld who predominantly features in Hindu and Buddhist religion, belonging to an early stratum of Rigvedic Hindu deities. ...

. The name ''Imro'' or ''Yum'' in Kamkata-vari is thought to derive from a borrowing of

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

''Yama-rāja'' "King Yama" via a

Middle Indo-Aryan The Middle Indo-Aryan languages (or Middle Indic languages, sometimes conflated with the Prakrits, which are a stage of Middle Indic) are a historical group of languages of the Indo-Aryan family. They are the descendants of Old Indo-Aryan (OIA; ...

form ''*Yam(a)rāy(a)'' with the characteristic northwestern sound change of ''j'' to ''y''. It is likely a cognate of the

Bangani Bangani ( ''baṅgāṇī'') is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in parts of Uttarkashi district in the west of the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, India. It has been described either as a member of the Western Pahari language group, or as a diale ...

title ''Jim Raza'' 'god of the dead'. He is also known as ''Mara'' "Killer, Death", a term derived from the Prasun language. Cognates of Kamkata-vari ''imro'' are found in other neighboring languages: Waigali ''yamrai'', Kalash (Urtsun) ''imbro'',

Ashkun The Nuristanis, formerly known as Kafiristanis, are an ethnic group native to the Nuristan Province of northeastern Afghanistan and Chitral District of northwestern Pakistan. Their languages comprise the Nuristani branch of Indo-Iranian langua ...

''imra'' and Prasun ''yumr'a'' - all referring to a "creator god".{{cite book , last=Minahan , first=James B. , title=Ethnic Groups of North, East, and Central Asia: An Encyclopedia , date=10 February 2014 , publisher=ABC-CLIO , language=en , isbn=9781610690188 , page=205 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oZCOAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA205 , quote=Living in the high mountain valleys, the Nuristani retained their ancient culture and their religion, a form of ancient Hinduism with many customs and rituals developed locally. Certain deities were revered only by one tribe or community, but one deity was universally worshipped by all Nuristani as the Creator, the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

god Yama Raja, called ''imr'o'' or ''imra'' by the Nuristani tribes., access-date=7 January 2021

Role in religion

This deity also acts as the guardian to the gates of hell (located in a subterranean realm), preventing the return to the world of the living - a motif that echoes the role of Yama as the king of the underworld.Boyce, Mary. "The Pre-ZoroastrianReligion of the Medes and the Persians". In: ''A History of Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism under the Achaemenians''. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 1982. pp. 18-19. doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004293908_003

Popular culture

In John Updike's 1965 short story "God Speaks" (collected in "Museums and Women")

Imra is the name of one of the protagonists, the son of the assassinated leader of a Central Asian state called

Nuristan Nuristan, also spelled as Nurestan or Nooristan (Dari: ; Kamkata-vari: ), is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country. It is divided into seven districts and is Afghanistan's least populous province, wi ...

References

Indo-European deities Asian gods Creator gods

Etymology

Role in religion

Popular culture

See also

References