Madhu (
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 ...
: ) is a word used in several
Indo-Aryan languages
The Indo-Aryan languages (or sometimes Indic languages) are a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages in the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. As of the early 21st century, they have more than 800 million speakers, primarily ...
meaning ''
honey
Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...
'' or ''
sweet
Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketones ...
''. It is ultimately derived from
Proto-Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. Its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-European languages. No direct record of Proto-Indo-E ...
''*médʰu'', whence
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
''
mead
Mead () is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey mixed with water, and sometimes with added ingredients such as fruits, spices, grains, or hops. The alcoholic content ranges from about 3.5% ABV to more than 20%. The defining character ...
''.
Metaphorical use
''Madhu'' has been used for millennia since the
Rigveda
The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts (''śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one Sh ...
(1400–1000 BCE)
[ Jamison and Brereton (2014) The Rigveda, Oxford University Press, p 5 ] in a similar metaphorical sense as ''wine'' is in English, e.g. "the wine of truth", and employed in that manner in Hindu religious literature. For example, the ''
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
The ''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad'' ( sa, बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद्, ) is one of the Principal Upanishads and one of the first Upanishadic scriptures of Hinduism. A key scripture to various schools of Hinduism, the ''Bri ...
'', believed to have been composed in the first millennium BCE, contains a chapter called the ''Madhu Brahmana'', and "the secret essence of the
Vedas
upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''.
The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...
themselves, was called the ''Madhu-vidya'' or 'honey doctrine'".
Various opinions
There are different opinions surrounding the word ''Madhu''. Some scholars date metaphorical usage of ''madhu'' to a time very close to the initial composition of the Vedas.
Soma
Soma may refer to:
Businesses and brands
* SOMA (architects), a New York–based firm of architects
* Soma (company), a company that designs eco-friendly water filtration systems
* SOMA Fabrications, a builder of bicycle frames and other bicycle ...
, the shared sacred drink of the Indo-Iranians (known as ''haoma'' in Avestan), is often metaphorically referred to as ''madhu'' in the Vedas. However, "the Avesta, which is quite close to the Veda with regard to the terminology of Soma, does not know the equation 'Soma' = 'madhu'."
In Rigveda 8.48.1 and Rigveda 8.48.3, in the book of soma, soma is clearly addressed and explained as madhu.
Usage in names
The derivative form ''Madhur'' is used as a
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 ...
first-name for males and ''Madhu'' is a first-name common among males, although both names can occur for either gender. ''Madhuri'' is a common feminine variant of ''Madhur''.
The word ''madhur'' is a combination of ''madhu'' (honey/sweet) and ''-r/-ra'' (like or similar). Several other names are based on the root ''madhu'', such as ''Madhukar'', ''Madhusudhan'', ''Madhulika'' and ''Madhubala''.
See also
*
Kvasir
In Norse mythology, Kvasir (Old Norse: ) was a being born of the saliva of the Æsir and the Vanir, two groups of gods. Extremely wise, Kvasir traveled far and wide, teaching and spreading knowledge. This continued until the dwarfs Fjalar and Galar ...
, a wise being in Norse mythology born from the spit of the gods and from whose blood the Mead of Poetry is crafted
References
{{reflist, 2
Honey
Given names
Historical alcoholic drinks
Sanskrit words and phrases