Moni or Mone (
Kamkata-vari: ''Mone''/''Mune''), also known as Mandi (from
Prasun) was, after
Imra
Imra ( Kamkata-vari: ''Imro'') was the chief creator deity of the Nuristani people 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 th ...
, the second-most important god in the pre-
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
ic
pantheon
Pantheon may refer to:
* Pantheon (religion), a set of gods belonging to a particular religion or tradition, and a temple or sacred building
Arts and entertainment Comics
*Pantheon (Marvel Comics), a fictional organization
* ''Pantheon'' (Lone St ...
of the
Nuristani people. With his breath, Imra created Moni and
Gish. Moni was believed to be a divine prophet, whom Imra selected to fulfill his behests. Nearly every village had a temple devoted to Moni.
Etymology
The name of the deity is said to have been derived from a borrowing of
Sanskrit ''Mahādeva'', a title ascribed to the god
Shiva, who is similar to Moni in most aspects, such as the bow, bull, and destroyer of the cattle of demons.
[Halfmann, Jakob. "Nuristani Theonyms in Light of Historical Phonology". In: ''6th Indo-European Research Colloquium'', 2022. OI: http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.31805.54244 www.researchgate.net/publication/359109254_Nuristani_Theonyms_in_Light_of_Historical_Phonology]
References
Asian gods
Indo-European deities
Oracular gods
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