Etymology of Svarog (original) (raw)

Svarog (Old East Slavic Сваро́гъ, Svarogǔ) is a Slavic god of fire and smithing mentioned in the Slavic translation of the Chronicle of John Malalas found in the Primary Chronicle as the Slavic equivalent of the Greek god Hephaestus. The etymology of this god's name has been the subject of lively debate in scholarly circles. In the past, the predominant etymology was the Indo-Iranian one, according to which the name was borrowed from some language of that linguistic group. Today it is criticized by linguists and etymologists. Instead, native Slavic etymologies are proposed.