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In mythology

Lightning plays a role in many mythologies, often as the weapon of a sky god and weather god. As such, it is an unsurpassed method of dramatic instantaneous retributive destruction: thunderbolts as divine weapons can be found in many mythologies.

in the Hebrew Bible, the word for "arrow", khets חֵץ, is used for the "arrows" of YHWH/Elohim, which are represented as lightnings in Habakuk 3:11, but also as general calamities inflicted on men as divine punishment in Deuteronomy 32:42, Psalm 64:7, Job 6:4, etc.
Indo-European traditions
- In Hittite (and Hurrian) mythology, a triple thunderbolt was one symbol of Teshub (Tarhunt).
- Vedic religion (and later Hindu mythology) the god Indra is the god of lightning. His main weapon is the thunderbolt (Vajra).
- In Greek mythology, the thunderbolt is a weapon given to Zeus by the Cyclops. Based on this, in Roman mythology, the thunderbolt is a weapon given to Jupiter by the Cyclops, and is thus one of the emblems of Jupiter, often depicted on Greek and Roman coins and elsewhere as an eagle holding in its claws a thunderbolt which resembles in form a bundle of crossed sticks.^[1]
- In Celtic mythology, Taranis is the god of thunder, in Irish, Tuireann.
- In Germanic mythology, Thor is specifically the god of thunder and lightning, wielding Mjolnir.
In Turkish mythology, Bayülgen creates the thuderbolts.
In Maya mythology, Huracan is sometimes represented as three thunderbolts.
In Cherokee mythology, the Ani Hyuntikwalaski ("thunder beings") cause lightning fire in a hollow sycamore tree.
In Ojibway mythology, thunder is created by the Thunderbirds (Nimkiig or Binesiiwag), which can be both benevolent and malevolent to human beings.
In Igbo mythology, the thunderbolt is the weapon of Amadioha/Amadiora.
In Yoruba mythology, the thunderbolt is the weapon of Shango.
In Tibetan Buddhism, the 'Vajra' or thunderbolt is a commonly used symbol.
In Paleo-Balkan mythology, Zibelthiurdos (also "Zbelsurdos", "Zibelthurdos"): a god recognized as similar to the Greek Zeus as a wielder of lightning and thunderbolts.

Thunderstones

The name "thunderbolt" or "thunderstone" has also been traditionally applied to the fossilised rostra of belemnoids. The origin of these bullet-shaped stones was not understood, and thus a mythological explanation of stones created where a lightning struck has arisen.^[2]

In the modern world

The thunderbolt or lightning bolt continues into the modern world as a prominent symbol; it has entered modern heraldry and military iconography.

In iconography

The thunderbolt is used as an electrical symbol.^[3]
A thunderbolt is used in the logo of the Australian hard rock band AC/DC.

In fiction

The thunderbolt is the symbol seen on the chest of the costumes worn by the DC Comics characters Captain Marvel, the Flash, and Static.
In the Harry Potter franchise, the scar on Harry's forehead is in the shape of a thunderbolt.
In the novel The Godfather, "being hit with the thunderbolt" is a Sicilian expression referring to a man being spellbound at the sight of a beautiful woman. The novel's emerging main character is affected in this fashion and eventually marries a woman whose appearance initially affects him in this way.

Gallery

Typical cartoon representations of thunderbolts (lightning bolts)
Thunderbolts represented on the Royal Engineers' Ensign

References

^ Dictionary of Roman Coins
^ Vendetti, Jan (2006). "The Cephalopoda: Squids, octopuses, nautilus, and ammonites". UC Berkeley. Retrieved 2013-06-07.
^ Geoffrey Peckham. "On Graphical Symbols". Compliance Engineering. Retrieved August 3, 2012.

External links

Quasi-realtime thunderbolt information in Japan (Japanese)

[1] Dictionary of Roman Coins

[2] Vendetti, Jan (2006). "The Cephalopoda: Squids, octopuses, nautilus, and ammonites". UC Berkeley. Retrieved 2013-06-07.

[3] Geoffrey Peckham. "On Graphical Symbols". Compliance Engineering. Retrieved August 3, 2012.

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-{{Other uses}}
-[[File:Epirus234bc.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Zeus]]' head and thunderbolt on a coin from [[Epirus]], 234 BC.]]
-[[File:Greek Silver Stater of Olympia (Elis).jpg|thumb|150px|The thunderbolt pattern with an [[eagle]] on a coin from [[Olympia, Greece]], 432-c.421 BC.]]
-[[File:Capua Æ Quadrunx 670058.jpg|thumb|150px|Zeus' head and thunderbolt on a coin from [[Capua]], [[Campania]], 216-211 BC.]]
-[[File:Pt eagle.png|thumb|200px|Coin of Ptolomaic Egypt showing Zeus as an Eagle, holding a thunderbolt]]
-A '''thunderbolt''' or '''lightning bolt''' is a symbolic representation of [[lightning]] when accompanied by a loud [[thunder]]clap. In [[religion in ancient Greece|ancient Hellenic]] and [[religion in ancient Rome|Roman]] religious traditions, the thunderbolt represents [[Zeus]] or [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]] (etymologically 'Sky Father'), thence the origin and ordaining pattern of the universe, as expressed in [[Heraclitus]]' fragment describing "the Thunderbolt that steers the course of all things".<ref>[[Hermann Alexander Diels|DK]] B64.</ref> It is the same in other Indo-European traditions, for example the [[Vedas|Vedic]] ''[[Vajra]]''.
-In its original usage the word may also have been a description of the consequences of a close approach between two planetary cosmic bodies, as [[Plato]] suggested in ''[[Timaeus (dialogue)|Timaeus]]'',<ref>{{cite book|last=Plato|title=Timaeus|year=2008|publisher=1st World Publishing|isbn=9781421893945|url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=uzn3RLipf4wC&pg=PA15|accessdate=August 3, 2012|page=15, paragraph 22C-D in original}}</ref> or, according to [[Victor Clube]], meteors,<ref>{{cite book|last=Clube|first=Victor|title=The cosmic serpent: a catastrophist view of earth history|year=1982|publisher=Universe Books|isbn=9780876633793|author2=Napier, Bill |page=173ff}}</ref> though this is not currently the case. As a divine manifestation the thunderbolt has been a powerful symbol throughout history, and has appeared in many [[mythology|mythologies]]. Drawing from this powerful association, the thunderbolt is often found in military symbolism and [[semiotic]] representations of electricity.
 == In mythology ==