Romulus and Bhîshma : Intersecting Structures
This paper continues the project of Georges Dumézil, who tried to identify in the cultures of the traditional Indo-European speaking world whatever went back to a historical common origin. Following Dumézil in several ways, the paper compares Romulus, mythical founder of Rome, with Bhîshma, classificatory grandfather of the central heroes of the Sanskrit epic, the Mahâbhârata. Both figures relate to reflexes of the Indo-European Sky god *Dyeus, and each belongs within at least two pentadic series. « Vertically », Romulus heads the list of Roman kings, while Bhîshma heads the list of Kaurava marshals. « Horizontally », Romulus’ life falls into five phases involving different associates ; Bhîshma’s life shows comparable phases and he has four classificatory brothers. All these pentads can be analysed with the aid of a fivefold schema which, it is claimed, improves on Dumézil’s trifunctionalism. The vertical and horizontal sets intersect in Romulus and Bhîshma. This quite complex structure must go back to an early Indo-European protonarrative.