SKY, CULT OF
In various religions, the sky can hold considerable importance for three main reasons: it may be conceived as a divinity; it may lend its characteristics to a divinity; or, finally, it may appear as the dwelling place of a divinity. Between these three principal forms and their variants, the boundaries are not always clear. A divinity may be called Sky and dwell in the sky; others may dwell in the sky without possessing particular celestial attributes; and others, despite evident connections with the sky, are not explicitly remembered as having a celestial dwelling. The very oscillation of boundaries among these forms makes it plausible that the distinction between them is later and secondary, while the origin of the relationship between divinity and sky must be sought in a period when human thought was unaccustomed to precise and abstract distinctions. Indeed, sky, celestial being, god with celestial attributes, and god dwelling in the sky were originally inseparable ideas, and only in certain developments of religious mentality (e.g., anthropomorphic polytheisms and monotheisms) would the relationship of divinity to the sky be limited to certain attributes or to a dwelling place.
The celestial being or sky god appears, one might say, in all spheres of primitive civilizations. In these, his idea often overlaps with another religious idea: that of the Supreme Being. For some time, scholars have noted, in the religions of uncivilized peoples, the existence of the concept of a Supreme Being whose position among other deities and spirits of cult and mythology is quite particular and distinct. The historical-cultural school of Fr. W. Schmidt, in fact, emphasizes that precisely the idea of such a Supreme Being belongs to the most ancient religious heritage of humanity. Now, in many cases, this primitive Supreme Being exhibits the characteristics of the celestial being: considered now identical with the sky, now dwelling in the sky, now regulating celestial phenomena. However, not always does such a Supreme Being have a clear celestial character, and above all, the celestial being does not always occupy the position of Supreme Being; there are also cases in which, within the same religion, multiple celestial beings are found.
Of the countless celestial beings of primitive peoples, it will suffice here to cite a few examples to demonstrate the universality of the idea and the variety of its forms.
a) **Australia**: Baiame of the Kamilaroi and related peoples, such as Daramulun of the Yuin, dwells in the sky, regulates meteorological phenomena, and is all-seeing. Bungil of the Kulin, a creator dwelling in the sky, sees all. Atnatu, an esoteric god of the Kaitish, is also characterized by his numerous wives who are the stars.
b) **Asia**: Puluga of the Andamanese is omniscient, but only by day; he punishes with lightning, dwells in the sky, and his name perhaps means "thunder." Kari of the Semang (Malacca) defines himself in his name, which means "sky."
c) **Melanesia**: Ndengei, in the Fiji Islands, has a name that means "sky"; he produces darkness by closing his eyes.
d) **Polynesia**: Rangi, the sky, in New Zealand, is not a Supreme Being but one of the deities in a rich polytheistic system; his spouse is Papa, the earth.
e) **Africa**: The governance of meteorological phenomena, celestial dwelling, and omniscience characterize Kaang of the Bushmen, Tsui-Goab of the Hottentots, and Tilo of the Ba-ronga. Nzambi among the western Bantu and Mulunga among the eastern Bantu bear in their names the meaning "sky." Similarly, the figure of Mavu among the Eve negroes exhibits characteristics derived from the visual impression of the sky.
f) **North America**: Sing of the Haida Indians is the luminous sky. Among the Bellachula, Qamaits is the sky, but is a goddess. The celestial character of the Supreme Being of the Pawnee, Tirawa, is attested by a rich symbolic colorism of the cult.
g) **South America**: Kamuscini among the Caribs is defined as sky by the natives, who consider him the first cosmogonic being. Pillan of the Araucanians is a Supreme Being who manifests himself especially in meteorological phenomena.
A particular position among other deities is also held by the sky deity in the religions of various higher civilizations. The divinity that, through its name, mythology, and iconographic characteristics, reveals an identity or at least a particularly close connection with the sky, often figures as father of all, omniscient, omnipotent, king of the gods, governor of cosmic and moral order.
In the religions of Indo-European-speaking peoples, more than one divine figure connected with the sky is found. In Vedic religion, Dyaus, whose name means "sky," and Varuṇa share essential attributes of the sky, but while the former has a more limited cult and a primarily cosmogonic character, Varuṇa is a supreme anthropomorphic deity. In Greece, by contrast, Uranus, whose name corresponds to that of Varuṇa, bears in name and mythology a complete identity with the sky, but has an extremely limited cult, while Zeus, corresponding to Dyaus, is the supreme deity, though not without evident celestial attributes: dwelling in the sky, he sends rain, lightning, and thunder. The same figure dominates the Roman religious world under the name of Iuppiter, whose second element implies the paternity attributed both to the Indian Dyaus and to the Greek Zeus. The Germanic Tiu, etymologically corresponding, has a less prominent importance and an altered character.
In Babylonia, Anu (= sky), though not having a very popular cult, was considered the king and father par excellence. In Egypt, the sky is instead a goddess: Nut, while the earth, which in other religions, both primitive and cultured, usually appears as the divine spouse of the sky, here takes on the role of the spouse. Though a goddess, Nut maintains the characteristics that belong to the sky deity: she is lady and mother of all, mother also of the sun, and it is she who sends rain.
A perfect identity between sky and supreme divinity is found in the most ancient religion of China. Ti’en (= sky), also called Shang-ti (Supreme Emperor), is the central divinity, guarantor of the order of the universe. The emperor, considered his son, presents him with an annual sacrifice for the well-being of the country, at a round altar oriented according to the cardinal points, on the day of the winter solstice.
In monotheistic religions, the sky remains the dwelling place of the divinity: thus, in Zoroastrianism, Ahura Mazda, and in Islam, Allah, are conceived as dwelling in the sky.