*Dyēus is the reconstructed chief god of the Proto-Indo-European pantheon. He was the god of the daylit sky, and his position may have mirrored the position of patriarch or king in society. The Proto-Indo-Europeans are the hypothetical speakers of the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European language, a prehistoric people of the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age. ... Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. ... A monarch (see sovereign) is a type of ruler or head of state. ... The Proto-Indo-Europeans (PIE) were a patrilineal society of the Bronze Age (roughly 5th to 4th millennium BC), probably semi-nomadic, relying on animal husbandry. ...

Later gods who are etymologically connected with Dyeus include

• Greek Zeus,
• Roman Jupiter (from Deus Pater),
• Vedic Dyaus Pita,
• Germanic Tiwaz (later known as Tyr),
• Baltic Dievas,
• Slavic Div,
• Gaulish Dis Pater,
• and probably Phrygian Sabazios (from Saba Zeus).

Also etymologically connected is the Latin word for god, deus, the word for the Christian God used by the Roman Catholic Church. The latin word is also continued in English divine, deity, and the original Germanic word remains visible in Tuesday (originally "Day of Tiwaz"). Statue of Zeus Phidias created the 12-m (40-ft) tall statue of Zeus at Olympia about 435 BC. The statue was perhaps the most famous sculpture in ancient Greece, imagined here in a 16th-century engraving. ... Roman mythology can be considered as two parts. ... Jupiter et Thétis - by Jean Ingres, 1811. ... The religion of the Vedic civilization is the predecessor of classical Hinduism, usually included in the term. ... In vedic religion, Dyaus Pita is the Sky Father, husband of Prthivi and father of Agni and Indra (RV 4. ... Týr is identified with Mars in this illustration from an 18th century Icelandic manuscript. ... The Baltic Sea The Balts or Baltic peoples (Latvian: balti, Lithuanian: baltai), defined as speakers of one of the Baltic languages, a branch of the Indo-European language family, are descended from a group of Indo-European tribes who settled the area between lower Vistula and upper Dvina and Dneper. ... Dievas (sometimes Praamžius or Okopirmas in folklore) is the god of the sky, lightness, peace and friendship in Lithuanian mythology. ... Baba Yaga, by Ivan Bilibin. ... Rod, sometimes referred to as just god - Div, Diy, in Veda Slovena Diy or Dia, is probably the most ancient deity in Slavic pantheon. ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (from Latin Gallia, c. ... For the French nuclear ballistic missile system, see Hades (missile). ... In antiquity, Phrygia was a kingdom in the west central part of the Anatolian highlands, part of modern Turkey, from ca. ... Sabazios is the nomadic horseman sky and father god of the Phrygians. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... A deity or a god, is a postulated preternatural being, usually, but not always, of significant power, worshipped, thought holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, or respected by human beings. ... See also: Timeline of Christianity Beliefs Though enormous diversity exists in the beliefs of those who self-identify as Christian, it is possible to venture general statements which describe the beliefs of a large majority. ... God is the term used to denote the Supreme Being believed by monotheistic religions to exist and to be the creator and ruler of the Universe. ... The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the Christian Church whose visible and spiritual head on Earth (representing Jesus Christ) is the Pope, currently Pope Benedict XVI, and whose adherents constitute almost half of all Christians worldwide. ...

Dyeus was addressed as Dyeu Phter, literally "Sky Father" or "shining father", as reflected in Latin Jupiter, Greek Zeu pater, Sanskrit Dyau Pita. In his aspect as a Father God, his consort was Pltvi Mhter, "Earth Mother". The sky father is a recurring theme in pagan and neopagan mythology. ... Jupiter et Thétis - by Jean Ingres, 1811. ... The Earth Mother is a motif that appears in many mythologies. ...

As the pantheons of the individual Indo-European mythologies evolved, attributes of Dyeus were sometimes redistributed to other, newer gods. In Greek and Roman mythology, Dyeus remained the chief god, while in Vedic and Germanic mythology, the etymological continuants of Dyeus became pale, rather featureless gods, and his original attributes, and his dominance over other gods, were transferred to gods whose names cannot be reconstructed for Proto-Indo-European times, such as Odin, Thor or Indra. Proto-Indo-European Indo-European studies Indo-European is originally a linguistic term, referring to the Indo-European language family. ... This article needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... Thor carries his hammer and wears his belt of strength in this illustration from an 18th century Icelandic manuscript. ... This article contains information that has not been verified. ...

See also: Proto-Indo-European religion. Ancient anthropomorphic Ukrainian stone stela (Kernosovka stela), possibly depicting a late Proto-Indo-European god, most likely Dyeus, the thunderer. ...

References

• Julius Pokorny, Indogermanisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (1959).