Great Gish

Gish or Great Gish was the most popular god of the Nuristani people mythology and received the greatest amount of attention among the Siah-Posh Nuristani of Bashgul. Every village of Bashgul had one or more shrines dedicated to him.[1] In the Nuristani pantheon, Gish ranked next to Moni who was said to be the chief prophet of Imra. Both Moni and Gish were created by Imra by his breath.

Gish was the war-god. His earthly name was Yazid, and he is stated to have killed Ali, Hasan and Husain and nearly every famous Muslim known to the Nuristani. Countless bulls and billy goats were sacrificed each year to him and the drums were beaten in his honor for fifteen continuous days, every spring, by the Nuristani slaves.[2] Every time a Nuristani came home after successfully killing a Muslim, a victory dance was held in honor of Gish.

In John Updike's 1965 short story "God Speaks" (collected in "Museums and Women") Gish Imra is the name of one of the protagonists, the son of the assassinated leader of a Central Asian state called Nuristan.

References

  1. ↑ Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North West Frontier Province by H.A. Rose
  2. ↑ Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North West Frontier Province by H.A. Rose


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