| Type: | Hindu |
| Danu | |
| Children: | Danavas |
| Spouse: | Kashyapa |
| Parents: | Daksha (father), Panchajani (mother) |
| Siblings: | Aditi, Diti, Svaha, Khyati, Sati, Kadru, Vinata, Rohini, Revati, and Rati |
| Texts: | Vedas, Puranas |
| Indo-European Equivalent: | Deh₂nu |
Danu is a Hindu primordial goddess. She is mentioned in the Rigveda to be the mother of the eponymous race known as the danavas. The word Danu described the primeval waters that this deity perhaps embodied. In later Hinduism, she is described as the daughter of the Prajapati Daksha and his spouse Panchajani, and the consort of the sage Kashyapa.[1]
As a word for "rain" or "liquid", dānu is compared to Avestan dānu, "river", and further to river names like Don, Danube, Dnieper, Dniestr, etc. There is also a Danu river in Nepal. The "liquid" word is mostly neutral, but appears as feminine in RV 1.54.
In the Rigveda (I.32.9), she is identified as the mother of Vritra, the asura slain by Indra.[2]
In the Padma Purana, the children of Danu are described:[3]
In the Brahmanda Purana, it is stated that while Aditi is habitually righteous, and Diti was habitually strong, Danu habitually practices maya.[4]
Danu was struck by Indra's thunderbolt after hearing him kill her son Vritra.[5]