Vritra
mythological serpent in Vedic myth, slain by Indra
Vritra (Sanskrit: वृत्र, lit. 'enveloper', IAST: Vṛtrá, Vedic Sanskrit pronunciation: [ʋr̩.trɐ́]) is a danava in Hinduism. He serves as the personification of drought, and is an adversary of the king of the devas, Indra. As a danava, he belongs to the race of the asuras. Vritra is also known in the Vedas as Ahi (Sanskrit: अहि, lit. 'snake' IAST: ahi Sanskrit pronunciation: [ɐ.hi]). He appears as a human-like serpent blocking the course of the Rigvedic rivers, and is slain by Indra with his newly forged vajra.
Etymology
Vritra literally means "cover, obstacle", in reference of him holding back the waters. It stems from Proto-Indo-Iranian *wr̥trás, from the Proto-Indo-European root *wer- "to cover, to obstruct". The Indo-Iranian word is also found in Avestan as vərəθraγna (Vedic vṛtraghná), literally "(one who) slays obstacles". Etymolgically related to the god Varuna, as they are both binders/envelopers, connected to waters and in semantic opposition of Indra. However this close etymolgy doesn't make them identical in mythological aspect.
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