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A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In ancient Hellenic and Roman religious traditions, the thunderbolt represents Zeus or Jupiter (etymologically 'Sky Father'), thence the origin and ordaining pattern of the universe, as expressed in Heraclitus' fragment describing "the Thunderbolt that steers the course of all things".〔DK B64.〕 It is the same in other Indo-European traditions, for example the Vedic ''Vajra''. In its original usage the word may also have been a description of the consequences of a close approach between two planetary cosmic bodies, as Plato suggested in ''Timaeus'', or, according to Victor Clube, meteors, though this is not currently the case. As a divine manifestation the thunderbolt has been a powerful symbol throughout history, and has appeared in many mythologies. Drawing from this powerful association, the thunderbolt is often found in military symbolism and semiotic representations of electricity. == In mythology == Lightning plays a role in many mythologies, often as the weapon of a sky god and weather god. As such, it is an unsurpassed method of dramatic instantaneous retributive destruction: thunderbolts as divine weapons can be found in many mythologies. *in the Hebrew Bible, the word for "arrow", ''khets'' חֵץ, is used for the "arrows" of YHWH/Elohim, which are represented as lightnings in Habakuk 3:11, but also as general calamities inflicted on men as divine punishment in Deuteronomy 32:42, Psalm 64:7, Job 6:4, etc. *Indo-European traditions * * In Hittite (and Hurrian) mythology, a triple thunderbolt was one symbol of Teshub (Tarhunt). * * Vedic religion (and later Hindu mythology) the god Indra is the god of lightning. His main weapon is the thunderbolt (Vajra). * * In Greek mythology, the thunderbolt is a weapon given to Zeus by the Cyclops. Based on this, in Roman mythology, the thunderbolt is a weapon given to Jupiter by the Cyclops, and is thus one of the emblems of Jupiter, often depicted on Greek and Roman coins and elsewhere as an eagle holding in its claws a thunderbolt which resembles in form a bundle of crossed sticks.〔''Dictionary of Roman Coins'' 〕 * * In Celtic mythology, Taranis is the god of thunder, in Irish, Tuireann. * * In Germanic mythology, Thor is specifically the god of thunder and lightning, wielding Mjolnir. * In Turkish mythology, Bayülgen creates the thuderbolts. * In Maya mythology, Huracan is sometimes represented as three thunderbolts. * In Cherokee mythology, the Ani Hyuntikwalaski ("thunder beings") cause lightning fire in a hollow sycamore tree. * In Ojibway mythology, thunder is created by the Thunderbirds (Nimkiig or Binesiiwag), which can be both benevolent and malevolent to human beings. * In Igbo mythology, the thunderbolt is the weapon of Amadioha/Amadiora. * In Yoruba mythology, the thunderbolt is the weapon of Shango. * In Tibetan Buddhism, the 'Vajra' or thunderbolt is symbol of Vajrayana branch. * In Paleo-Balkan mythology, Zibelthiurdos (also "Zbelsurdos", "Zibelthurdos"): a god recognized as similar to the Greek Zeus as a wielder of lightning and thunderbolts. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Thunderbolt」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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