Srbinda


In the ancient Sanskrit book, Rigveda, Srbinda is a mythical enemy of the God Indra. He is mentioned briefly as being slain in battle by Indra along with Anarsani, Pipru, and Ahisuva, after which he "let loose the floods".

Mythical founder of the Serbs

Certain historians theorize that Srbinda is related to, and possibly the founder of, the Serbian nation. Besides the identical root, the fact that the name Srbinda structurally is identical to the modern Serbian word "Srbenda", which is a superlative form of "Serb", expressing a Serb who is thoroughly and uncompromisingly devoted to all things Serbian.
Austrian historian Walther Wüst theorized in 1934 that Srbinda was a warlord and leader of the Serbs, based on the fact that Serbs use the term "Srbenda". He hypothesized that Srbinda and Srbenda were the same word, and that they meant someone great, strong, first among the Serbs – in line with the meaning of "Srbenda". He also theorized that when the Veda texts mention that after Indra defeats Srbinda he "let loose the floods", that floods were a metaphor for a migration of people, in this case the Serbs, migrating west.
Serbian historian Draško Šćekić stated that Srbinda is the oldest mention of the word 'Srb' in history, and that Srbinda is an ancient Serbian word, predating the Sanskrit language.