TYPE: Warrior god and hero
ORIGIN: Kafir [Afghanistan-Hindukush]
KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP: From prehistoric origins and persisting in certain localized parts today.
SYNONYMS: Mandi
CENTER(S) OF CULT: Chiefly at the village of Pashki and at Dewa (Prasun region), but also at numerous smaller sanctuaries throughout Kafir region.
ART REFERENCES: Wooden sculptures
LITERARY SOURCES: Robertson G.S. The Kafirs of the Hindukush (1896); Morgenstierne G. Some Kati Myths and Hymns (1951).
INFORMATION: Mon is a senior deity in the Kafir pantheon who challenges and defends mankind against demons and giants. He is the first offspring of the creator god Imra. He is also a weather god who controls clouds and mist. Mon is perceived as a deity of vast size and vigor who creates glaciers with his footprints. He is also a god of flowing water. Some legends place him as a creator of mankind and law-giver, but only mirroring the actions of the supreme creator Imra. He appears as a mediator between heaven and earth.
Mon is depicted, in wood, either in human form carrying a golden bow and quiver made by his brother Kshibere, or as a humped bull. Alternatively he is represented by a standing stone slab with two attendant smaller stones.
According to legend, when the giants locked up the sun and moon in a gold house, Mon turned himself into a child and in this guise was protected by a giantess mother. After many attempts to break into the house, he succeeded, restored the sun and moon to their place in the heavens and assisted Imra in the creation of mankind.