Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s9.5

v1.c3.s9.5

Otu in Vedic literature¹ denotes the ‘woof’ in weaving, and corresponds to Tantu, ‘the warp,’ the roots vā,² ‘to weave,’ and tan,³ ‘to stretch,’ from which these two terms are derived, being used in parallel senses. In the process of weaving a shuttle (Tasara) was used. The ‘weaver’ is termed vāya,⁴ and the ‘loom’ veman.⁵ A wooden peg (Mayūkha) was used to stretch the web on, while lead was employed as a weight to extend it.⁶