Varaha

One-line: boar form of Vishnu who lifts the earth out of the cosmic waters.

First appears: Book 8, in Book 8 retelling.

Who they are: Varaha is Vishnu in boar form. At the start of Book 8, the earth has sunk into the waters, and the boar dives down, finds her, defeats the obstruction, and raises her back up. The story starts the book’s map by making the ground itself a rescue.

What they do that matters:

• Emerges from Brahma’s nose as a tiny boar and grows huge.
• Lifts the earth back from the waters.
• Sets up the geography that Book 8 then describes.

Other names: Yajna-Varaha

Family / lineage (when relevant): An incarnation of Vishnu.