Mithra-Varuna is a deity or dyad of deities that played a significant role in Proto-Indo-European religion and mythology. Composed of two distinct elements – Mithra and Varuna – this divine pair represented different aspects of sovereignty, with Mithra embodying reason, order, and benevolence, and Varuna symbolizing violence, darkness, and inspiration. The dyad was first reconstructed as such by Georges Dumézil in his essay Mitra-Varuna. The reconstruction is linked to his Trifunctional hypothesis. With each one representing the different sides of his concept of sovereignty. Varuna is seen as a binder and Mithra as an unbinder. It is proposed that the two roman forms of debt Mutuum-Nexum were from each one respectively, and reflective of forms of debt dating back to the Proto Indo Europeans Dumezil proposes an analogy with yin and yang provides a useful framework for understanding the dialectic of Mithra-Varuna. Mithra may be seen as light and Varuna as dark. Varuna is frenzied and aggressive, a "terrible sovereign" which comes first, and Mithra is a slow majestic sovereign. Mithra represents a sovereign under his reasoning aspect, luminous, ordered, calm, benevolent, and priestly. Varuna, on the other hand, represents a sovereign under his attacking aspect, dark, inspired, violent, terrible, and warlike. Some expressions that assimilate "this world" to Mithra and "the other world" to Varuna have been the subject of much commentary and can be understood in this context. The concept of Mithra as brahman and Varuna as the king of the Gandharva is a particularly suggestive formula. The Gandharva normally live in a mysterious world of their own, beyond the darkness into which Indra smote the singular Gandharva for the greater good of the brahman. In Varuna's legend, the Gandharva intervene at a tragic moment to restore his failed virility with a magic herb, just as the first Luperci put an end to the sterility of the women Romulus had abducted. Mitra-Varuna is a modern day Hindu dyad of deities They are associated with homosexuality and believed by Dumezil to descend from this original dyad. The dyad was mentioned in a treaty by the Mitanni supporting the hypothesis of a Indo-Aryan superstrate in Mitanni. Priesthoods Dumezil proposes that there were two dialectical priesthoods of *bhelgh-men- (flamens/brahmins) and *guhe(n)dh-rwo-(gandarvas) He proposes many traits of them and their practices wuch as gandarvas being associated with horse riding and flamens prohibited from it Romulus was associated with the Gandarvas and Numa