35. Rudra Was a Minor God
Out of 1,028 hymns in the Rigveda, one of the oldest and most important of the Vedic texts, only three are dedicated to Rudra. Though feared, he was considered to be a minor god, one among many atmospheric deities who had control over the weather. That Shiva should become so crucial in Hinduism all across the subcontinent is likely the result of a confluence of factors and possibly mergers with other Hindu gods and goddesses.