He is a Hindu deity
who is Shiva's son.
Skanda is created to slay the demon Taraka, who has been
granted the celestial benefit of being able to be destroyed only by a Shiva
son.
Shiva is immersed in meditation following the loss of his
wife Sati when Taraka makes this request, and it is improbable that such a son
would ever be born.
After Taraka becomes too powerful, the other gods attempt to
persuade Shiva to marry, which leads to Shiva's marriage to the goddess
Parvati.
Skanda is born in an odd fashion, despite Shiva and
Parvati's marriage.
Shiva and Parvati are said to be disturbed while making
love, and Shiva accidentally spills his sperm over the ground (the word skand
meaning "to spring" or "to ooze").
Semen is seen as a man's concentrated essence in Indian
culture, which implies that for a god like Shiva, the semen is inordinately
strong, capable of destroying the planet.
The deity Agni, who is fire personified, is the first to
hold the semen, but it proves too strong for him.
Agni then throws it into the Ganges, which deposits a
brilliant infant in the reeds along its bank after 10,000 years.
The kid is found by the Krittikas (personifications of the
Pleiades), who all want to breastfeed him.
Skanda sprouts five more heads to appease them.
One of his epithets, Kartikkeya, is a symbol of the
Krittikas' care.
Skanda grows quickly, ascends to the throne of Shiva's celestial
troop (gana), and kills the thorny Taraka.
Unlike his brother Ganesh, who is a scholar and sage, his
character remains that of a warrior prince.
Skanda is considered a part of Shiva's family in northern
India, and although his power is acknowledged, he is not a prominent object of
devotion.
Skanda has been linked to Murugan, a regional god connected
with the hunt, but also with conflict, in southern India.
In this environment, he has undertaken a much larger
position, notably in Tamil Nadu, and has taken on the mantle of a Shaiva
Siddhanta philosopher and exponent.
