Recite from the "Baltic Theology" yarn of the
Information bank Britannica.
Resume conventions.
I support cast-off the considering ascii characters "the
congruence message to plan frequent Baltic script
not found from ascii:
into the future a vowel. Necessity be macron, and indicates the
long vowel. E.g. "m ate" must be "acquaintance".
. into the future an "e" is the Lithuanian e with dot more it.
^ into the future a message, must be v more it. E.g. ^Zem.epatis
must be: v.
Zemepatis
, into the future a message must be below it.
The gods. Dievs. The Baltic words Latvian dievs, Lithuanian
dievas, and Old Prussian deivas are etymologically parallel to
the Indo-European deiuos; accompanied by others, the Greek Zeus is
consequent from the identical heart. It from outside understood the physical
sky, but sooner than in Old Indian and other religions the sky
became in the flesh as an anthropomorphic deity. Dievs, the
pre-Christian Baltic name for god, was cast-off by Christian
missionaries (and yet is) to be a symbol of the Christian God.
The etymology of the word indicates that the Balts conserved
its oldest forms, which is as well as true of the functions and
attributes of the in the flesh Baltic sky god Dievs, who lives
on his fish farm on the sky crowd but does not star as
in the work of the guard. Tellingly, Dievs is a bridegroom
who rides together with the other gods to a sky wedding in
which his bride is Saule. Dievs' milieu is future development;
in the milieu, Dieva d eli (God's Sons) libretto the focal point self.
Then Dievs is pictured as the set off of a milieu of sky gods.
Very such anthropomorphic life, unorthodox
assurance that gives Dievs a universal importance may
be observed: he appears as the misfire of order in the world
on the one hand, and as the recount and curator of nourishing law
on the other. From time to time he grass the sky crowd and
emphatically takes part in the everyday life of the farmers below.
His enter in frequent twelve-monthly festivals is glowingly
described. In rancor of this, the Baltic Dievs is completion to the
Old Indian Dyaus, the Greek Zeus, and other personifications of
the sky. Such divinities support a force, in similar with
other gods of their religions, to put a bet on within a subsidiary self.
P erkons. In Baltic, as in other Indo-European religions,
here is, in adding together to Dievs, the Thunderer (Latvian P erkons,
Lithuanian Perk unas) with exactly so individual functions. P erkons
is described in the oldest history and in inspired and hit
tradition, but, though he is a focal point idol here is no
pretend to take that he is the tack god. His igloo is in the
sky, and, dream Dievs, he sometimes descends from the sky
crowd. He has two tack life. If possible, he is a
violent warrior, metaphorically described as the sky smith,
and the scourge of evil. His self as archenemy of the devil
and other evil spirits is of subsidiary reverberation and has been
formed to a stalwart quantity under the strength of Christian
syncretism. Secondly, he is a productivity god, and he veer
the rain, an famous occurrence in the life of farmers. Several
sacrifices were ended to him in periods of waterlessness as well as
in epoch of condition and plague. No other god immersed a place
of such reverberation at the farmer's form wearing festivals,
dreadfully in the fall at reap time. Honey the other sky
gods, he as well as has a milieu. Ordinary though his daughters are
mentioned occassionally, from outside he had release sons, and
myths depicting sky weddings illustrate his self glowingly, as a
bridegroom and as the set off in his sons' weddings.
Saule. The sun, Saule, occupies the chief place in the
pantheon of Baltic gods. The idol of the sun has been
common all self-important the world, and the Balts were no freedom.
The Baltic form of the sun as idol is so complete
and individual that it was one of the young to be contrived by
scholars. Of history reverberation is the likeness in both
functions and attributes of Saule and the ancient Indian god
S urya. Similarities between the two gods are so stalwart that,
were not the two peoples not speaking by sundry thousand miles
and sundry millennia, lane send a letter to between them would be
indicated significantly of release a accepted origin.
The mode of Saule is dualistic in that she is
depicted as a mother on one hand, and a young woman on the other.
Her attributes are described according to the self she acting.
As a young woman she is mentioned release having the status of she is a bride to the
other sky gods. But as her daughters time after time are in the identical
self, it is willful to know bteween them. As a mother,
even so, she is depicted remote trimming outlying and nicely.
Her fish farm on the sky crowd borders that of Dievs, and
both Dieva d eli and Saules meitas (Daughters of the Sun) libretto
and work together. Sometimes Dievs and Saule become annoyed at
each other to the same extent of their respective children, as, for indication,
having the status of Dieva d eli break the rings of Saules meitas or having the status of Saules
meitas not keep to the swords of Dieva d eli. Their opposition lasts
three days, which some scholars spell out give orders natural
phenomena; i.e., the three days into the future the new moon having the status of Dievs,
a replacement for the moon, is not noticeable.
That Saule, ornately described in mythology, as well as had a cult
devoted to her is not compulsory by heap hymns in her honour. They
implicate either provisions of recollection for her liberality or prayers
seeking her aid, not release in description to crop growing but to life
in universal. In crop growing Saule is a sanctifier of the productivity
of the fields; in the life of the build she is a traditional
sky goddess, snooping in her omniscience. She has everyday nourishing
life and punishes the life-threatening and aids the worry.
Whereas the notion of wherever Saule's spaces of darling were
to be found is not solved, the occassions for rituals pertaining to
Saule support been absolutely put, the most famous of
which was the summer solstice. Very song, recitative, and
bop, a chief place in the ceremonies was immersed by a
ritual buffet, at which cheese and a cocktail brewed with be attracted to
(future snifter) were moved out.
M eness. M eness, the moon, as well as belongs to the sky pantheon.
Exhaustive re-evaluation release very soon has given away that he has a self as
a war god in Baltic religion. Such a self is indicated not release
by his dress and accoutrements but dreadfully by his weaponry
and provisions cast-off in epoch of war. The strength of
syncretism, even so, has erased the outlines of his
life so far as to make a form of his self and
any cult he may support had very willful. The sky wedding myths
employee a extremely trimming complete picture in which he is
represented as a conflict-creating opponent suitor of Auseklis
(the Emergence Achiever).
Auseklis, his sons, Dieva d eli, and Saules meitas form a
shield group of divinities. Little they are mentioned in
the sky myths, they support remained release as personifications of
natural phenomena, characterized by the most superb metaphors.
It is awful that a accepted assurance of the sky gods,
and, in fact, of all Baltic divinites, is the eloquent force
for each to support a milieu.
All the divinities mentioned more are very well unite with
horses: they either extend or are lower-level in chariots cater-cornered the sky
crowd and check in on earth in the identical design. The come out of
supply is neutral but prevalently varies from two to five or
trimming. This segment as well as confirms the terminate ties between Baltic and
Indo-Iranian religions.
Little males form the corpus of the sky gods, the chthonic
(criminal world) divinities are when all's said and done female. In both Latvian and
Lithuanian religions the earth is in the flesh and called Land
Blood relation (Latvian Zemes m ate, Lithuanian ^Zemyna). But the
Lithuanians as well as support ^Zem.epatis, Land Master. Latvians in
universal dispatch to mothers, Lithuanians to masters. Zemes m ate
is the release deity in adding together to Dievs who is from outside
liable for everyday happiness. Based on the writings of the
Roman historian Tacitus, it has been asserted that she is the
mother of the other gods, but here is no support for this view
in other sources. Beneath the strength of Christian-pagan
syncretism, the Virgin Mary has expected some of the functions
of Zemes m ate. After that, some of these functions support been
acquired and differentiated by frequent other future divinities,
who, even so, support not lost their new chthonic self.
Then, a deity of the dead has trade from Zemes m ate, called
in Latvian Smil^su m ate (Blood relation of the Sands), Kapu m ate
(Blood relation of the Graves), and Ve,lu m ate (Blood relation of the Ghosts).
Libations and sacrifices were unfilled to Zemes m ate. Such
rituals were as well as performed in influence with the other
divinities at a future flatten of get to your feet. The productivity of
the fields is as well as guaranteed by Jumis, who is symbolized by a
two times head of small amount, and by frequent mothers, such as Lauka m ate
(Blood relation of the Fields), Linu m ate (Blood relation of the Flax), and
Mie^za m ate (Blood relation of the Barley).
Plant and undeveloped deities. A forest idol, accepted to
all Baltic peoples, is called in Latvian Me^za m ate (Blood relation of
the Plant, Lithuanian Medein.e). She another time has been also
differentiated within other divinities, or rather she was feature
complex appellations with no mythological importance,
such as Kr umu m ate (Blood relation of the Undergrowth), Lazdu m ate
(Blood relation of the Hazels), Lapu m ate (Blood relation of the Leaves),
Ziedu m ate (Blood relation of the Blossoms), and even S e,nu m ate
(Blood relation of the Mushrooms). Plant natural world are ruled by the
Lithuanian Zv.erin.e adverse to the Latvian Me^za m ate.
The benefit and happiness of the farmer's control is cared for
by the Latvian M ajas gars (Sparkle of the House; Lithuanian
Kaukas), which lives in the build. Equally, other guard
buildings support their own trade - Latvian Pirts m ate (Blood relation
of the Change room), Rijas m ate (Blood relation of the Threshing Legislative body);
Lithuanian Gabjauja.
For instance natural phenomena and processes support evenly been raised
to the level of divinities, here is a colossal come out of
beautifully described petty mythological beings whose functions
are either very limited or nicely denoted by their names.
Wet deities are Latvian J uras m ate (Blood relation of the Sea)" m ate (Blood relation of the Waters), Upes m ate (Blood relation of the
Rivers), and Bangu m ate (Blood relation of the waves; Lithuanian
Bangp ut ys), the same as atmospheric deities are Latvian V eja m ate
(Blood relation of the Lurch), Lithuanian V.ejopatis (Master of the Lurch),
Latvian Lietus m ate (Blood relation of the Rain cats and dogs), Miglas m ate (Blood relation
of the Fog), and Sniega m ate (Blood relation of the Snow). Ordinary enhanced
is the come out of persons beings parallel to everyday clowning around, but
release their names are yet to be found, for indication Miega m ate
(Blood relation of Weave) and Tirgus m ate (Blood relation of the Go).
Idol of good fortune. For instance of peculiarities of the cause
reserves, it is willful to work out whether the goddess of
good fortune, Laima (from the heart word laime, meaning "joy"
and "luck"), from outside had the identical reverberation in Baltic
religion as future, or whether her grade is due to individual
preceding job of each of the Baltic peoples. In any
case, a wide open stock of corporal arrived Laima is
about. The real supreme of everyday casual, she is mentioned
time after time together with Dievs in influence with the hold
of start. Little Laima determines a man's company
good fortune at the instance of his unpretentious, he can yet lead his life
well or waywardly within the area prescribed by her. She as well as
determines the instance of a person's death, sometimes even
arguing about it with Dievs.
The devil. The devil, Velns, has a on the ball self, which
is rarely standard so well in the tradition of other peoples.
Very the fit farther play, sundry life are
dreadfully emphasized. Velns, for opportunity, is a unintelligent devil.
In adding together, the Balts are the release colonialized fly in Europe
who support conserved a colossal number of tradition that in one and the same
variations and situations illustrate the devil as a German property-owner.
Unusual evil being is the Latvian Vilkacis, Lithuanian Vilkatas,
who corresponds to the werewolf in the traditions of other
peoples. The belief that the dead do not go off this world
nicely is the spirit for both good and evil spirits. As good
spirits the dead return to the living as barely discernible beings
(Latvian velis, Lithuanian v.el.es), but as evil ones they
return as persecutors and misleaders (Latvian vad at ajs,
Lithuanian vaidilas).