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Excerpt from Baltic Religion
This file is courtesy of Yaz ([email protected])
Excerpt from the "Baltic Religion" article of the
Encyclopedia Britannica.
Transcription conventions.
I have used the following ascii characters _before_ the
corresponding letter to indicate various Baltic letters
not found from ascii:
_ before a vowel. Should be macron, and indicates the
_
long vowel. E.g. "m_ate" should be "mate".
. before an "e" is the Lithuanian e with dot above it.
^ before a letter, should be v above it. E.g. ^Zem.epatis
should be: v .
Zemepatis
, before a letter should be below it.
The gods. Dievs. The Baltic words Latvian dievs, Lithuanian
dievas, and Old Prussian deivas are etymologically related to
the Indo-European deiuos; among others, the Greek Zeus is
derived from the same root. It originally meant the physical
sky, but already in Old Indian and other religions the sky
became personified as an anthropomorphic deity. Dievs, the
pre-Christian Baltic name for god, was used by Christian
missionaries (and still is) to denote the Christian God.
The etymology of the word indicates that the Balts preserved
its oldest forms, which is also true of the functions and
attributes of the personified Baltic sky god Dievs, who lives
on his farmstead on the sky mountain but does not participate
in the work of the farm. Importantly, Dievs is a bridegroom
who rides together with the other gods to a sky wedding in
which his bride is Saule. Dievs' family is later development;
in the family, Dieva d_eli (God's Sons) play the primary role.
Thus Dievs is pictured as the father of a family of sky gods.
Besides such anthropomorphic characteristics, another
characteristic that gives Dievs a universal significance may
be observed: he appears as the creator of order in the world
on the one hand, and as the judge and guardian of moral law
on the other. From time to time he leaves the sky mountain and
actively takes part in the everyday life of the farmers below.
His participation in various yearly festivals is vividly
described. In spite of this, the Baltic Dievs is similar to the
Old Indian Dyaus, the Greek Zeus, and other personifications of
the sky. Such divinities have a tendency, in comparison with
other gods of their religions, to recede into a secondary role.
P_erkons. In Baltic, as in other Indo-European religions,
there is, in addition to Dievs, the Thunderer (Latvian P_erkons,
Lithuanian Perk_unas) with quite specific functions. P_erkons
is described in the oldest chronicles and in poetic and epic
folklore, but, though he is a primary divinity there is no
reason to believe that he is the main god. His abode is in the
sky, and, like Dievs, he sometimes descends from the sky
mountain. He has two main characteristics. First, he is a
mighty warrior, metaphorically described as the sky smith,
and the scourge of evil. His role as adversary of the devil
and other evil spirits is of secondary importance and has been
formed to a great extent under the influence of Christian
syncretism. Secondly, he is a fertility god, and he controls
the rain, an important event in the life of farmers. Various
sacrifices were made to him in periods of drought as well as
in times of sickness and plague. No other god occupied a place
of such importance at the farmer's table during festivals,
especially in the fall at harvest time. Like the other sky
gods, he also has a family. Even though his daughters are
mentioned occassionally, originally he had only sons, and
myths depicting sky weddings portray his role vividly, as a
bridegroom and as the father in his sons' weddings.
Saule. The sun, Saule, occupies the central place in the
pantheon of Baltic gods. The divinity of the sun has been
recognized all over the world, and the Balts were no exception.
The Baltic description of the sun as divinity is so complete
and specific that it was one of the first to be studied by
scholars. Of greatest importance is the similarity in both
functions and attributes of Saule and the ancient Indian god
S_urya. Similarities between the two gods are so great that,
were not the two peoples separated by several thousand miles
and several millennia, direct contact between them would be
indicated instead of only a common origin.
The representation of Saule is dualistic in that she is
depicted as a mother on one hand, and a daughter on the other.
Her attributes are described according to the role she plays.
As a daughter she is mentioned only when she is a bride to the
other sky gods. But as her daughters frequently are in the same
role, it is difficult to differentiate bteween them. As a mother,
however, she is depicted much more extensively and completely.
Her farmstead on the sky mountain borders that of Dievs, and
both Dieva d_eli and Saules meitas (Daughters of the Sun) play
and work together. Sometimes Dievs and Saule become enraged at
each other because of their respective children, as, for example,
when Dieva d_eli break the rings of Saules meitas or when Saules
meitas shatter the swords of Dieva d_eli. Their enmity lasts
three days, which some scholars explain through natural
phenomena; i.e., the three days before the new moon when Dievs,
a substitute for the moon, is not visible.
That Saule, richly described in mythology, also had a cult
devoted to her is suggested by many hymns in her honour. They
contain either expressions of thanks for her bounty or prayers
seeking her aid, not only in relation to agriculture but to life
in general. In agriculture Saule is a sanctifier of the fertility
of the fields; in the life of the individual she is a typical
sky goddess, interfering in her omniscience. She has human moral
characteristics and punishes the immoral and aids the suffering.
Though the question of where Saule's places of worship were
located is not solved, the occassions for rituals pertaining to
Saule have been definitely established, the most important of
which was the summer solstice. Besides song, recitative, and
dance, a central place in the ceremonies was occupied by a
ritual meal, at which cheese and a drink brewed with honey
(later beer) were consumed.
M_eness. M_eness, the moon, also belongs to the sky pantheon.
Detailed analysis only recently has shown that he has a role as
a war god in Baltic religion. Such a role is indicated not only
by his dress and accoutrements but especially by his weapons
and expressions used in times of war. The influence of
syncretism, however, has erased the outlines of his
characteristics so far as to make a description of his role and
any cult he may have had very difficult. The sky wedding myths
furnish a somewhat more complete picture in which he is
represented as a conflict-creating rival suitor of Auseklis
(the Morning Star).
Auseklis, his sons, Dieva d_eli, and Saules meitas form a
separate group of divinities. Although they are mentioned in
the sky myths, they have remained only as personifications of
natural phenomena, characterized by the most beautiful metaphors.
It is notable that a common characteristic of the sky gods,
and, in fact, of all Baltic divinites, is the express tendency
for each to have a family.
All the divinities mentioned above are closely associated with
horses: they either ride or are drawn in chariots across the sky
mountain and arrive on earth in the same fashion. The number of
horses is indeterminate but usually varies from two to five or
more. This trait also confirms the close ties between Baltic and
Indo-Iranian religions.
Although males form the majority of the sky gods, the chthonic
(underworld) divinities are mostly female. In both Latvian and
Lithuanian religions the earth is personified and called Earth
Mother (Latvian Zemes m_ate, Lithuanian ^Zemyna). But the
Lithuanians also have ^Zem.epatis, Earth Master. Latvians in
general refer to mothers, Lithuanians to masters. Zemes m_ate
is the only deity in addition to Dievs who is originally
responsible for human welfare. Based on the writings of the
Roman historian Tacitus, it has been asserted that she is the
mother of the other gods, but there is no support for this view
in other sources. Under the influence of Christian-pagan
syncretism, the Virgin Mary has assumed some of the functions
of Zemes m_ate. Furthermore, some of these functions have been
acquired and differentiated by various other later divinities,
who, however, have not lost their original chthonic character.
Thus, a deity of the dead has developed from Zemes m_ate, called
in Latvian Smil^su m_ate (Mother of the Sands), Kapu m_ate
(Mother of the Graves), and Ve,lu m_ate (Mother of the Ghosts).
Libations and sacrifices were offered to Zemes m_ate. Such
rituals were also performed in connection with the other
divinities at a later stage of development. The fertility of
the fields is also guaranteed by Jumis, who is symbolized by a
double head of grain, and by various mothers, such as Lauka m_ate
(Mother of the Fields), Linu m_ate (Mother of the Flax), and
Mie^za m_ate (Mother of the Barley).
Forest and agricultural deities. A forest divinity, common to
all Baltic peoples, is called in Latvian Me^za m_ate (Mother of
the Forest, Lithuanian Medein.e). She again has been further
differentiated into other divinities, or rather she was given
metaphorical appellations with no mythological significance,
such as Kr_umu m_ate (Mother of the Bushes), Lazdu m_ate
(Mother of the Hazels), Lapu m_ate (Mother of the Leaves),
Ziedu m_ate (Mother of the Blossoms), and even S_e,nu m_ate
(Mother of the Mushrooms). Forest animals are ruled by the
Lithuanian Zv.erin.e opposed to the Latvian Me^za m_ate.
The safety and welfare of the farmer's house is cared for
by the Latvian M_ajas gars (Spirit of the House; Lithuanian
Kaukas), which lives in the hearth. Similarly, other farm
buildings have their own patrons - Latvian Pirts m_ate (Mother
of the Bathhouse), Rijas m_ate (Mother of the Threshing House);
Lithuanian Gabjauja.
Because natural phenomena and processes have often been raised
to the level of divinities, there is a large number of
beautifully described lesser mythological beings whose functions
are either very limited or completely denoted by their names.
Water deities are Latvian J_uras m_ate (Mother of the Sea),
_Udens m_ate (Mother of the Waters), Upes m_ate (Mother of the
Rivers), and Bangu m_ate (Mother of the waves; Lithuanian
Bangp_ut_ys), while atmospheric deities are Latvian V_eja m_ate
(Mother of the Wind), Lithuanian V.ejopatis (Master of the Wind),
Latvian Lietus m_ate (Mother of the Rain), Miglas m_ate (Mother
of the Fog), and Sniega m_ate (Mother of the Snow). Even greater
is the number of those beings related to human activities, but
only their names are still to be found, for example Miega m_ate
(Mother of Sleep) and Tirgus m_ate (Mother of the Market).
Goddess of destiny. Because of peculiarities of the source
materials, it is difficult to determine whether the goddess of
destiny, Laima (from the root word laime, meaning "happiness"
and "luck"), originally had the same importance in Baltic
religion as later, or whether her eminence is due to specific
historical circumstances of each of the Baltic peoples. In any
case, a wide collection of material concerning Laima is
available. The real ruler of human fate, she is mentioned
frequently together with Dievs in connection with the process
of creation. Although Laima determines a man's unchangeable
destiny at the moment of his birth, he can still lead his life
well or badly within the limits prescribed by her. She also
determines the moment of a person's death, sometimes even
arguing about it with Dievs.
The devil. The devil, Velns, has a well-defined role, which
is rarely documented so well in the folklore of other peoples.
Besides the usual outer features, several characteristics are
especially emphasized. Velns, for instance, is a stupid devil.
In addition, the Balts are the only colonialized people in Europe
who have preserved a large amount of folklore that in different
variations and situations portray the devil as a German landlord.
Another 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 leave this world
completely is the basis for both good and evil spirits. As good
spirits the dead return to the living as invisible beings
(Latvian velis, Lithuanian v.el.es), but as evil ones they
return as persecutors and misleaders (Latvian vad_at_ajs,
Lithuanian vaidilas).
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