The list of Lithuanian gods is reconstructed based on scarce written sources and late folklore. Lithuania converted to Christianity in 1387, but elements of Lithuanian mythology survived into the 19th century. The earliest written sources, authored by foreigners and Christians, only briefly mention the Lithuanian gods. Beginning in the 16th century, the pagan religion received more attention from authors, but often their accounts were confused, contradictory, and heavily influenced by various religious agendas. Collection and recording of folklore began in the 19th century, by which time the pagan mythology had become fragmented and mixed with Christian traditions. The cults of old deities transformed into folklore (individual tales, myths, songs, etc.) without associated rituals. Because of such difficulties obtaining data, there is no accepted list of Lithuanian gods. Different authors present wildly contradictory reconstructions of the Lithuanian pantheon.
This section includes the names of gods, divine or demonic beings, and other personages from Lithuanian myths, legends, folklore, and fairy-tales.
Gods and goddesses
Ašvieniai, the divine twins who pulled the chariot of the Sun (the Vedic Ashwins).
Aušrinė, the Morning Star, a goddess, a daughter of the God ("dievaitė"). She was the goddess of the morning. Alternatively her name is given as Aušra ("dawn"). Ushas in Vedic religion.
Auštaras (Auštra), the god of the northeast wind, who stands at the gates of paradise and lights the way for those going to paradise. His function of shining this beacon makes him similar to Aušrinė; some consider him to be her cousin.
Bangpūtys, the god of the seas and storms ––he is two-faced like the Roman god Janus.
Deivės Valdytojos (Lithuanian: Governing Goddesses), were the goddesses who made garments from human's lives. They were seven sisters: Verpiančioji (who spun the threads of life), Metančioji (who threw rims of life), Audėja (the weaver), Gadintoja (who broke the thread), Sergėtoja (who scolded Gadintoja, and instigated war between people), Nukirpėja (who cut the cloth of life), and Išskalbėja (the laundress). They have similarities with the GreekFates and the NorseNorns. Deivės Valdytojos were associated with Dalia and Laima.
Dievas Senelis ("God Old Man"), a teacher of people and judge of their morality. He looks like an old traveling beggar. Dievas Senelis is proficient at magic and medicine. Epithet of Dievas.
Gabija, the foster of the Holy Fire, a goddess, a daughter of Dievas ("dievaitė").
Vėjopatis, god of the wind and master of Dausos (paradise)
Žemyna, goddess, the deified soil (ThracianZemele; Zamin in Persian and Hindi for "land").
Žvaigždės (singular: žvaigždė), stars. Saulė (the sun) is their mother and sometimes[when defined as?] with the Moon as their father. One of the most important stars is Aušrinė. Other stars, Aušrinė's sisters, are less important, but they sometimes appear in mythic stories too. Especially notable ones are Vakarinė or Vakarė (the evening Venus, who makes the bed for Saulė), Indraja (Jupiter), Sėlija (Saturn), Žiezdrė (Mars), and Vaivora (Mercury).
Jūratė and Kastytis are heroes of a Lithuanian legend, which subsequently became popular, mostly because of its modern poetic interpretation by Maironis. The queen of the amber palace Jūratė may be considered a manifestation of the goddess of Sea in this legend.
Local and nature spirits
Ežerinis, a spirit of lakes
Javinė, a household goddess who protects grain in barns.
Jievaras, a household spirit who protects grain. Sacrifices to Jievaras are made after the rye harvest. While cutting grain, women would leave a few grain tufts uncut, which would later be braided into plaits. They would also leave some bread and salt under the plait, and would say: Davei manei, Žemele, duodame ir tau ([You] gave for us, Mother Earth, we are giving for you too), a request for the land to continue to be fruitful.
Kupolė, the spirit of springtime vegetation and flowers. The Festival of Kupolė (Kupolinės) was associated with Feast of St. John the Baptist (Joninės). In this festival, women picked sacral herbs, danced and sang songs. Kupolinės is also known as Rasos. Compare this with Ziedu māte in Latvian mythology, Kupala in Polish mythology and Ivan Kupala in Russian mythology
Laukų dvasios (spirits of fields), spirits, who were running through the fields. When crops in the fields waved in the wind, people saw them as being the actions of spirits. Laukų dvasios include Nuogalis, Kiškis (hare), Meška (bear), Lapė (fox), Katinas (tomcat), Bubis, Bubas, Bubė, Baubas, Babaužis, Bobas, Maumas (bugaboo), Raudongalvis (red-headed), Raudongerklis (red-throated), Žaliaakis (green-eyed), Paplėštakis, Guda, Dizikas, Smauglys (boa), Ruginis (spirit of rye), Papiokė, Pypalas, Žebris, Arklys (horse), Vilkas (wolf).
Laumė, a fairy-like female creature (pixies). Described as white and blue as the sky itself. Good spirit, very friendly with the Earth and Nature gods. However, if anyone tried to use them for personal gain, their punishment would be severe.
Aitvaras, a household spirit bringing both good and bad luck
Baubas, an evil spirit with long lean arms, wrinkly fingers and red eyes. He harasses people and tears their hair or stifles them. To children, he is the equivalent of the boogeyman of the English-speaking countries. A misbehaving child could be told by the parents: "Behave, or baubas will come and get you". Also it could be described as a black and dark creature living under the carpet or in some dark spot of the house.
Giltinė – goddess of death, also The Reaper. Other names include Kaulinyčia, Maras (black death or the Plague), Maro mergos, Kolera, Pavietrė, Kapinių žmogus.[2] Her sacred bird is the owl. Sometimes she was considered to be a sister of Laima (luck).
Ragana, a forest-dwelling witch.
Slogutis means pain, misery or nightmare. Also can mean fear or bad feelings.
Pinčiukas, devil, not the pure evil being of Christianity, but a trickster. Earlier - dweller or even god of bogs and marshes.
Žiburinis, a scary forest spirit that appears as a phosphorescent skeleton.
Holy places and things
Dausos or Dangus, the home of good souls. Dausos is on a high mountain (LatvianDebeskalns, or NorseValhalla), between two rivers. There are golden apple-trees in the Dausos garden. Day in the garden is perpetual but outside its confines is perpetual night. Master of Dausos is Vėjopatis (Lord of the wind) or Vėjas (Wind) who is also one of the oldest gods in Lithuanian mythology. Vėjas is identical to Vayu of Hinduism. Auštaras and Vėjopatis are keepers of Dausos's gates (Dausų Vartai). While Auštaras shows the way for good souls, Vėjas (Vėjopatis) blows bad souls into oblivion.
Names by written sources
Earliest Rus' chronicles
Some names from Lithuanian mythology are also found in Kievan Rus' chronicles of the 13th century. These deities were secretly worshiped by King of LithuaniaMindaugas after his baptism. Rus' chronicles are considered the best source of information about the ancient Lithuanian pantheon worshiped by nobles and the military.
Sovijus in 13th-century Rus' chronicles was a person who introduced the pagan custom of burning bodies after death, according to studies by Gintaras Beresnevičius.
Žvoruna (Zvoruna) was a euphemism for the hunting and forest goddess like Roman Diana. Her name is connected with wild animals. There was mentioned in chronicle that she is a bitch, it means that her zoomorphic shape is female dog.
Medeina (Medeinė) is another euphemism of the hunting and forest goddess. Medeina also was mentioned in the 16th century by J. Lasicki. She was worshiped by King Mindaugas and represented military interest of warriors.
Teliavelis (Televelis) was a powerful smith who made the sun and threw it to the sky. This myth survived in folk tales in the beginning of the 20th century. Some scholars, like K. Būga, tried to prove that Televelis is incorrectly written Kalvelis (smith diminutive in Lithuanian). Teliavelis has connections with Finnish Ilmarinen.
Andajus (Andajas, Andojas, etc.) was mentioned in medieval chronicles as the supreme deity. It may be euphemism for Dievas. It is mentioned in chronicle that warriors invoke Andajus in battle.
Nonadievis (Nunadievis; etimologized by some scholars as Numadievis) is an incorrectly written name of the supreme god or just another euphemism.
Perkūnas was the god of thunder, one of the most powerful deities. Perkūnas survived in popular belief and folk tales until the 20th century.
Diviriks is thought to be one of Perkūnas' euphemisms, meaning "leader of gods".
Martynas Mažvydas
Martynas Mažvydas in his Latin introduction to Catechismusa Prasty Szadei (1547) urged the people to abandon their pagan ways and mentioned the following gods:[3][4]
Laukosargas (Laucosargus) – god of grains and other agricultural plants
Žemėpatis (Semepates) – god of cattle and other farm animals
Aitvaras and kaukas (Eithuaros and Caucos) – evil spirits
Maciej Stryjkowski
Maciej Stryjkowski (1547–1593) – Polish–Lithuanian historian and author of Chronicle of Poland, Lithuania, Samogitia and all Russia. In this work, Stryjkowski provided two lists of gods, one Old Prussian and another Lithuanian. He listed 16 Lithuanian gods:[5]
Prakorimas (Prokorimos) – the supreme deity. Stryjkowski elaborated that people used to sacrifice white cocks to Prakorimas. Their flesh was divided into three pieces: one for peasants, another for pagan priests (Lithuanian: žynys), and a third for burning. Stryjkowski pointed out that Prakorimas was similar to the Prussian supreme god Okopirmas.
Rūgutis (Ruguczis) – god of fermentation and fermented foods
Žemininkas (Ziemennik) – god of land and agriculture. The cult of the žaltys (grass snake) is associated with the cult of Žemininkas.
Krūminė (Kruminie Pradziu Warpu) – deity of ears, provider of crops
Lietuvonis (Lituwanis) – god of rain
Kauriraris (Chaurirari) – deity of war and warhorses. The name etymology is unclear. Vladimir Toporov suggested that it is derived from the Lithuanian word kaurai (fur), while Wilhelm Mannhardt argued it stems from karas (war).[6]
Sutvaras (Sotwaros) – god of all cattle
Šeimos dievas (Seimi Dewos) – god of family
Upinis dievas (Upinis Dewos) – god of rivers
Bubilas – god of honey and bees
Didis Lado (Dzidzis Lado) – the great god. Festivities, songs, and dances in his honor lasted from May 25 to June 25. There are doubts whether this represents an actual god.[7]
Gulbis (Gulbi Dzievos) – the good spirit of every human, guardian angel
Ganiklis (Goniglis Dziewos) – god of herds and shepherds
Šventpaukštinis (Swieczpunscynis) – god of all domesticated and wild birds. People did not offer sacrifices to him as he was a free spirit.
Kelių dievas (Kielu Dziewos) – god of roads, trade and travel
Pušaitis or Puškaitis (Puszajtis) – deity of land, dwelling in elder bushes and commanding chthonic dwarfs (barstukas)
Jan Łasicki
Jan Łasicki (Lasicius) was a Polish Protestant activist. He wrote a treatise on idolatryAbout the gods of Samogitians, other Sarmatians, and false Christians (De diis Samagitarum caeterorumque Sarmatarum et falsorum Christianorum, written ca. 1582 and published in 1615). This 18-page treatise contained a lists of 76 Lithuanian gods with brief description of their functions. Łasicki obtained most of his information from Łaszkowski, a Polish lesser noble who worked as a royal land surveyor. The list contained very minor deities, representing everyday household items. Łasicki was also not intimately familiar with Lithuanian culture or language. Therefore, the academic opinion on the list ranges from a valuable resource to a practical joke designed to poke fun of Christian saints through an inverted mirror. Deities mentioned by Jan Łasicki were:[8]
Aukštėjas (Auxtheias Vissagistis) – a euphemism for the supreme god. Derived from the Lithuanian word aukštas (high).
Žemėpatis (Zemopacios)
Perkūnas (Percunos) – god of thunder
Audros – god of storms
Algis
Aušra (Ausca) – the morning star (Venus). Her other name was Aušrinė.
Bežlėja (Bezlea)
Brėkšta (Breksta) – goddess of twilight. Also could be a euphemism for Vakarė.
Polish-Lithuanian historian Theodor Narbutt wrote the ten-volume work History of the Lithuanian Nation (Dzieje starożytne narodu litewskiego) between 1835 and 1841. The first volume contained a description of Lithuanian mythology. However, modern historians have accused Narbutt of falsifying historical facts and reporting speculations. Thus, some gods mentioned only by Narbutt and unknown from other sources are usually treated as inventions of the author.
Male deities
Praamžius (Pramżimas) – highest god, determines the fate of people, world, and other gods
Ukapirmas (Okkapirmas) – preceded time, his feast is celebrated on December 25
Viršaitis (Wirszajtos) – protected household, domestic animals. Narbutt claimed that he was equivalent to Auxtejas Wissagistis mentioned by Łasicki and to Roman Saturn
This section contains those names of Lithuanian and Prussian gods or other mythical beings that are mentioned in old treatises on history or philosophy, sometimes accompanied by brief descriptions, and which are known from a few independent sources or from their counterparts under different names in later collections of myths and tales.
Dimstipatis (mentioned by Jokūbas Lavinskis), is a masculine deity (genius loci). It is a household god, the guardian of houses and caretaker of the hearth. People sacrificed roosters and black hens to the deity. The birds were boiled; later people would gather around the kettle and eat the birds. The bones were burned. Sometimes Dimstipatis is reconstructed as a god of housewives, to whom pigs were sacrificed. Dimstipatis was also seen as a power protecting from fires.[3]
Names of figures that were more marginal in Lithuanian mythology or less known from existing sources are put here. In fact they denote some spirits or local deities that do not play a main role in the mythology of Lithuanians.
Blizgulis, a god of snow. His name means "He who sparkles."
^"Praamžius". Mitologijos enciklopedija, vol. 2. Vilnius. Vaga. 1999. 291 p.
^ abBalsys, Rimantas (2005). "Prūsų ir lietuvių mirties (požemio, mirusiųjų) dievybės: nuo Patulo iki Kaulinyčios" (PDF). Lietuvininkai ir lietuviai. Etninė kultūra (in Lithuanian). IV: 27–51.
^ abcBeresnevičius, Gintaras (2006-12-16). "Laukpatis ir Dimstipatis. Lauko ir namų dievai". Šiaurės Atėnai (in Lithuanian) (825). ISSN 1392-7760.
^Adalbert Bezzenberger, ed. (1874). Litauische und Lettische Drucke des 16. Jahrhunderts. Göttingen: Robert Peppmüler. p. 3.
^Beresnevičius, Gintaras (August 2006). "M. Strijkovskio "Kronikos" lietuvių dievų sąrašas (1)". Metai (in Lithuanian). 8–9 (89). ISSN 0134-3211.
^ abBalsys, Rimantas (2006). "Žirgų (arklių) dievybės rašytiniuose šaltiniuose". Žemaičių žemė (in Lithuanian) (3): 17–19. ISSN 1392-2610.
^Balsys, Rimantas (2006). . Acta Baltico-Slavica. Archeologia, Historia, Ethnographia, et Linguarum Scientia (30): 597–609. ISSN 0065-1044. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18.
^Łasicki, Jan (1868) [1615]. De diis samagitarum libellus (in Latin). Riga: J. Bacmeister. pp. 10–16. OCLC 60605501.
^ abcdMitchel, B. W. (April 1919). "The Early Centuries of Kultur". The Classical Journal. 7 (14): 421.
^Paulauskytė, Teresė (2004-08-21). "Ką garbino žemaičiai XVI amžiuje – dievus ar demonus?". Šiaurės Atėnai (in Lithuanian) (713). ISSN 1392-7760.
^Simas Sužiedėlis, ed. (1970–1978). "Apydėmė". Encyclopedia Lituanica. Vol. I. Boston, Massachusetts: Juozas Kapočius. pp. 113–114. LCC 74-114275.
^ abcdBalsys, Rimantas (2007). (PDF). Res Humanitariae (in Lithuanian). I: 76–94. ISSN 1822-7708. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-22.
^Razauskas, Dainius (2009-12-04). "Krosnis – aukuras, namų šventovė". Šiaurės Atėnai (in Lithuanian) (967). ISSN 1392-7760.
^ abOna Verseckienė, ed. (2004). "Namų dievai. Baltiškieji namų dievai". Lietuvių etninė kultūra. Namai etninėje kultūroje (in Lithuanian). Elektroninės leidybos namai. ISBN9955-606-04-5.
Jūrate Baranova; et al., eds. (2001). . Lithuanian philosophy: persons and ideas Lithuanian philosophical studies, ii. Cultural heritage and contemporary change series IVa, Eastern and Central Europe, volume 17. The Council For Research In Values And Philosophy. ISBN1-56518-137-9. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-09-07.
Algirdas Julien Greimas, "Of Gods and Men: Studies in Lithuanian Mythology", Indiana Univ. Press (November 1992)
Koženiauskienė, Regina. "Metaforinė ąžuolo kulto raiška lietuvių etnokultūroje: pagal žemaičių legendą "Baublys"" [Metaphorical expression of the oak cult in the Lithuanian ethnic culture: according to the Samogitian story "Baublys”]. In: Lituanistica 2012, Nr. 1, pp. 63–74. ISSN 0235-716X.
January 22, 2023
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This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources List of Lithuanian gods and mythological figures news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message The list of Lithuanian gods is reconstructed based on scarce written sources and late folklore Lithuania converted to Christianity in 1387 but elements of Lithuanian mythology survived into the 19th century The earliest written sources authored by foreigners and Christians only briefly mention the Lithuanian gods Beginning in the 16th century the pagan religion received more attention from authors but often their accounts were confused contradictory and heavily influenced by various religious agendas Collection and recording of folklore began in the 19th century by which time the pagan mythology had become fragmented and mixed with Christian traditions The cults of old deities transformed into folklore individual tales myths songs etc without associated rituals Because of such difficulties obtaining data there is no accepted list of Lithuanian gods Different authors present wildly contradictory reconstructions of the Lithuanian pantheon Contents 1 Names from folklore myths and legends 1 1 Gods and goddesses 1 2 Heroes and heroines 1 3 Local and nature spirits 1 4 Various lower beings 1 5 Demonic beings 1 6 Holy places and things 2 Names by written sources 2 1 Earliest Rus chronicles 2 2 Martynas Mazvydas 2 3 Maciej Stryjkowski 2 4 Jan Lasicki 2 5 Matthaus Pratorius 2 6 Theodor Narbutt 2 6 1 Male deities 2 6 2 Female deities 2 7 Other written sources 2 8 Other names 3 See also 4 References 5 Further readingNames from folklore myths and legends EditThis section includes the names of gods divine or demonic beings and other personages from Lithuanian myths legends folklore and fairy tales Gods and goddesses Edit Asvieniai the divine twins who pulled the chariot of the Sun the Vedic Ashwins Ausrine the Morning Star a goddess a daughter of the God dievaite She was the goddess of the morning Alternatively her name is given as Ausra dawn Ushas in Vedic religion Austaras Austra the god of the northeast wind who stands at the gates of paradise and lights the way for those going to paradise His function of shining this beacon makes him similar to Ausrine some consider him to be her cousin Bangputys the god of the seas and storms he is two faced like the Roman god Janus Dalia goddess of fate and weaving Deives Valdytojos Lithuanian Governing Goddesses were the goddesses who made garments from human s lives They were seven sisters Verpiancioji who spun the threads of life Metancioji who threw rims of life Audeja the weaver Gadintoja who broke the thread Sergetoja who scolded Gadintoja and instigated war between people Nukirpeja who cut the cloth of life and Isskalbeja the laundress They have similarities with the Greek Fates and the Norse Norns Deives Valdytojos were associated with Dalia and Laima Dievas God the supreme deity Dievas Senelis God Old Man a teacher of people and judge of their morality He looks like an old traveling beggar Dievas Senelis is proficient at magic and medicine Epithet of Dievas Gabija the foster of the Holy Fire a goddess a daughter of Dievas dievaite Laima goddess of Fate and pregnant women Menuo the Moon a son of Dievas dievaitis Perkunas the Thunder the main god dievaitis Parjanya Indra in Vedic religion Praamzius Praamzis Pramsans Pramzimas Praamzimas an epithet of Dievas the chief god probably of later literary origin 1 Saule the Sun Goddess Surya in Vedic religion Vakarine goddess of the Evening Star Vejopatis god of the wind and master of Dausos paradise Zemyna goddess the deified soil Thracian Zemele Zamin in Persian and Hindi for land Zvaigzdes singular zvaigzde stars Saule the sun is their mother and sometimes when defined as with the Moon as their father One of the most important stars is Ausrine Other stars Ausrine s sisters are less important but they sometimes appear in mythic stories too Especially notable ones are Vakarine or Vakare the evening Venus who makes the bed for Saule Indraja Jupiter Selija Saturn Ziezdre Mars and Vaivora Mercury Heroes and heroines Edit Pajauta the legendary princess of Kernave Jurate and Kastytis are heroes of a Lithuanian legend which subsequently became popular mostly because of its modern poetic interpretation by Maironis The queen of the amber palace Jurate may be considered a manifestation of the goddess of Sea in this legend Local and nature spirits Edit Ezerinis a spirit of lakes Javine a household goddess who protects grain in barns Jievaras a household spirit who protects grain Sacrifices to Jievaras are made after the rye harvest While cutting grain women would leave a few grain tufts uncut which would later be braided into plaits They would also leave some bread and salt under the plait and would say Davei manei Zemele duodame ir tau You gave for us Mother Earth we are giving for you too a request for the land to continue to be fruitful Kupole the spirit of springtime vegetation and flowers The Festival of Kupole Kupolines was associated with Feast of St John the Baptist Jonines In this festival women picked sacral herbs danced and sang songs Kupolines is also known as Rasos Compare this with Ziedu mate in Latvian mythology Kupala in Polish mythology and Ivan Kupala in Russian mythology Lauku dvasios spirits of fields spirits who were running through the fields When crops in the fields waved in the wind people saw them as being the actions of spirits Lauku dvasios include Nuogalis Kiskis hare Meska bear Lape fox Katinas tomcat Bubis Bubas Bube Baubas Babauzis Bobas Maumas bugaboo Raudongalvis red headed Raudongerklis red throated Zaliaakis green eyed Paplestakis Guda Dizikas Smauglys boa Ruginis spirit of rye Papioke Pypalas Zebris Arklys horse Vilkas wolf Upinis a spirit of riversVarious lower beings Edit Kaukas spirits similar to leprechauns Laume a fairy like female creature pixies Described as white and blue as the sky itself Good spirit very friendly with the Earth and Nature gods However if anyone tried to use them for personal gain their punishment would be severe Nykstukas gnomes Veles spirits of dead human beings Demonic beings Edit Aitvaras a household spirit bringing both good and bad luck Baubas an evil spirit with long lean arms wrinkly fingers and red eyes He harasses people and tears their hair or stifles them To children he is the equivalent of the boogeyman of the English speaking countries A misbehaving child could be told by the parents Behave or baubas will come and get you Also it could be described as a black and dark creature living under the carpet or in some dark spot of the house Giltine goddess of death also The Reaper Other names include Kaulinycia Maras black death or the Plague Maro mergos Kolera Pavietre Kapiniu zmogus 2 Her sacred bird is the owl Sometimes she was considered to be a sister of Laima luck Ragana a forest dwelling witch Slogutis means pain misery or nightmare Also can mean fear or bad feelings Pinciukas devil not the pure evil being of Christianity but a trickster Earlier dweller or even god of bogs and marshes Ziburinis a scary forest spirit that appears as a phosphorescent skeleton Holy places and things Edit Dausos or Dangus the home of good souls Dausos is on a high mountain Latvian Debeskalns or Norse Valhalla between two rivers There are golden apple trees in the Dausos garden Day in the garden is perpetual but outside its confines is perpetual night Master of Dausos is Vejopatis Lord of the wind or Vejas Wind who is also one of the oldest gods in Lithuanian mythology Vejas is identical to Vayu of Hinduism Austaras and Vejopatis are keepers of Dausos s gates Dausu Vartai While Austaras shows the way for good souls Vejas Vejopatis blows bad souls into oblivion Names by written sources EditEarliest Rus chronicles Edit Some names from Lithuanian mythology are also found in Kievan Rus chronicles of the 13th century These deities were secretly worshiped by King of Lithuania Mindaugas after his baptism Rus chronicles are considered the best source of information about the ancient Lithuanian pantheon worshiped by nobles and the military Sovijus in 13th century Rus chronicles was a person who introduced the pagan custom of burning bodies after death according to studies by Gintaras Beresnevicius Zvoruna Zvoruna was a euphemism for the hunting and forest goddess like Roman Diana Her name is connected with wild animals There was mentioned in chronicle that she is a bitch it means that her zoomorphic shape is female dog Medeina Medeine is another euphemism of the hunting and forest goddess Medeina also was mentioned in the 16th century by J Lasicki She was worshiped by King Mindaugas and represented military interest of warriors Teliavelis Televelis was a powerful smith who made the sun and threw it to the sky This myth survived in folk tales in the beginning of the 20th century Some scholars like K Buga tried to prove that Televelis is incorrectly written Kalvelis smith diminutive in Lithuanian Teliavelis has connections with Finnish Ilmarinen Andajus Andajas Andojas etc was mentioned in medieval chronicles as the supreme deity It may be euphemism for Dievas It is mentioned in chronicle that warriors invoke Andajus in battle Nonadievis Nunadievis etimologized by some scholars as Numadievis is an incorrectly written name of the supreme god or just another euphemism Perkunas was the god of thunder one of the most powerful deities Perkunas survived in popular belief and folk tales until the 20th century Diviriks is thought to be one of Perkunas euphemisms meaning leader of gods Martynas Mazvydas Edit Martynas Mazvydas in his Latin introduction to Catechismusa Prasty Szadei 1547 urged the people to abandon their pagan ways and mentioned the following gods 3 4 Perkunas Percuno god of thunder Laukosargas Laucosargus god of grains and other agricultural plants Zemepatis Semepates god of cattle and other farm animals Aitvaras and kaukas Eithuaros and Caucos evil spiritsMaciej Stryjkowski Edit Maciej Stryjkowski 1547 1593 Polish Lithuanian historian and author of Chronicle of Poland Lithuania Samogitia and all Russia In this work Stryjkowski provided two lists of gods one Old Prussian and another Lithuanian He listed 16 Lithuanian gods 5 Prakorimas Prokorimos the supreme deity Stryjkowski elaborated that people used to sacrifice white cocks to Prakorimas Their flesh was divided into three pieces one for peasants another for pagan priests Lithuanian zynys and a third for burning Stryjkowski pointed out that Prakorimas was similar to the Prussian supreme god Okopirmas Rugutis Ruguczis god of fermentation and fermented foods Zemininkas Ziemennik god of land and agriculture The cult of the zaltys grass snake is associated with the cult of Zemininkas Krumine Kruminie Pradziu Warpu deity of ears provider of crops Lietuvonis Lituwanis god of rain Kauriraris Chaurirari deity of war and warhorses The name etymology is unclear Vladimir Toporov suggested that it is derived from the Lithuanian word kaurai fur while Wilhelm Mannhardt argued it stems from karas war 6 Sutvaras Sotwaros god of all cattle Seimos dievas Seimi Dewos god of family Upinis dievas Upinis Dewos god of rivers Bubilas god of honey and bees Didis Lado Dzidzis Lado the great god Festivities songs and dances in his honor lasted from May 25 to June 25 There are doubts whether this represents an actual god 7 Gulbis Gulbi Dzievos the good spirit of every human guardian angel Ganiklis Goniglis Dziewos god of herds and shepherds Sventpaukstinis Swieczpunscynis god of all domesticated and wild birds People did not offer sacrifices to him as he was a free spirit Keliu dievas Kielu Dziewos god of roads trade and travel Pusaitis or Puskaitis Puszajtis deity of land dwelling in elder bushes and commanding chthonic dwarfs barstukas Jan Lasicki Edit Jan Lasicki Lasicius was a Polish Protestant activist He wrote a treatise on idolatry About the gods of Samogitians other Sarmatians and false Christians De diis Samagitarum caeterorumque Sarmatarum et falsorum Christianorum written ca 1582 and published in 1615 This 18 page treatise contained a lists of 76 Lithuanian gods with brief description of their functions Lasicki obtained most of his information from Laszkowski a Polish lesser noble who worked as a royal land surveyor The list contained very minor deities representing everyday household items Lasicki was also not intimately familiar with Lithuanian culture or language Therefore the academic opinion on the list ranges from a valuable resource to a practical joke designed to poke fun of Christian saints through an inverted mirror Deities mentioned by Jan Lasicki were 8 Aukstejas Auxtheias Vissagistis a euphemism for the supreme god Derived from the Lithuanian word aukstas high Zemepatis Zemopacios Perkunas Percunos god of thunder Audros god of storms Algis Ausra Ausca the morning star Venus Her other name was Ausrine Bezleja Bezlea Breksta Breksta goddess of twilight Also could be a euphemism for Vakare Ligycius Ligiczus Datanus Kirnis Kirnus local god of cherries Kremata god of hogs 9 Pyzius Pizio god of spouses Medeina Modeina et Ragaina goddess of forest and hunting Kerpycius and Silinytis Kierpiczus and Siliniczus gods of forest mosses and lichens Tavalas Tavvals deity of physical strength Gintaras Beresnevicius noted that this deity could be the same as medieval Teliavelis Orthus Ezerinis Ezernim spirit or deity of lakes Derived from ezeras lake Sidzius Simonaitis and Ventis Rekicionis Simonaitem Sidzium Ventis Rekicziouum spirits worshiped by individual noble families Karvaitis Ėraitinis Kurvvaiczin Eraiczin deity of calves and lambs 9 Gardunytis Gardunithis protector of newly born lambs 10 Prigirstytis Prigirstitis can hear whispers Derintojas Derfintos Bentis Laukpatis Lavukpatimo Priparsis Priparscis Ratainycia Ratainicza god of horses 6 Valgina Walgina god of cattle 9 Krikstas Kriksthos protector of tombstones 9 Apydeme Apidome deity of changed residence The name is also known from hand written collection of sermons from 1573 11 Kriukis Krukis deity of pigs Lazdona Lasdona goddess of hazelnuts Bubilas Babilos household god of bees husband of Austeja Zemyna Zemina goddess of land and agriculture Austeja Austheia household goddess of bees often presented as wife of Bubilas Deuoitis Vetustis Guboi and Tvverticos Veliuona Vielona goddess of death Warpulis Salaus no function recorded by Lasicki Sluotrazis Szlotrazis no function recorded by Lasicki The name is derived from sluota broom 12 Tiklis no function recorded by Lasicki Berzulis Birzulis no function recorded by Lasicki Based on etymology it could be a god of birches and birch sap Serycius Siriczus no function recorded by Lasicki The name is possibly derived from serti feed 12 Dvargantis Dvvargonth no function recorded by Lasicki Klamals no function recorded by Lasicki Atlaibas Atlaibos no function recorded by Lasicki Numeias Ublanycia Vblanicza patron of beggars 13 Dugnai spirit of flour Pesseias Trotytojas kibirksciu Tratitas Kirbixtu deity of spark fire Alabathis Polengabia Uzpelene Aspelenie Budintojas Budintaia Matergabiae Raugo Zemepatis Rauguzemapati deity of sourdough leaven and fermentation Luibegeldas Ziemennik Vaizgantas Waizganthos a god of flax Gabija Gabie goddess of household fire Smik smik per velena Smik Smik Perleuenu a phrase rather than a being Eziagalis Ezagulis god of death Aitvaras Aitvvaros Kaukas Kaukie Gyvate Giuoitos black snake see also zaltys Srutis and Miechutele deities of paint and color 12 Matthaus Pratorius Edit Deities mentioned by Matthaus Pratorius 1635 1704 were 12 Zalius Zallus god of disagreement Zelius Zelus god of grass Sulininis Szullinnijs god of wells Bangputys Vejopatis Bicbirbis Giltine Gota Jauciu Baubis Karvaitis Ėraitis Skalsa Birzulis Berzulis Prigirstytis Girystis Ligycius Lygejus Kelio dievas Kelukis Drebkulis and Magyla Prussian Lithuanian Gabjauja Gabvartas 14 Theodor Narbutt Edit Polish Lithuanian historian Theodor Narbutt wrote the ten volume work History of the Lithuanian Nation Dzieje starozytne narodu litewskiego between 1835 and 1841 The first volume contained a description of Lithuanian mythology However modern historians have accused Narbutt of falsifying historical facts and reporting speculations Thus some gods mentioned only by Narbutt and unknown from other sources are usually treated as inventions of the author Male deities Edit Praamzius Pramzimas highest god determines the fate of people world and other gods Ukapirmas Okkapirmas preceded time his feast is celebrated on December 25 Virsaitis Wirszajtos protected household domestic animals Narbutt claimed that he was equivalent to Auxtejas Wissagistis mentioned by Lasicki and to Roman Saturn Perkunas Perkunas thunder god Kovas Kawas god of war Ragutis god of beer vodka mead Santvaras or Sotvaras Sotwaros god of daylight poets doctors Atrimpas Atrimpos god of sea and water Gardaitis Gardeoldiis god of wind storm protector of ships Poklius Poklus god of death and underworld Kriukis Krugis god of smiths Ziemininkas Ziemienikas god of earth harvest and darkness Patelas Patelo flying god of air similar to an angel Sneibratas Sznejbrato god of birds and hunting Kibirai Kabiry a trinityFemale deities Edit Goddess Milda by Kazimierz Alchimowicz 1910 National Museum in Warsaw Praurime Praurime goddess of sacred fire she was served by vaidilutes Lada Lado the great goddess Rasos festival is dedicated to her Budte Budte goddess of wisdom Laima Lajma goddess of fate Pelenu Gabija Polengabia goddess of fireplaces Moteru Gabija Matergabia goddess of bread and bakery Perkunaitele Perkunatele wife of Perkunas Pilvyte Pilwite goddess of money riches and good luck Lietuva Liethua goddess of freedom pleasure joy Veliuona Wellona goddess of eternity afterlife Pergrube Pergrubie goddess of spring flowers gardens Milda goddess of love courtship Krumine Krumine goddess of grain agriculture Nijole Nijola mistress of the underworld wife of Poklius Alabatis goddess of flax Ausra Ausssra morning goddess Bezelea evening goddess Breksta Brekszta goddess of darkness and dreams Kruonis Kronis goddess of time Uzsparine Usparinia goddess of land borders Verpeja Werpeja weaver of the thread of life Gondu goddess of weddings Upine Upine goddess of rivers springs Ratainycia Ratajniczu goddess protecting horses Valgine Walgina goddess protecting domestic animals Luobo gelda Lajbegelda goddess of knowledge and rumors Meslu boba Mahslu baba goddess of garbage Budintoja spirit that wakes sleeping people Austeja Austheja goddess of bees Ragutiene Pati Ragutenapati wife of Ragutis Zemes Motina Zemmes mahti goddess of underground responsible for lost items Gaila Gajla spirit torturing people and animals Neris nymph of Neris River Dugne Dugna nymph of rivers Ragana goddess of trees Lazdona goddess of hazelnut Medziojna goddess of forests Pajauta worshiped woman daughter of Duke Kernius wife of Zivinbudas Birute Biruta worshiped woman wife of KestutisOther written sources Edit This section contains those names of Lithuanian and Prussian gods or other mythical beings that are mentioned in old treatises on history or philosophy sometimes accompanied by brief descriptions and which are known from a few independent sources or from their counterparts under different names in later collections of myths and tales Dimstipatis mentioned by Jokubas Lavinskis is a masculine deity genius loci It is a household god the guardian of houses and caretaker of the hearth People sacrificed roosters and black hens to the deity The birds were boiled later people would gather around the kettle and eat the birds The bones were burned Sometimes Dimstipatis is reconstructed as a god of housewives to whom pigs were sacrificed Dimstipatis was also seen as a power protecting from fires 3 Dirvolika Nosolus Jesuit reports from 1605 15 Pagirnis Jesuit reports from 1605 3 Baukuris Kraziu kolegijos 16 Velinas mentioned by Konstantinas Sirvydas 2 Javine Jawinne by Jacob Brodowski 15 Laima Daniel Klein in 1666 17 Other names Edit Names of figures that were more marginal in Lithuanian mythology or less known from existing sources are put here In fact they denote some spirits or local deities that do not play a main role in the mythology of Lithuanians Blizgulis a god of snow His name means He who sparkles Junda Goddess of War Baubis a household god of meat and cattle Divytis a god like hero of fishermen legends Fishermen at sea sang songs about Divytis Gardaitis a god a spirit of ships and sailors Jagaubis a household spirit of fire and the furnace Rasa Kupole s and Kaupolis daughter She is the goddess of summer s greenage and flowers Mokas a stone with an ability to teach people sometimes they are found in families with wife Mokiene and children MokiukasSee also EditProto Indo European mythology Indo European cosmogony Latvian mythology Lithuanian mythology Prussian mythology Romuva temple References Edit Praamzius Mitologijos enciklopedija vol 2 Vilnius Vaga 1999 291 p a b Balsys Rimantas 2005 Prusu ir lietuviu mirties pozemio mirusiuju dievybes nuo Patulo iki Kaulinycios PDF Lietuvininkai ir lietuviai Etnine kultura in Lithuanian IV 27 51 a b c Beresnevicius Gintaras 2006 12 16 Laukpatis ir Dimstipatis Lauko ir namu dievai Siaures Atenai in Lithuanian 825 ISSN 1392 7760 Adalbert Bezzenberger ed 1874 Litauische und Lettische Drucke des 16 Jahrhunderts Gottingen Robert Peppmuler p 3 Beresnevicius Gintaras August 2006 M Strijkovskio Kronikos lietuviu dievu sarasas 1 Metai in Lithuanian 8 9 89 ISSN 0134 3211 a b Balsys Rimantas 2006 Zirgu arkliu dievybes rasytiniuose saltiniuose Zemaiciu zeme in Lithuanian 3 17 19 ISSN 1392 2610 Balsys Rimantas 2006 Lada Didis Lado in Baltic and Slavic Written Sources Acta Baltico Slavica Archeologia Historia Ethnographia et Linguarum Scientia 30 597 609 ISSN 0065 1044 Archived from the original on 2011 07 18 Lasicki Jan 1868 1615 De diis samagitarum libellus in Latin Riga J Bacmeister pp 10 16 OCLC 60605501 a b c d Mitchel B W April 1919 The Early Centuries of Kultur The Classical Journal 7 14 421 Paulauskyte Terese 2004 08 21 Ka garbino zemaiciai XVI amziuje dievus ar demonus Siaures Atenai in Lithuanian 713 ISSN 1392 7760 Simas Suziedelis ed 1970 1978 Apydeme Encyclopedia Lituanica Vol I Boston Massachusetts Juozas Kapocius pp 113 114 LCC 74 114275 a b c d Balsys Rimantas 2007 Kai kurios Motiejaus Pretorijaus hipotezes ir ju interpretacijos XX a pabaigos XXI a pradzios mitologu darbuose PDF Res Humanitariae in Lithuanian I 76 94 ISSN 1822 7708 Archived from the original PDF on 2011 07 22 Razauskas Dainius 2009 12 04 Krosnis aukuras namu sventove Siaures Atenai in Lithuanian 967 ISSN 1392 7760 Aidai www aidai us Retrieved 9 April 2018 a b Ona Verseckiene ed 2004 Namu dievai Baltiskieji namu dievai Lietuviu etnine kultura Namai etnineje kulturoje in Lithuanian Elektronines leidybos namai ISBN 9955 606 04 5 Zinkus Simas Suziedelis ed 1970 1978 Laima Encyclopedia Lituanica Vol III Boston Massachusetts Juozas Kapocius pp 269 270 LCC 74 114275 Further reading EditLithuanian Religion and Mythology by Gintaras Beresnevicius Jurate Baranova et al eds 2001 Chapter iv Lithuanian mythology by Gintaras Beresnevicius Lithuanian philosophy persons and ideas Lithuanian philosophical studies ii Cultural heritage and contemporary change series IVa Eastern and Central Europe volume 17 The Council For Research In Values And Philosophy ISBN 1 56518 137 9 Archived from the original on 2007 09 28 Retrieved 2007 09 07 Gintaras Beresnevicius on periodisation and Gods in Lithuanian mythology 1 Algirdas Julien Greimas Of Gods and Men Studies in Lithuanian Mythology Indiana Univ Press November 1992 Kozeniauskiene Regina Metaforine azuolo kulto raiska lietuviu etnokulturoje pagal zemaiciu legenda Baublys Metaphorical expression of the oak cult in the Lithuanian ethnic culture according to the Samogitian story Baublys In Lituanistica 2012 Nr 1 pp 63 74 ISSN 0235 716X Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title List of Lithuanian gods and mythological figures amp oldid 1107246922, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
