Baltic mythology
Encyclopedia
Baltic mythology generally covers the pre-Christian mythology
of the Latvians, Lithuanians and Old Prussians
, which are thought to have at least some common roots.
The predominant common feature is the polytheism
with a variety of mythical creatures and a strong presence of the deceased. Research has uncovered close relationships with the pre-Christian myths of other Indo-European peoples
, especially with the Slavs Germanic
and Celts.
Both Latvia and Lithuania have state-recognized traditional religious communities with roots in the pre-Christian traditions. Various texts are sources of Baltic mythological folklore. These are largely collected and fixed in writing, but still little explored in comparison with the greater religious communities.
In Latvia, there are very numerous, especially the Daina
. A Daina consists mostly of four rows, each row eight, rarely five or six, has syllables. The most important collection of such folksongs are "Latvju dainas" of Krišjānis Barons
. Because of their quantity (approximately 2 million) and variety they show a very detailed and comprehensive picture of the nature-loving life, archaic ideas, customs and festivals of the Latvian tribes. The Lithuanian Dainos are much longer, and they also have ballad-like elements.
Other sources in both the Latvian and Lithuanian are in fairy tales, myths and legends, also place names and religious terms, revealed by etymological
analysis. Tacitus
wrote around 45 CE that the Baltic peoples worship the mother of the gods and use as a symbol of their cult statues of boars. Older possible sources do not clearly delineate whether it is indeed the Baltic tribes which are referenced.
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
of the Latvians, Lithuanians and Old Prussians
Old Prussians
The Old Prussians or Baltic Prussians were an ethnic group, autochthonous Baltic tribes that inhabited Prussia, the lands of the southeastern Baltic Sea in the area around the Vistula and Curonian Lagoons...
, which are thought to have at least some common roots.
The predominant common feature is the polytheism
Polytheism
Polytheism is the belief of multiple deities also usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own mythologies and rituals....
with a variety of mythical creatures and a strong presence of the deceased. Research has uncovered close relationships with the pre-Christian myths of other Indo-European peoples
Indo-European
Indo-European may refer to:* Indo-European languages** Aryan race, a 19th century and early 20th century term for those peoples who are the native speakers of Indo-European languages...
, especially with the Slavs Germanic
Germanic
Germanic may refer to* The Germanic languages, descended from Proto-Germanic.* The Germanic peoples**List of Germanic peoples**List of confederations of Germanic tribes* German people* Germanic mythology...
and Celts.
Both Latvia and Lithuania have state-recognized traditional religious communities with roots in the pre-Christian traditions. Various texts are sources of Baltic mythological folklore. These are largely collected and fixed in writing, but still little explored in comparison with the greater religious communities.
In Latvia, there are very numerous, especially the Daina
Daina
A daina is a traditional form of music or poetry from Latvia. Lithuanian dainas share common traits. Latvian dainas often feature pre-Christian themes and legends, drone vocal styles and Baltic zithers ....
. A Daina consists mostly of four rows, each row eight, rarely five or six, has syllables. The most important collection of such folksongs are "Latvju dainas" of Krišjānis Barons
Krišjanis Barons
Krišjānis Barons is known as the "father of the dainas" thanks largely to his systematization of the Latvian folk songs and his labour in preparing their texts for publication in Latvju dainas. His portrait appears on the 100-lat banknote, the only human face of a living person on modern Latvian...
. Because of their quantity (approximately 2 million) and variety they show a very detailed and comprehensive picture of the nature-loving life, archaic ideas, customs and festivals of the Latvian tribes. The Lithuanian Dainos are much longer, and they also have ballad-like elements.
Other sources in both the Latvian and Lithuanian are in fairy tales, myths and legends, also place names and religious terms, revealed by etymological
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
analysis. Tacitus
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
wrote around 45 CE that the Baltic peoples worship the mother of the gods and use as a symbol of their cult statues of boars. Older possible sources do not clearly delineate whether it is indeed the Baltic tribes which are referenced.
See also
- Latvian mythologyLatvian mythologyLatvian culture, along with Lithuanian, is among the oldest surviving Indo-European cultures. Much of its symbolism is ancient. Its seasons, festivals, and numerous deities reflect the essential agrarian nature of Latvian tribal life...
- Lithuanian mythologyLithuanian mythologyLithuanian mythology is an example of Baltic mythology, developed by Lithuanians throughout the centuries.-History of scholarship:Surviving information about Baltic paganism in general is very sketchy and incomplete. As with most ancient Indo-European cultures Lithuanian mythology is an example of...
- Prussian mythologyPrussian mythologyThe Prussian mythology was a polytheistic religion of the Old Prussians, indigenous peoples of Prussia before the Prussian Crusade waged by the Teutonic Knights. It was closely related to other Baltic faiths, the Lithuanian and Latvian mythologies. Its myths and legends did not survive as Prussians...
- Slavic mythologySlavic mythologySlavic mythology is the mythological aspect of the polytheistic religion that was practised by the Slavs before Christianisation.The religion possesses many common traits with other religions descended from the Proto-Indo-European religion....