Lithuanian mythology is an example of pagan mythology containing archaic elements. Paganism (from Latin paganus) and Heathenry are catch-all terms which have come to connote a broad set of spiritual/religious beliefs and practices of a natural religion, as opposed to the Abrahamic religions. ... ...

History of scholarship

Although the pre-Christian religion in Lithuania died out much later than in any other European country, actual information on Lithuanian mythology is scattered and late. Interest in it has increased since the beginning of the 19th century, when the narrative material began to be collected. However, at this time the majority of Lithuanian-speaking Lithuanians had already ceased to live according to the beliefs and doctrines of their earlier religion, and story-tellers could not explain their meaning more adequately and precisely. Without these explanations, the folk tales and songs collected by scholars seemed to some mythologists and historians to be more the raw material out of which a mythology or a heroic epos might be composed than the mythology itself. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... POS or PoS is an acronym for point-of-sale (or point of service or point of purchase). ...

Because of this view, many scholars preferred to write their own reconstructions of Lithuanian mythology, based also on historical, archaeological, and ethnographic data. The first such reconstruction was written by the Polish-speaking Lithuanian historian Theodor Narbutt at the beginning of the 19th century. Two well-known attempts at reconstruction have been attempted more recently by Marija Gimbutas and Algirdas Julien Greimas. This method of reconstruction is thorny, and none of the attempts has been satisfactory. Teodor Narbutt (November 8, 1784, Szawrach, Hrodna Province, Belarus – November 27, 1864, Vilnius, Lithuania) was a lithuanian historian, best known for his multi-volume work, History of Lithuania. ... Marija Gimbutas (Vilnius, Lithuania January 23, 1921 – Los Angeles February 2, 1994) researched the Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures of Old Europe, a term she introduced, in works published between 1946 and 1971, that opened new views by combining traditional spadework, linguistics and mythology. ... Algirdas Julius Greimas, or Algirdas Julien Greimas (born March 9, 1917 in Tula, died 1992 in Paris), was a linguist who contributed to the theory of semiotics, and also researched Lithuanian mythology. ...

The two biggest difficulties in this process are, first, the fact that Lithuanian mythology wasn't static, but constantly developed, so that it didn't remain in the same form over the longer periods usually treated by mythologists. Secondly, Slavic mythology, which in general concepts seems very different from its Lithuanian and Latvian counterparts, had a certain influence on people's thought, which affected the ethnographic data, and thus the judgments of scholars who made use of such data.

Thus, the first reconstructions and descriptions of Lithuanian mythology offer a far from true description of their subject, being little more than a patchwork of arbitrarily selected details from Lithuanian and Belarusian mythologies. The account offered by Narbutt, and ideas raised by Adam Mickiewicz (for example, in his play Dziady) are among these, but mythologists since the second half of the 19th century have become more accurate, as a result of their knowledge of contemporary linguistic research which shows the structural differences between Lithuanian and Slavic languages. A portrait of Adam Mickiewicz Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (December 24, 1798 – November 26, 1855) was one of the most well-known Polish poets and writers, considered the greatest Polish poet besides Zygmunt Krasiński and Juliusz Słowacki. ... Dziady for the poem of Adam Mickiewicz. ...

Reconstructions of the mythology

According to Marija Gimbutas, the initial structure of Lithuanian mythology was based on a matriarchal system of goddesses representing various pieces of the natural world, e.g., earth, sky, moon, water, air, etc. Later developments took on a patriarchal format, many of the female goddesses losing their power and significance. Marija Gimbutas (Vilnius, Lithuania January 23, 1921 – Los Angeles February 2, 1994) researched the Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures of Old Europe, a term she introduced, in works published between 1946 and 1971, that opened new views by combining traditional spadework, linguistics and mythology. ... A matriarchy is a tradition (and by extension a form of government) in which community power lies with the eldest mother of a community. ... Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture A goddess is a female deity, in contrast with a male deity known as a god. A great many cultures have goddesses, sometimes alone, but more often as part of a larger pantheon that includes both of the conventional genders and in some cases... A patriarch (from Greek: patria means father; arché means rule, beginning, origin) is a male head of an extended family exercising autocratic authority, or, by extension, a member of the ruling class or government of a society controlled by senior men. ...

Relations with other mythological systems

Lithuanian mythology is perhaps closest to Latvian mythology, and according to the prevalent point of view, Lithuanians shared the same myths and basic features of their religion with the Old Prussians. On the other hand, individual elements have much in common with other mythological systems, and especially with those of neighbouring cultures. Latvian mythology as being Baltic mythology is very close to Lithuanian mythology Latvian mythology is based primarily off collections of folklore and song texts. ... The Prussian people, or (old) Prussians, were indo-European Balts inhabiting the area around the Curonian and Vistula Lagoons (i. ...

The periods of Lithuanian mythology

Pre-Christian mythology is known mainly through speculation and reconstruction, although the existence of some mythological elements, known from later sources, has been confirmed by archaeological findings.

The next period of Lithuanian mythology started in the 15th century, and lasted 'til approximately the middle of the 17th century. The myths of this period are mostly heroic, concerning the founding of the state of Lithuania. Perhaps two the best known stories are those of the dream of the Grand Duke Gediminas and the founding of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, and of Šventaragis, which also concerns the history of Vilnius. Many stories of this kind reflect actual historical events. In general, these myths are coloured by patriotism. (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... Gediminas, duke of Lithuania - engraving of XVII ct. ... The Three Crosses monument in Vilnius. ...

The third period began with the growing influence of Christianity and the activity of the Jesuits, roughly since the end of the 16th century. The earlier confrontational approach to the pre-Christian Lithuanian heritage among common people was abandoned, and attempts were made to use popular beliefs in missionary activities. This also led to the inclusion of Christian elements in mythic stories. (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ...

The last period of Lithuanian mythology began in the 19th century, when the importance of the old cultural heritage was admitted, not only by the upper classes, but by the nation more widely. The mythical stories of this period are mostly reflections of the earlier myths, considered not as being true, but as the encoded experiences of the past. They concentrated on moral problems, and on an heroic vision of the past, rather than on individual heroes, who very often even lacked proper names, being referred to as "a duke", "the ruler of the castle", etc. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The elements of Lithuanian mythology

God and nature

Stories, songs, and legends of this kind describe laws of nature and such natural processes as the change of seasons of the year, their connections with each other and with the existence of human beings. Nature is often described in terms of the human family; in one central example (found in many songs and stories), the sun is called the mother, the moon the father, and stars the sisters of human beings.

Inner heroism

Lithuanian myths often reveal the inner heroism of a human being, symbolising this inner being in terms of various feats in the mystic lands on the opposite side of the Earth, or in the sky of the South polar regions, commonly describing these places as "The Land over All the Seas" and "The Cosmic Underwater Kingdom", respectively.

The god of morality

Myths that talk about problems of morality are the simplest, and are close to popular fables common to all European nations. The main idea in these stories is that god often visits people to guide them in moral questions, but people aren't able to recognise him. According to these stories, a human should listen to his inner voice of harmony and justice, in order to act morally in the presence of god, for people don't know when and under what circumstances they are under his gaze. Some scholars stress the mixed Christian and pre-Christian character of these stories.

List of Lithuanian Gods

Names from myths and legends

This section includes the names of gods, divine or demonic beings, and other personages from Lithuanian myths, legends, folklore, and fairy-tales. Folklore is the body of narratives, including tales, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs current among a particular population, comprising the oral tradition of that culture, subculture, or group. ...

Gods and god-like beings

• Dievas, God
• Aušrinė, the Morning Star, a daughter of God ("dievaitė")
• Ašvieniai
• Dalia
• Gabija, the foster of the Holy Fire, a daughter of God ("dievaitė")
• Jūratė
• Kalvelis
• Laima, goddess of Fate and Luck
• Mėnulis, the Moon, a son of God ("dievaitis")
• Perkūnas, the Thunder, a son of God ("dievaitis")
• Saulė, the Sun
• Vakarinė
• Žemyna, goddess of the Earth
• Deivės Valdytojos, rulling goddess
• Žvaigždės (žvaigždė, in singular), the Stars

This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... AuÅ¡rinÄ— is the Morning Star (Venus) in Lithuanian, feminine deity in Lithuanian mythology. ... The letter A is the first (1st) letter in the Latin alphabet. ... In Lithuanian mythology, Dalia is the goddess of weirding and doom. ... Gabija in Lithuanian mythology is also known as Gabėta, Ramutė, Ugnija, Peleno Deivė and Ugnis. ... In Latvian mythology and Lithuanian mythology, Laima (luck; also Laime, Laimas māte) was the personification of fate and of luck, both good and bad. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Žemyna, in the Lithuanian mythology is the goddess of the earth. ... ŽvaigždÄ—s in Lithuanian mythology are stars. ... The word singular may refer to one of several concepts. ...

Heroes

• Pajauta, the legendary princess of Kernavė

Birds eye view of KernavÄ— KernavÄ— is a tourist and archeological resort in southeast Lithuania, and was once the medieval capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. ...

Genii loci

• Ežerinis
• Upinis
• Žiburinis

Ežerinis in Lithuanian mythology was a god or a spirit of a lake. ...

Nature spirits

• Aušra, the dawn
• Austrinis, the northwest wind
• Bangpūtys
• Javinė
• Jievaras
• Kupolė
• Laukų dvasios

AuÅ¡ra, in Lithuanian, literally means sunrise. ... Austrinis (Austra) is the northeast wind in Lithuanian folk tales, who stands at the paradise gates and shines the way for those going to paradise. ... Bangpūtys is a name of a masculine deity in Lithuanian mythology. ... Javinė is a feminine name, perhaps of a deity, in Lithuanian mythology. ... Jievaras, in Lithuanian mythology, was a sacrifice to the deity of yield. ... Kupolė in Lithuanian mythology is the goddess of springtime vegetation and flowers. ... Laukų dvasios (spirits of fields) in Lithuanian mythology were spirits, who were running through the fields. ...

Various lower beings

• kaukai (kaukas, in singular), sprites similar to trolls.
• Laumės (laumė, in singular), feminine fairies (pixies).
• nykštukai (nykštukas, in singular), gnomes.
• Vėlės (vėlė, in singular), spirits of dead human beings.

The word singular may refer to one of several concepts. ... Trolls with an abducted princess (John Bauer, 1915) A troll is a fearsome member of a mythical anthropomorph race from Scandinavian folklore. ... Laumė in Lithuanian mythology is a lower spirit, nymph or fairy. ... The word singular may refer to one of several concepts. ... by Sophie Anderson A fairy is a spirit (supernatural being) found in the legends, folklore, and mythology of many cultures. ... Pixies are mythical creatures of English folklore, considered to be particularly concentrated in the areas around Devon and Cornwall. ... The word singular may refer to one of several concepts. ... The GNOME project is an international effort to create an easy-to-use computer desktop environment built entirely from software considered free by the Free Software Foundation. ... The word singular may refer to one of several concepts. ... The English word spirit comes from the Latin spiritus, meaning breath. ...

Demonic beings

• aitvarai (aitvaras, in singular)
• baubai (baubas, in singular)
• Giltinė
• raganos (ragana, in singular)
• slogučiai (slogutis, in singular)
• velniai (velnias, in singular)

Aitvaras is a household spirit in Lithuanian mythology. ... The word singular may refer to one of several concepts. ... Baubas in Lithuanian mythology is bad spirit. ... The word singular may refer to one of several concepts. ... In Lithuanian mythology, GiltinÄ— is the goddess of death. ... The word singular may refer to one of several concepts. ... The word singular may refer to one of several concepts. ... The word singular may refer to one of several concepts. ...

Holy places and things

• Dangus
• Dausos

Dausos in Lithuanian mythology is lodgment of good souls. ...

Actual names from older sources

This section contains those names of Lithuanian 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.

Gods and god-like beings

• Aušautas (a Prussian name)
• Aušlavis (a Prussian name)
• Praamžius
• Indraja
• Patrimpas (a Prussian name)
• Patulas (a Prussian name)
• Pergrubrijus (a Prussian name)
• Sėlija
• Vaivora
• Žiezdrė
• Žvaigždikis (a Prussian name)

Aušautas is the god of health and medicine in Prussian and Western Lithuanian mythology. ... Aušlavis is the opposing deity of Aušautas in Prussian and Western Lithuanian mythology. ... In Lithuanian mythology, Indraja is the goddess of Jupiter. ... In ancient Lithuanian mythology, Patrimpas is the god of spring. ...

Genii loci

• Dimstipatis
• Laukpatis
• Lauksargis
• Medeina

Dimstipatis is a masculine deity in Lithuanian mythology. ... Laukpatis is a name of a masculine deity in Lithuanian mythology. ... Lauksargis is a name of a masculine deity in Lithuanian mythology, perhaps identical to Laukpatis. ...

Nature spirits

• Puškaitis
• Raugupatis
• Žemėpatis
• Vėjopatis

Vėjopatis in Lithuanian and Prussian mythology is god of winds. ...

Unconfirmed names

These are names of gods and other mythical beings that are known from one source only, having no relevant description which allows them to be identified with elements of later myths. Names that were supposed by the authors of older treatises to be the names of Lithuanian gods are also included.

Theodor Narbutt's reconstruction

The historian Theodor Narbutt wrote The History of Lithuanian Nation (Dzieje starożytne narodu litewskiego, ten volumes, 1835–1841), of which the first volume contained a description of Lithuanian mythology. However Narbutt was accused by later historians not only of adopting too speculative an approach, but also of some falsifications. Thus, statements by this author not confirmed by other sources are considered by many scholars to be dubious. On the other hand, there are admirers of Narbutt's ideas who argue that he could have had his own sources, unknown to us. Teodor Narbutt (November 8, 1784, Szawrach, Hrodna Province, Belarus – November 27, 1864, Vilnius, Lithuania) was a lithuanian historian, best known for his multi-volume work, History of Lithuania. ... 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... take you to calendar). ...

The following list comprises those names of gods that are known only from Narbutt:

• Butė
• Diedievaitė
• Dirvolira
• Gaila
• Kovas
• Milda, goddesss of Love
• Nijolė
• Praurimė
• Ragutis

Categories: Wikipedia cleanup | Stub ... Diedievaitė is a feminine name, perhaps of a deity, in Lithuanian mythology. ... Dirvolira is a feminine name, perhaps of a deity, in Lithuanian mythology. ... Gaila is a feminine name, perhaps of a deity, in Lithuanian mythology. ... (In mythology) Kovas is a name of a masculine deity in Lithuanian mythology. ... Milda is the Lithuanian goddess of love and of freedom. ...

Jan Łasicki's lists

A Polish protestant activist of the 16th century, Jan Łasicki wrote a treatise on idolatry in Eastern Europe, where not only vestigial Lithuanian pagans but also contemporary Catholics are described as idolaters. This treatise, About gods of Samogitians, other Sarmatians, and false Christians (De diis Samagitarum caeterorumque Sarmatarum et falsorum Christianorum, 1615), contains a few lists of gods (including Catholic saints), with brief descriptions of every item. However, Łasicki's descriptions were criticised by almost all later scholars as being irrelevant and biased (e.g., he gave as the names of gods words that obviously mean inanimate things, and should have been described at most as sacred utensils). Idolatry is a term used by many religions to describe the worship of a false deity, which is an affront to their understanding of divinity. ... Events June 2 - First Récollet missionaries arrive at Quebec City, from Rouen, France. ...

Lists by Jan Łasicki also include names of mythical creatures that aren't mentioned in any other independent sources.

• Austėja
• Beržulis
• Blizgulis
• Breksta
• Dvargantis
• Gabjauja
• Ganiklis
• Gondas
• Gardaitis
• Jagaubis
• Karvaitis
• Keliukis
• Kerpyčius
• Kirnis
• Kriukis
• Krugis
• Lazdona
• Pagirnis
• Pyzius
• Silinytis (Šilinytis)
• Sritis
• Vaižgantas
• Veliuona

AustÄ—ja is a goddess of bees in Lithuanian mythology. ... Beržulis (Biržulis) is a masculine name, perhaps of a deity, in Lithuanian mythology. ... Blizgulis is a masculine name, perhaps of a deity, in Lithuanian mythology. ... Breksta - deity of twilight in Lithuanian mythology, protects night-time from sunset to sunrise. ... Dvargantis is a masculine name, perhaps of a deity, in Lithuanian mythology. ... Gabjauja is a feminine name, perhaps of a deity, in Lithuanian mythology. ... Ganiklis is a masculine name, perhaps of a deity, in Lithuanian mythology. ... Gondas is a masculine name, perhaps of a deity, in Lithuanian mythology. ... Gardaitis in Lithuanian mythology was god of the winds, storms and sea. ... Jagaubis is a masculine name, perhaps of a deity, in Lithuanian mythology. ... Karvaitis is a masculine name, perhaps of a deity, in Lithuanian mythology. ... Keliukis is a masculine name, perhaps of a deity, in Lithuanian mythology. ... Kerpyčius is a masculine name, perhaps of a deity, in Lithuanian mythology. ... Kirnis is a masculine name, perhaps of a deity, in Lithuanian mythology. ... Kriukis is a masculine name, perhaps of a deity, in Lithuanian mythology. ... Krugis is a masculine name, perhaps of a deity, in Lithuanian mythology. ... Pagirnis in Lithuanian mythology was a mythic being, perhaps a deity, connected with a cult of grass-snakes. ...

Maciej Strijkowski's list

• Karorius
• Krūminė

Karorius is a masculine name, perhaps of a deity, in Lithuanian mythology. ... Krūminė is a feminine name, perhaps of a deity, in Lithuanian mythology. ...

Russian chronicles

Some names from Lithuanian mythology are also found in Russian chronicles of the 13th and 14th centuries. These names have minimal or no comments, and it's thus difficult to be sure as to what kind of beings are being named in each case:

• Sovijus
• Žvoruna

See also

• List of Lithuanian household gods
• List of Lithuanian sky deities
• List of Lithuanian war deities
• Romuva
• Tree of the world

Austėja Aitvaras Baubis Beržulis Bubilas Dimstipatis Dirvolira Dvargantis Gabija Gabjauja Ganiklis Jagaubis Javinė Jievaras Karvaitis Kirnis Kerpyčius Krugis Krūminė Laukpatis Lauksargis Pagirnis Patrimpas Pergrubrijus Ragutis Raugupatis Šilinytis Vaižgantas Žaltys Žemėpatis ... Andajas AuÅ¡ra (dawn) AuÅ¡rinÄ— AÅ¡vieniai AuÅ¡taras Dangus (sky) DeivÄ—s valdytojos Dievas (god) GiltinÄ— (the Reaper) Indraja Jievaras KaupolÄ— Laima LaimÄ— (luck) Maro deivÄ—s (goddess of plague) MÄ—nulÄ— MÄ—nulis (moon) Mitinis Kalvis (mythic smith) Pažarinis PergubrÄ— PerkÅ«nas (thunder) Praamžius Pu... This is a list of Lithuanian war dieties. ... Romuva is a revival of pre-Christian Lithuanian religion. ... In certain Indo-European religions there was a belief in a world tree, such as Yggdrasil, in Norse mythology, an Oak in Slavic mythology and in Hinduism, a banyan tree. ...

External links and sources

• Ancient Lithuanian Mythology and Religion — abstract of Prane Dunduliene's book
• "Senoves lietuviu mitologija ir religija" (translated into English as "Ancient Lithuanian Mythology and Religion")