Double naming of gods because (perhaps) the real names of the gods were not to be announced - they were "taboo" and in the history of religion this is not uncommon. The real name of the god could be announced only on very exclusive occasions or else never uttered at all because of respect or of fear to bring the proximity of deity. This could be supported by the many names of other known gods in Lithuanian folklore and their number. This is Perkūnas named Dundulis, Bruzgulis, Dievaitis, Grumutis etc. Velnias - kipšas, pinčiukas, vokietukas etc.
- Giltinė – goddess of death, also The Reaper. Other
Double naming of gods because (perhaps) the real names of the gods were not to be announced - they were "taboo" and in the history of religion this is not uncommon. The real name of the god could be announced only on very exclusive occasions or else never uttered at all because of respect or of fear to bring the proximity of deity. This could be supported by the many names of other known gods in Lithuanian folklore and their number. This is Perkūnas named Dundulis, Bruzgulis, Dievaitis, Grumutis etc. Velnias - kipšas, pinčiukas, vokietukas etc.
- 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).
Laima and her sisters, Kārta and Dēkla, were a trinity of fate deities, and often confused with Laimė (good fortune) and Laumė (fairy).
Giltinė (gelti – to sting) – goddess of death. Her main duty was to watch people and kill them when their time came. She is a sister of Laime, goddess of birth.
The earliest accounts to survive record that people believed that the goddess of death was the owl that betokens death, blaze and other disasters with her dreadful hooting. They called her Mėnulė (Moon) or Mėnulio deivė (Moon goddess) as she reigned during night-time and was the bird of darkness. Thus the ancient people also respected owls as they thought them to be sacred and regarded them as birds of wisdom.
Thus the owl became the primary image of Giltinė. In time she evolved into a human-looking deity. Since then the goddess has been portrayed as a tall skinny woman with blue skin and white; hair, eyelashes and eyebrows. She has long thin arms and a long poisonous tongue which she uses to kill people. Giltinė covers her eerie appearance with a white cloak and collects her poison from corpses. During daytime she sometimes turns into an ordinary old woman.
There is historical commentary regarding the signs that could tell about Giltinė‘s coming and warn you about someone’s death. Amongst which are howling dogs, mewing cats, neighing horses, owls, crows, jackdaws, magpies, hens, bees. If people noticed a cuckoo (Giltinė’s sister’s bird) flying around or a white dog running from the cemetery it could tell that Giltinė is near as well. Cracking doors, ceiling, walls and balks were among common signs too.
Giltinė had her helpers Maro deivės (goddesses of plague). Wearing all white and riding horses they spread plague in various towns and are often pictured as beastly women. Others are called pamėklės – white female ghosts. They brought various things like skulls, hair, horns, antlers, etc. on a high hill and set them on fire. Which way the smoke goes to shows where the plague will begin. During it pamėklės walk from house to house and hit them from the outside. The number of hits tells the number of plague victims. Sometimes they call people by names from what they die instantly. Pamėklės often travel in carriages.
I got curious one night, and I did Google myself. All the search results I found were wrong, except for this 1 site that had EVERYTHING about me.
When I typed my name into TruthFinder, it was a completely different story! It showed my social media accounts, contact details and more - and it was all accurate!
I was SHOCKED how much of my information came up! I can't say I loved it either :-/
I did see a few other sites doing something similar, but TruthFinder was the easiest and gave the most accurate information. I was able to search for nearly anyone in the United States by name, phone number, a
I got curious one night, and I did Google myself. All the search results I found were wrong, except for this 1 site that had EVERYTHING about me.
When I typed my name into TruthFinder, it was a completely different story! It showed my social media accounts, contact details and more - and it was all accurate!
I was SHOCKED how much of my information came up! I can't say I loved it either :-/
I did see a few other sites doing something similar, but TruthFinder was the easiest and gave the most accurate information. I was able to search for nearly anyone in the United States by name, phone number, address, email address.
What did TruthFinder show?
- Full Name, Address, Phone Number
- Age and DOB
- Arrest Records
- Dating Profiles, Social Media, & More!
Who knew the deep web had so much for anyone to see!?!?
Giltinė - the personification of death definitely exists in fairy tales and folklore. For example it is mentioned in the fairy tale recorded by Vincas Basanavičius:
It should be noted, that in Lithuanian folklore the personified death is described as a female being and is related to the white color. Among other colors, black is also significant in the image of death. In Lithuanian countryside, these changes of color are more readily observed in clothing of mourners, yet this is a rather late phenomenon, originating already in the 20th century. Whereas in folk
Giltinė - the personification of death definitely exists in fairy tales and folklore. For example it is mentioned in the fairy tale recorded by Vincas Basanavičius:
It should be noted, that in Lithuanian folklore the personified death is described as a female being and is related to the white color. Among other colors, black is also significant in the image of death. In Lithuanian countryside, these changes of color are more readily observed in clothing of mourners, yet this is a rather late phenomenon, originating already in the 20th century. Whereas in folk narratives the personified death is rarely characterized by black color, while such connection is practically absent in phraseology. In folk belief legends, the death personification (giltinė) is most frequently an elderly woman. Another tendency could also be noted, namely, that of depicting death as a being of the same age as the dying person. This is particularly prominent in belief legends describing children’s death, whereas in folktales the age of death personification is hardly ever emphasized. Death in Lithuanian folklore is rarely presented as a male being, while sometimes it can assume an animal shape. Another question worth special attention is that of the number of beings accompanying death. In folktales and in the majority of belief legends, which straightforwardly notify of the identity of the encountered mythical being, it appears alone. This is probably the most typical way for Lithuanian tradition. Still, in those belief legends that only implicitly allude to the relations of the acting beings with the sphere of death, yet the names of those beings may not necessarily be mentioned, they tend to appear in groups. Besides, giltinė is mentioned in plural form in Lithuanian phraseology, e.g. in figurative comparisons and expletives. In this case such form may be used to enhance the suggestiveness of the comparison or the “impact” of the curse.
http://www.llti.lt/failai/09%20Racenaites.pdf
God of the Underworld
Velnias was the god f the underworld and the protector of the dead. In historical sources, he is also associated with agriculture, hunting, trade and crafts. Depending on the story he participates with Dievas (god of the skies) as an antagonist or as an assistant in the creation of the earth. Velnias protected the fertility and bounty of the earth and animals.
The partial trans
God of the Underworld
Velnias was the god f the underworld and the protector of the dead. In historical sources, he is also associated with agriculture, hunting, trade and crafts. Depending on the story he participates with Dievas (god of the skies) as an antagonist or as an assistant in the creation of the earth. Velnias protected the fertility and bounty of the earth and animals.
The partial transformation of Velnias t the antipodes of God, that is to the Devil or Satan, took place after the introduction of Christianity. Velnias in folklore is often associated with the Christian devil and is a popular character within folktales. He appears in the shape of various animals, birds and reptiles. His relationship with people is often complicated. Sometimes he seeks the friendship of people, love or help. Sometimes he helps them in various ways: protects them from wrong-doers, builds houses, bridges and help them to till their land.
He can also harm people, mock them, misleads them, tempts them to commit sin, and try to seduce them.
In pre-Christian mythology, Velnias was the guardian of the dead. He was a patron of animals and protected the herdsmen and shepherds. In Lithuanian mythology, the deities are celestial beings and according to the myth, Velnias was created to be the Gods (Dievas) double on earth, which is why his kingdom was in the underworld and everything there was the opposite to what happened on earth.
Veliona the Queen
Vel...
Although the story is widely known today as the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea, this was not the case in antiquity.
The most complete version of the story is found in Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses’, but he actually never mentions the statue’s name. Rather, Ovid’s story is a continuation of another myth; that of the Propoitides.
The Propoitides were a group of women living in Amathus, a city on the south coast of Cyprus, home to a famous temple of Aphrodite. (This is why in some later versions of the story, Pygmalion was named as the king of Cyprus.) The Propoitides denied Aphrodite as their goddess. Beca
Although the story is widely known today as the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea, this was not the case in antiquity.
The most complete version of the story is found in Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses’, but he actually never mentions the statue’s name. Rather, Ovid’s story is a continuation of another myth; that of the Propoitides.
The Propoitides were a group of women living in Amathus, a city on the south coast of Cyprus, home to a famous temple of Aphrodite. (This is why in some later versions of the story, Pygmalion was named as the king of Cyprus.) The Propoitides denied Aphrodite as their goddess. Because of the goddess' divine anger, they became public prostitutes and, as they lost their sense of shame, turned into stone.
Post Ovid, other authors give the name ‘Aphrodite’ to the actual statue. But only post-classical sources use the name Galatea, where the first mention appears in Jean-Jacques Rousseau's dramatic work ‘Pygmalion’ (1770):
The ‘scène lyrique’ Pygmalion by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) was written in 1762 and first performed in 1770, at the city hall of Lyon (above).
Goethe meanwhile called the statue ‘Elise’, based upon the variants in the story of Dido/Elissa. And in G B Shaw’s ‘Pygmalion’, a modern variant of the myth, the working-class flower-girl is name Eliza.
So while Pygmalion’s statue of Galatea may have been based on Aphrodite, the name ‘Galatea’ is actually a later addition to the story.
On December 13th Saulė pauses her return and dances with her daughters. She also dances on Velykos (Easter) and Rasa (Summer Solstice). According to some of the myths, Saulė was married to Mėnulis (the moon) but divorced him because of his infidelity with their daughter Aušrinė. In the moment of anger, Saulė scratched his face and this is why the moon only shows one side of him to the earth. Saul
On December 13th Saulė pauses her return and dances with her daughters. She also dances on Velykos (Easter) and Rasa (Summer Solstice). According to some of the myths, Saulė was married to Mėnulis (the moon) but divorced him because of his infidelity with their daughter Aušrinė. In the moment of anger, Saulė scratched his face and this is why the moon only shows one side of him to the earth. Saulė is also connected to the magical blacksmith god Kalvis. It was told that Kalvis created the sun and placed her into the heavens. This story is very common among Finno-Baltic cultures and can also be found in Finnish, Estonian and Latvian folk tales. The worship of Saulė lea...
Memorial candles called grauduliné were burned to symbolize Perkūnas in different rituals. The sacred day of Perkūnas was Thursday. The connection between Perkūnas and Thursday probably was inspired by Germanic myths. The image of the thunder god shares similar features across the world. In his human form, Perkūnas was described to be an angry man with a copper beard, carrying an axe or a bolt of lightning. Perkūnas had a dual role. He was the god of order and at the same time, he was a god that ruled chaos. He had the ability to create harmony and shatter it. A two-headed axe was the symbol o
Memorial candles called grauduliné were burned to symbolize Perkūnas in different rituals. The sacred day of Perkūnas was Thursday. The connection between Perkūnas and Thursday probably was inspired by Germanic myths. The image of the thunder god shares similar features across the world. In his human form, Perkūnas was described to be an angry man with a copper beard, carrying an axe or a bolt of lightning. Perkūnas had a dual role. He was the god of order and at the same time, he was a god that ruled chaos. He had the ability to create harmony and shatter it. A two-headed axe was the symbol of that. It depicted his creative abilities and his destructive powers. In folktales, Perkūnas is described as a god who fights against evil powers. There are many stories where he pursues Velnias the god of the dead. Perkūnas had many holidays throughout the year. Perkūnas Day Perkūnas grauduliné (Candle-mass) on the second of February, Pelenija (Mardi Grass), Joré the first bloom (Easter), June 24th the fire of Perkūnas and 29th of June Perkūnas Day.
I know a few myths and legends of the Caucasus peoples, but not many. The main reason I don’t have more is you don’t often see books of them on sale. I was lucky to find the one that I do have.
Unfortunately, book shops - much like most other kinds of shops these days - can only make a living by stocking the things that sell well, and where mythology is concerned, that mostly means Greek, Roman, Irish, Welsh or English folklore, and occasionally Arabic if you count the Arabian Nights.
If I don’t see something on the shelves, I have to deliberately research what’s available. You might say that th
I know a few myths and legends of the Caucasus peoples, but not many. The main reason I don’t have more is you don’t often see books of them on sale. I was lucky to find the one that I do have.
Unfortunately, book shops - much like most other kinds of shops these days - can only make a living by stocking the things that sell well, and where mythology is concerned, that mostly means Greek, Roman, Irish, Welsh or English folklore, and occasionally Arabic if you count the Arabian Nights.
If I don’t see something on the shelves, I have to deliberately research what’s available. You might say that there’s not as much ‘passing trade’ for other mythologies.
Lauku Dvasios are known to be the spirits of the fields. It was believed that they ran through the fields in order to provide the crops with all the necessary requirements.
They are believed to exist according to the religious beliefs of Lithunian people.
According to the popular beliefs, when the crops in the fields waved, people saw them as actions of these spirits.
Lauku Dvasios include:
- Nuogalis
- Meska
- Vilkas
- Guda
- Ruginis
- Papiokė
- Dizikas
- Bobas
Have you heard about these spirits of the fields ?
Image credits - Tumblr
Lauku Dvasios are known to be the spirits of the fields. It was believed that they ran through the fields in order to provide the crops with all the necessary requirements.
They are believed to exist according to the religious beliefs of Lithunian people.
According to the popular beliefs, when the crops in the fields waved, people saw them as actions of these spirits.
Lauku Dvasios include:
- Nuogalis
- Meska
- Vilkas
- Guda
- Ruginis
- Papiokė
- Dizikas
- Bobas
Have you heard about these spirits of the fields ?
Image credits - Tumblr
The original myth is the Greek one: Pygmalion was the King of Cyprus. He once had in his possession a statue of Goddess Aphrodite and amazed by the dazzling beauty of it, he asked Goddess to give him a woman as beautiful as the statue. Aphrodite, flattered by his admiration, brought the statue to life. They gave her the name Galatea, after the name of the most beautiful Nereid and Pygmalion married her and their son was named Paphos, the founder of the City of Paphos.
This myth is described by (pseudo) Apollodōrus in his “Bibliotheca”.
Ovidius in “Metamorphōses” changed the myth. According to Ov
The original myth is the Greek one: Pygmalion was the King of Cyprus. He once had in his possession a statue of Goddess Aphrodite and amazed by the dazzling beauty of it, he asked Goddess to give him a woman as beautiful as the statue. Aphrodite, flattered by his admiration, brought the statue to life. They gave her the name Galatea, after the name of the most beautiful Nereid and Pygmalion married her and their son was named Paphos, the founder of the City of Paphos.
This myth is described by (pseudo) Apollodōrus in his “Bibliotheca”.
Ovidius in “Metamorphōses” changed the myth. According to Ovidius Pygmalion was a sculptor who sculpted the statue of the most beautiful woman and fell in love with it. Then Aphrodite brought to life the statue and the woman was named Galatea.
Perkūnas is believed to be the god of thunder according to the mythological values of people of Lithuania. He is considered to be the enemy of Velnias.
He is considered to be a major deity and is known as Pērkons in Lativa, Parkuns in Yotvingian and as Parkele is Finnish mythology.
He is considered as the commander of all the deities and is also considered to be the warrior god of the sky. He also appears in the story of Jūratė and Kastytis.
According to many myths, he is known to be married to goddess Lauma, who was kidnapped by Velnias, a baltic demon which lead to the development of a rivalry
Perkūnas is believed to be the god of thunder according to the mythological values of people of Lithuania. He is considered to be the enemy of Velnias.
He is considered to be a major deity and is known as Pērkons in Lativa, Parkuns in Yotvingian and as Parkele is Finnish mythology.
He is considered as the commander of all the deities and is also considered to be the warrior god of the sky. He also appears in the story of Jūratė and Kastytis.
According to many myths, he is known to be married to goddess Lauma, who was kidnapped by Velnias, a baltic demon which lead to the development of a rivalry between the two.
Have you heard about this Lithuanian god of thunder and sky ?
Image credits - Google images
Maybe the most important book released on this topic was compilation of sources about baltic mythology called ,,Baltų Religijos ir Mitologijos Šaltiniai’’ (Sources Of Baltic Religion And Mythology, compiled by: Norbertas Vėlius). It covers majority of sources that were related to baltic mythology until XVIII c. I only have first oneIt covers the period from the ancient times until XV c. Most of the time sources are presented in their original language with the translation to lithuanian below. Introduction is written in lithuanian, english and german.
First volume (out of four):
Maybe the most important book released on this topic was compilation of sources about baltic mythology called ,,Baltų Religijos ir Mitologijos Šaltiniai’’ (Sources Of Baltic Religion And Mythology, compiled by: Norbertas Vėlius). It covers majority of sources that were related to baltic mythology until XVIII c. I only have first oneIt covers the period from the ancient times until XV c. Most of the time sources are presented in their original language with the translation to lithuanian below. Introduction is written in lithuanian, english and german.
First volume (out of four):
Probably because Ruthenian was the main language in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania during this period.
Statute of Lithuania, originaly written in Ruthenian language, 1588
Probably because Ruthenian was the main language in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania during this period.
Statute of Lithuania, originaly written in Ruthenian language, 1588
I have found a reference to Adrastea, ‘a nymph who took care of the infant Zeus’ in the index to Edith Hamilton’s Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes, but it has no page number assigned to it, so there’s no source material that I can see.
This Wiki entry has no sources: Adrestia - Wikipedia . . . This Adrestia sounds quite different from Adreastea the nymph.
Another web entry - Adrestia - is not too helpful, either, other than reinforcing her image as a war goddess.
Here’s a little more: Why is Adrestia considered the goddess of revenge?
Sorry I cannot find any specific tales that relate
I have found a reference to Adrastea, ‘a nymph who took care of the infant Zeus’ in the index to Edith Hamilton’s Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes, but it has no page number assigned to it, so there’s no source material that I can see.
This Wiki entry has no sources: Adrestia - Wikipedia . . . This Adrestia sounds quite different from Adreastea the nymph.
Another web entry - Adrestia - is not too helpful, either, other than reinforcing her image as a war goddess.
Here’s a little more: Why is Adrestia considered the goddess of revenge?
Sorry I cannot find any specific tales that relate to Adrestia or Adrastea. Perhaps someone who specializes in this area can.
No, there is no surviving legend connecting aurochs (tauras in Lithuanian) with Kaunas. It was just wild, strong and noble beast, hunting of which was reserved for royals and such. The animal became extinct when the last individual died in 1627.
Lithuanian mythology is best preserved in national songs. There are more than 400 000 songs stored in the Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore.
Sutartinės (multipart songs) examples:
Lithuanian pagan gods, I expect. What else would they believe in. My only wonder is why Quora doesn't have a ‘this is a stupid question filter.’ We might not have to respond to as many dimwits.
Where do I start?
I’m a huge financial nerd, and have spent an embarrassing amount of time talking to people about their money habits.
Here are the biggest mistakes people are making and how to fix them:
Not having a separate high interest savings account
Having a separate account allows you to see the results of all your hard work and keep your money separate so you're less tempted to spend it.
Plus with rates above 5.00%, the interest you can earn compared to most banks really adds up.
Here is a list of the top savings accounts available today. Deposit $5 before moving on because this is one of th
Where do I start?
I’m a huge financial nerd, and have spent an embarrassing amount of time talking to people about their money habits.
Here are the biggest mistakes people are making and how to fix them:
Not having a separate high interest savings account
Having a separate account allows you to see the results of all your hard work and keep your money separate so you're less tempted to spend it.
Plus with rates above 5.00%, the interest you can earn compared to most banks really adds up.
Here is a list of the top savings accounts available today. Deposit $5 before moving on because this is one of the biggest mistakes and easiest ones to fix.
Overpaying on car insurance
You’ve heard it a million times before, but the average American family still overspends by $417/year on car insurance.
If you’ve been with the same insurer for years, chances are you are one of them.
Pull up Coverage.com, a free site that will compare prices for you, answer the questions on the page, and it will show you how much you could be saving.
That’s it. You’ll likely be saving a bunch of money. Here’s a link to give it a try.
Consistently being in debt
If you’ve got $10K+ in debt (credit cards…medical bills…anything really) you could use a debt relief program and potentially reduce by over 20%.
Here’s how to see if you qualify:
Head over to this Debt Relief comparison website here, then simply answer the questions to see if you qualify.
It’s as simple as that. You’ll likely end up paying less than you owed before and you could be debt free in as little as 2 years.
Missing out on free money to invest
It’s no secret that millionaires love investing, but for the rest of us, it can seem out of reach.
Times have changed. There are a number of investing platforms that will give you a bonus to open an account and get started. All you have to do is open the account and invest at least $25, and you could get up to $1000 in bonus.
Pretty sweet deal right? Here is a link to some of the best options.
Having bad credit
A low credit score can come back to bite you in so many ways in the future.
From that next rental application to getting approved for any type of loan or credit card, if you have a bad history with credit, the good news is you can fix it.
Head over to BankRate.com and answer a few questions to see if you qualify. It only takes a few minutes and could save you from a major upset down the line.
How to get started
Hope this helps! Here are the links to get started:
Have a separate savings account
Stop overpaying for car insurance
Finally get out of debt
Start investing with a free bonus
Fix your credit
Ovid, Metamorphoses, book ten. You should also give a listen to the beautiful reworking of story by the band Yes (yes, yes, I know they can be pompous and pretentious at their worst, but this is Yes at their best). Here is a link to their 1977 song “Turn of the Century”, with lyrics:
Other languages were used for state affairs, such as Latin (for correspondence with Western powers) and Old Church Slavonic (for internal records, as many of scribes were Slavic).
Not sure if this is what you are looking for but Bangpūtys - Wikipedia was one of my favourites. Oh also might be might my fascination of the sea but Neringa (not at all related to it being my wife’s name)
I could give you a brief explanation about a couple of entities but I believe that wikipedia will do the job more thoroughly:
List of Lithuanian mythological figures - Wikipedia
Here you can read about the gods, heroes, nature spirits and all other sorts of beings.
because ritual dancing is a form of offering
Hi, I found a source pretty simply! Maybe use different search words.
Otherwise, here. :)!
Only what’s in the Lexikon der abendländische Mythologie (Lexicon of Western Mythology) in my library.
Here are some links that mention Adrestia :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrestia
https://www.scribd.com/document/386197035/adrestia
https://www.revolvy.com/page/Adrasteia
Official texts were in Ruthenian Slavonic or Latin or German in the Grand Duchy, which covered most of South and West Rus. Lithuanian was mainly spoken in Aukstaitia and Zemaitija, and Polish became the dominating official language later in the commonwealth.