Birutė
Birutė | |
---|---|
Grand Duchess of Lithuania | |
Born | c. 1330 near Palanga |
Died | 1382 |
Burial | Palanga |
Spouse | Kęstutis |
Issue | Vytautas Sigismund Kęstutaitis Danutė of Lithuania |
Birutė (died 1382) was the second wife of
Life
Marriage
She was probably born near
Historian S.C. Rowell suggests that a marriage to a pagan duchess rather than to an Orthodox duchess from Slavic lands helped to win pagan Lithuanian support after Kęstutis and his brother Algirdas deposed Jaunutis in 1345.[13]
Death
The circumstances surrounding Birutė's death are not entirely clear. Between 1381 and 1382 her husband Kęstutis waged a war against his nephew
Legend has it that she was buried in Palanga at the bottom of the hill named in her honor.[19]
Worship
A cult around Birutė developed and remained strong long after her death. She was considered to be a goddess or the pagan equivalent of a saint by the local people. In 1989 archaeologists found evidence of a pagan sanctuary and observatory, which had existed on the top of Birutė Hill in the late 14th or early 15th century. It was likely built in Birutė's honor. There are many accounts of people praying to Birutė, asking her to bestow good health or fortune upon them. To discourage people from worshiping pagan gods and Birutė's grave, a chapel for Saint George was built on the top of the hill in 1506. In 1869 the chapel was re-built and survives to this day. It is a popular destination for tourists.
Birutė Hill is the highest dune at the seaside resort of Palanga on the
Eponym
- Asteroid 212977 Birutė
Notes
- ^ Gudavičius, Edvardas. "Birutė". Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ISBN 978-615-5211-07-2.
- ISBN 978-9986-509-51-6.
- ISBN 978-1-107-65876-9.
- ISBN 978-0-19-256814-4.
- ISBN 978-0-295-80489-7.
- ISBN 978-0-929700-25-0.
- ISBN 978-9986-509-51-6.
- ^ Davies, Ellen Chivers (1937). A Wayfarer in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. R.M. McBride.
- ^ a b Koncius, Joseph B. (1964). Vytautas the Great: Grand Duke of Lithuania. Franklin Press.
- ^ Akstinas, Bronius (1978). Glimpses of Lithuania. Mintis.
- ISBN 978-5-420-01256-7.
- ISSN 0198-9405.
- ISBN 978-1-78438-358-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-256814-4.
- ^ Bindokienė, Danutė (1998). Lietuvių papročiai ir tradicijos išeivijoje. Pasaulio lietuvių bendruomenė.
- ISBN 978-5-415-01629-7.
- ^ a b Jurgėla, Constantine Rudyard (1948). History of the Lithuanian Nation. Lithuanian Cultural Institute, Historical Research Sect.
- ISBN 978-9986-509-51-6.
References
- History: Birutė Archived 2016-10-17 at the Wayback Machine, from "Encyclopedia Lituanica," II, Boston, 1972, pages 361–362, Palanga Botanical Park, Lithuanian Art Museum. Accessed May 24, 2006.
- (in Lithuanian) Vykintas Vaitkevičius, Rašytiniai Šaltiniai apie Birutės Kalną Archived 2007-03-11 at the Wayback Machine, Palanga Botanical Park, Lithuanian Art Museum. Accessed May 24, 2006.
- (in Lithuanian) Dr. Libertas Klimka Birutės kalnas Archived 2006-12-15 at the Wayback Machine, Palanga Botanical Park, Lithuanian Art Museum. Accessed May 24, 2006.
- (in Lithuanian) Vladas Žulkus, Palangos priešistorė ir viduramžiai archeologo akimis Archived 2007-02-24 at the Wayback Machine, part II, from Palangos istorija, Klaipėda: Libra Memelensis, 1999, Palanga Botanical Park, Lithuanian Art Museum. Accessed May 24, 2006.
- (in Lithuanian) Inga Deidulė, Vytauto Didžiojo įvaizdžio genezės mįslė, - "ieškokite moterų", Birutės kultas, Vartiklis. Accessed May 24, 2006.