Prussian mythology
Part of Baltic religion |
|
The Prussian mythology was a
Historical background and sources
The
Affected by the
Simon Grunau (died ca. 1530) is much-criticized for using dubious and falsified sources and often augmenting facts with his own imagination. Modern scholars often dismiss the chronicle as a work of fiction, though Lithuanian researchers tend to be more careful and attempt to find its redeeming qualities. The work is responsible for the introduction and popularization of several major legends: 6th-century King
Various later authors simply copied information from Grunau and the Sudovian Book adding no or very little new information.
Prussian pantheon
Early lists
The 1249 Treaty of Christburg mentioned Curche, an idol worshiped during harvest festivals. Scholars were unable to positively determine its gender, function, or etymology. Various suggested functions include god of food (Simon Grunau), smithing god (similar to Slavic Svarog and Greek Hephaestus), god creator (derived from related Lithuanian word kurti – to create), god of harvest and grain, evil spirit, god of fire. Some even doubted whether it was a god at all and suggested that it was a name given to a corn dolly.
Another reliable source is a 1418 memorandum (Collato Episcopi Varmiensis) written by
In addition to the trinity of Peckols, Potrimpo, and Perkūnas, Grunau mentioned three minor gods: Wurschayto or Borszkayto and Szwaybrotto were personifications of Widewuto and Bruteno, and Curcho was god of food (borrowed from the Treaty of Christburg).
Sudovian Book and Constitutiones Synodales
Constitutiones lists ten Prussian deities and also provides their classical Roman equivalents. Note that none of these are goddesses and furthermore that Curche is missing from the list. This list is closely mirrored in the Sudovian Book.
Constitutiones Synodales[2] | Sudovian Book[4] | Function[4] | Roman equivalent[2] |
---|---|---|---|
Occopirmus | Ockopirmus | Chief sky god | Saturnus |
Suaixtix | Becker | God of light | Sol |
Ausschauts | Auschauts | God of the sick | Aesculapius
|
Autrympus | Autrimpus | God of seas | Castor |
Potrympus | Potrimpus | God of running water | Pollux |
Bardoyas | Bardoayts | God of ships | Neptune |
Pergrubrius | God of plants | ||
Piluuytus | Pilnitis | God of abundance | Ceres |
Parcuns | Parkuns | God of thunder | Jupiter
|
Pecols and Pocols | Peckols and Pockols | God of hell, evil spirit | Furies
|
Puschkayts | God of earth | ||
Barstucke and Markopole | Servants of Puschkayts |
Suaixtix
Suaixtix (alternate spelling: Suaixtis, Swaystix, Schwaytestix, Swaikticks, Sweigtigx, Szweigsdukks)
On the other hand, Roman Zaroff, still aligned with the interpretation as god of light, postulates that he might have been a solar deity, based on ethnographical and folkloric data of the other Baltic languages.[15]
Footnotes
- ^ His name is registered in Lithuanian as svaistikas or Svaikstikas 'illuminator'.[6][7] However, scholar Marija Gimbutas supposed that his nomenclature in modern Lithuanian would have been Žvaigždys, from žvaigždē 'star'.[8]
- ^ One historical source even remarked on this etymological connection: "denn Sweigsde ein Stern heisset" ["Then 'Sweigsde' means 'a star'."][13]
References
- ISSN 0235-716X.
- ^ ISBN 963-9116-42-4.
- ISBN 963-9116-42-4.
- ^ ISSN 1392-737X.
- ^ Mikhailov, N. "Das “gemischte” slawisch-baltische Pantheon von Christian Knauthe". In: Res Balticae Nr. 01, 1995. p. 128.
- ^ Brückner, Alexander. "Osteuropäische Götternamen. Ein Beitrag Zur Vergleichenden Mythologie". In: Zeitschrift Für Vergleichende Sprachforschung Auf Dem Gebiete Der Indogermanischen Sprachen 50, no. 3/4 (1922): 164-165. Accessed June 25, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40847373.
- ^ Lietuvių mitologija. T. 3. Sudarė N. Vėlius ir G. Beresnevičius. Vilnius: Mintis, 2004. p. 353.
- ^ Gimbutas, Marija. "The Ancient Religion of the Balts". In: Lituanus 4 [1962]: 108.
- ISBN 978-80-7277-505-7.
- ^ Mikhailov, N. "Das “gemischte” slawisch-baltische Pantheon von Christian Knauthe". In: Res Balticae Nr. 01, 1995. p. 128.
- ^ Ivanov, V. V. "The Baltic god of light and the Balto-Slavic word for star". In: Res Balticae, Nr. 02, 1996. p. 135.
- ISBN 978-80-7277-505-7.
- ^ Mikhailov, N. "Das “gemischte” slawisch-baltische Pantheon von Christian Knauthe". In: Res Balticae Nr. 01, 1995. pp. 128-129.
- ^ Ivanov, V. V. "The Baltic god of light and the Balto-Slavic word for star". In: Res Balticae, Nr. 02, 1996. p. 135.
- ^ Zaroff, Roman. "Some aspects of pre-Christian Baltic religion". In: New researches on the religion and mythology of the Pagan Slavs. Edited by Patrice Lajoye. Paris: Lingva, 2019. pp. 195-196.
Bibliography
- General overview
- Mikhailov, N. "Das “gemischte” slawisch-baltische Pantheon von Christian Knauthe". In: Res Balticae Nr. 01, 1995. pp. 115-139.
- Zaroff, Roman. "Some aspects of pre-Christian Baltic religion". In: New researches on the religion and mythology of the Pagan Slavs. Edited by Patrice Lajoye. Paris: Lingva, 2019. pp. 183-219.
- Studies on the deities
- Ivanov, V. V. "The Baltic god of light and the Balto-Slavic word for star". In: Res Balticae, Nr. 02, 1996. pp. 135-149.
Further reading
- General overview
- Balsys, Rimantas. "Lietuvių ir prūsų dievų atvaizdai rašytinių šaltinių duomenimis [Images of Lithuanian and Prussian Gods in accordance with the data of written sources]. In: Lituanistica, 2012, t. 58, Nr. 1 (87), pp. 75–88. ISSN 0235-716X.
- Balsys, Rimantas. "Paganism of Prussian: Sacred Caste Tulissones, Ligaschones". In: Вісник Львівського університету. Серія історична, Випуск 52, 2016, pp. 72–92.
- Kaukienė, Audronė. "Bendrieji lietuvių ir prūsų žodžiai" [Common Lithuanian and Prussian words]. In: Tiltai. Priedas. 2004, Nr. 24, pp. 64-76. ISSN 1648-3979.
- Kregždys, Rolandas (2019a). "On the origin of the mythonyms OPruss. Worskaito / Borsskayto (S. Grunau) // Yatv. Wourschkaite (Yatvigian Book)". Komunikaty Mazursko-Warmińskie. 4 (306). Olsztyn: Archiwum Państwowe w Olsztynie: 780–807. S2CID 235031026.
- Kregždys, Rolandas. Baltų mitologemų etimologijos žodynas II: Sūduvių knygelė [Etymological Dictionary of Baltic Mythologemes II: Yatvigian Book]. Vilnius: Lietuvos kultūros tyrimų institutas, 2020. ISBN 978-609-8231-18-2.
- Miltakis, Egidijus. "Prūsų tikėjimas XVI a. Simono Grünau kronikos duomenimis" [Prussian faith in the 16th century, based on Simon Grunau's chronicle's data]. In: Tai, kas išlieka. Sudarė Elvyra Usačiovaitė. Senovės baltų kultūra ; t. 8. Vilnius: Kultūros, filosofijos ir meno institutas, 2009. pp. 82-100.
- Studies on the deities
- Balsys, Rimantas. "Prūsų ir lietuvių mirties (požemio, mirusiųjų) dievybės: nuo Patulo iki Kaulinyčios" [PRUSSIAN AND LITHUANIAN DEITIES OF DEATH (OF THE UNDERWORLD, OF THE DEAD): FROM PATULAS TO KAULINYČIA]. In: Lietuviai ir lietuvininkai. Etninė kultūra IV. Tiltai, 2005, priedas Nr. 29. pp. 27–58.
- Kregždys, Rolandas (2015). "Baltų mitonimų kilmė: vak. bl. Pargrubi(j)us (G[r]ubrium, Pergrubrius ir kt.); lie. maselis" [Origin of the Baltic Mythonyms: West Balt. Pargrubi(j)us (G[r]ubrium, Pergrubrius, etc.), Lith. maselis]. Acta Linguistica Lithuanica (73): 9–37.
- Kregždys, Rolandas (2018). "Etymological Analysis of the Mythonyms Swayxtix and Auschauts". Baltu Filoloģija. 27 (1/2). Rīga: Latvijas Universitāte: 13–73. ISSN 1691-0036.
- Kregždys, Rolandas. ""Sūduvių knygelės" etnomitologinė faktografija: mitonimų Potrimpus (↔ Autrimpus [← Natrimpus]), Pilnitis, Parkuns, Peckols, Pockols etimologinė raida ir semantinė transformacija" [Factographic motifs of the "Yatvigian Book": etymological analysis and transformation of the semantic value of the mythonyms Potrimpus (↔ Autrimpus [← Natrimpus]), Pilnitis, Parkuns, Peckols and Pockols]. In: Baltu filoloģija. 2019, t. 28, nr. 2, p. 35-106.
- Kregždys, Rolandas (2019b). "Etymological Analysis and Transformation of the Semantic Value of the Mythonym Ockopirmus". Annales Universitatis Mariae Curie-Skłodowska. Sectio FF – Philologiae. 37 (1). Lublin: Uniwersytet Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej: 209–221. S2CID 240731338.