Earliest Rus' chronicles Some names from Lithuanian mythology are also found in
Kievan Rus' chronicles of the 13th century. These deities were secretly worshiped by
King of Lithuania Mindaugas after his baptism. Rus' chronicles are considered the best source of information about the ancient Lithuanian pantheon worshiped by nobles and the military. •
Sovijus in 13th-century Rus' chronicles was a person who introduced the pagan custom of burning bodies after death, according to studies by
Gintaras Beresnevičius. •
Žvoruna (Zvoruna) was a
euphemism for the hunting and forest goddess like Roman
Diana. Her name is connected with wild animals. There was mentioned in chronicle that she is a bitch, it means that her
zoomorphic shape is female dog. •
Medeina (Medeinė) is another euphemism of the hunting and forest goddess. Medeina also was mentioned in the 16th century by J. Lasicki. She was worshiped by King Mindaugas and represented military interest of warriors. •
Teliavelis (Televelis) was a powerful smith who made the sun and threw it to the sky. This myth survived in folk tales in the beginning of the 20th century. Some scholars, like
K. Būga, tried to prove that Televelis is incorrectly written Kalvelis (smith diminutive in Lithuanian). Teliavelis has connections with Finnish
Ilmarinen. •
Andajus (Andajas, Andojas, etc.) was mentioned in medieval chronicles as the supreme deity. It may be euphemism for
Dievas. It is mentioned in chronicle that warriors invoke Andajus in battle. •
Nonadievis (Nunadievis; etimologized by some scholars as Numadievis) is an incorrectly written name of the supreme god or just another euphemism. •
Perkūnas was the god of thunder, one of the most powerful deities. Perkūnas survived in popular belief and folk tales until the 20th century. •
Diviriks is thought to be one of Perkūnas' euphemisms, meaning "leader of gods".
Martynas Mažvydas Martynas Mažvydas in his Latin introduction to
Catechismusa Prasty Szadei (1547) urged the people to abandon their pagan ways and mentioned the following gods: •
Perkūnas (Percuno) – god of thunder •
Laukosargas (Laucosargus) – god of grains and other agricultural plants •
Žemėpatis (Semepates) – god of cattle and other farm animals •
Aitvaras and
kaukas (Eithuaros and Caucos) – evil spirits
Maciej Stryjkowski Maciej Stryjkowski (1547–1593) –
Polish–Lithuanian historian and author of
Chronicle of Poland, Lithuania, Samogitia and all Russia. In this work, Stryjkowski provided two lists of gods, one
Old Prussian and another Lithuanian. He listed 16 Lithuanian gods: •
Prakorimas (Prokorimos) – the supreme deity. Stryjkowski elaborated that people used to sacrifice white cocks to Prakorimas. Their flesh was divided into three pieces: one for peasants, another for pagan priests (Lithuanian:
žynys), and a third for burning. Stryjkowski pointed out that Prakorimas was similar to the Prussian supreme god
Okopirmas. •
Rūgutis (Ruguczis) – god of fermentation and fermented foods •
Žemininkas (Ziemennik) – god of land and agriculture. The cult of the
žaltys (grass snake) is associated with the cult of Žemininkas. •
Krūminė (Kruminie Pradziu Warpu) – deity of
ears, provider of crops •
Lietuvonis (Lituwanis) – god of rain •
Kauriraris (Chaurirari) – deity of war and warhorses. The name etymology is unclear.
Vladimir Toporov suggested that it is derived from the Lithuanian word
kaurai (fur), while
Wilhelm Mannhardt argued it stems from
karas (war). •
Gulbis (Gulbi Dzievos) – the good spirit of every human, guardian angel •
Ganiklis (Goniglis Dziewos) – god of herds and shepherds •
Šventpaukštinis (Swieczpunscynis) – god of all domesticated and wild birds. People did not offer sacrifices to him as he was a free spirit. •
Kelių dievas (Kielu Dziewos) – god of roads, trade and travel •
Pušaitis or
Puškaitis (Puszajtis) – deity of land, dwelling in
elder bushes and commanding
chthonic dwarfs (
barstukas)
Jan Łasicki Jan Łasicki (Lasicius) was a Polish Protestant activist. He wrote a treatise on
idolatry About the gods of Samogitians, other Sarmatians, and false Christians (
De diis Samagitarum caeterorumque Sarmatarum et falsorum Christianorum, written ca. 1582 and published in 1615). This 18-page treatise contained a lists of 76 Lithuanian gods with brief description of their functions. Łasicki obtained most of his information from Łaszkowski, a
Polish lesser noble who worked as a royal land surveyor. The list contained very minor deities, representing everyday household items. Łasicki was also not intimately familiar with Lithuanian culture or language. Therefore, the academic opinion on the list ranges from a valuable resource to a practical joke designed to poke fun of
Christian saints through an inverted mirror. Deities mentioned by Jan Łasicki were: •
Aukštėjas (Auxtheias Vissagistis) – a
euphemism for the supreme god. Derived from the Lithuanian word
aukštas (high). •
Žemėpatis (Zemopacios) •
Perkūnas (Percunos) – god of thunder •
Audros – god of storms •
Algis •
Aušra (Ausca) – the morning star (
Venus). Her other name was
Aušrinė. •
Bežlėja (Bezlea) •
Brėkšta (Breksta) – goddess of twilight. Also could be a euphemism for
Vakarė. •
Ligyčius (Ligiczus) •
Datanus •
Kirnis (Kirnus) – local god of cherries •
Kremata – god of hogs •
Prigirstytis (Prigirstitis) – can hear whispers •
Derintojas (Derfintos) •
Bentis •
Laukpatis (Lavukpatimo) •
Priparšis (Priparscis) •
Ratainyčia (Ratainicza) – god of horses •
Valgina (Walgina) – god of cattle •
Kriukis (Krukis) – deity of pigs •
Lazdona (Lasdona) – goddess of
hazelnuts •
Bubilas (Babilos) – household god of
bees, husband of Austėja •
Žemyna (Zemina) – goddess of land and agriculture •
Austėja (Austheia) – household goddess of bees, often presented as wife of Bubilas •
Deuoitis •
Vetustis •
Guboi and
Tvverticos •
Veliuona (Vielona) – goddess of death •
Warpulis •
Salaus – no function recorded by Łasicki. •
Šluotražis (Szlotrazis) – no function recorded by Łasicki. The name is derived from
šluota (broom). •
Dugnai – spirit of flour •
Pesseias •
Trotytojas kibirkščių (Tratitas Kirbixtu) – deity of spark, fire •
Alabathis •
Polengabia •
Užpelenė (Aspelenie) •
Budintojas (Budintaia) •
Matergabiae •
Raugo Žemėpatis (Rauguzemapati) – deity of sourdough, leaven and fermentation •
Luibegeldas •
Ziemennik •
Vaižgantas (Waizganthos) – a god of flax •
Gabija (Gabie) – goddess of household fire •
Smik smik per velėną (Smik Smik Perleuenu) – a phrase rather than a being •
Ežiagalis (Ezagulis) – god of death •
Aitvaras (Aitvvaros) •
Kaukas (Kaukie) •
Gyvatė (Giuoitos) – black snake (see also
žaltys) •
Srutis and
Miechutele – deities of paint and color
Matthäus Prätorius Deities mentioned by
Matthäus Prätorius (1635–1704) were:
Theodor Narbutt Polish-Lithuanian historian
Teodor Narbutt wrote the ten-volume work
History of the Lithuanian Nation (
Dzieje starożytne narodu litewskiego) between 1835 and 1841. The first volume contained a description of Lithuanian mythology. However, modern historians have accused Narbutt of falsifying historical facts and reporting speculations. Thus, some gods mentioned only by Narbutt and unknown from other sources are usually treated as inventions of the author.
Male deities •
Praamžius (Pramżimas) – highest god, determines the fate of people, world, and other gods •
Ukapirmas (Okkapirmas) – preceded time, his feast is celebrated on December 25 •
Viršaitis (Wirszajtos) – protected household, domestic animals. Narbutt claimed that he was equivalent to Auxtejas Wissagistis mentioned by Łasicki and to Roman
Saturn •
Perkūnas (Perkunas) – thunder god •
Kovas (Kawas) – god of war •
Ragutis – god of beer, vodka, mead •
Santvaras or
Sotvaras (Sotwaros) – god of daylight, poets, doctors •
Atrimpas (Atrimpos) – god of sea and water •
Gardaitis (Gardeoldiis) – god of wind, storm, protector of ships •
Poklius (Poklus) – god of death and underworld •
Kriukis (Krugis) – god of smiths •
Žiemininkas (Ziemienikas) – god of earth, harvest, and darkness •
Patelas (Patelo) – flying god of air, similar to an angel •
Šneibratas (Sznejbrato) – god of birds and hunting •
Kibirai (Kabiry) – a trinity
Female deities (1910),
National Museum in
Warsaw •
Praurimė (Praurime) – goddess of sacred fire, she was served by vaidilutės •
Lada (Lado) – the great goddess,
Rasos festival is dedicated to her •
Budtė (Budte) – goddess of wisdom •
Laima (Lajma) – goddess of fate •
Pelenų Gabija (Polengabia) – goddess of fireplaces •
Moterų Gabija (Matergabia) – goddess of bread and bakery •
Perkūnaitėlė (Perkunatele) – wife of Perkūnas •
Pilvytė (Pilwite) – goddess of money, riches, and good luck •
Lietuva (Liethua) – goddess of freedom, pleasure, joy •
Veliuona (Wellona) – goddess of eternity, afterlife •
Pergrubė (Pergrubie) – goddess of spring, flowers, gardens •
Milda – goddess of love, courtship •
Krūminė (Krumine) – goddess of grain, agriculture •
Nijolė (Nijola) – mistress of the underworld, wife of Poklius •
Alabatis – goddess of flax •
Aušra (Ausssra) – morning goddess •
Bezelea – evening goddess •
Brėkšta (Brekszta) – goddess of darkness and dreams •
Kruonis (Kronis) – goddess of time •
Užsparinė (Usparinia) – goddess of land borders •
Verpėja (Werpeja) – weaver of the thread of life •
Gondu – goddess of weddings •
Upinė (Upine) – goddess of rivers, springs •
Ratainyčia (Ratajniczu) – goddess protecting horses •
Valginė (Walgina) – goddess protecting domestic animals •
Luobo gelda (Lajbegelda) – goddess of knowledge and rumors •
Mėšlų boba (Mahslu baba) – goddess of garbage •
Budintoja – spirit that wakes sleeping people •
Austėja (Austheja) – goddess of bees •
Ragutiene Pati (Ragutenapati) – wife of Ragutis •
Žemės Motina (Zemmes mahti) – goddess of underground, responsible for lost items •
Gaila (Gajla) – spirit torturing people and animals •
Neris – nymph of Neris River •
Dugnė (Dugna) – nymph of rivers •
Ragana – goddess of trees •
Lazdona – goddess of hazelnut •
Medziojna – goddess of forests •
Pajauta – worshiped woman, daughter of Duke
Kernius, wife of
Živinbudas •
Birutė (Biruta) – worshiped woman, wife of
Kęstutis Other written sources This section contains those names of Lithuanian and Prussian 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. •
Dimstipatis (mentioned by Jokūbas Lavinskis), is a masculine deity (
genius loci). It is a household god, the guardian of
houses and caretaker of the hearth. People sacrificed
roosters and black hens to the deity. The birds were boiled; later people would gather around the kettle and eat the birds. The bones were burned. Sometimes Dimstipatis is reconstructed as a god of housewives, to whom pigs were
sacrificed. Dimstipatis was also seen as a power protecting from fires. •
Pagirnis (Jesuit reports from 1605) •
Velinas (mentioned by
Konstantinas Sirvydas)
Other names Names of figures that were more marginal in Lithuanian mythology or less known from existing sources are put here. In fact they denote some spirits or local deities that do not play a main role in the mythology of Lithuanians. •
Blizgulis, a god of snow. His name means "He who sparkles." •
Junda, Goddess of War •
Baubis, a household god of meat and
cattle. •
Divytis, a god-like hero of fishermen legends. Fishermen at sea sang songs about Divytis. •
Gardaitis, a god (a spirit?) of ships and sailors. •
Jagaubis, a household spirit of fire and the
furnace. •
Rasa, Kupolė's and Kaupolis' daughter. She is the goddess of summer's greenage and flowers. •
Mokas, a stone with an ability to teach people, sometimes they are found in families - with wife
Mokienė and children
Mokiukas ==See also==