Latvian mythology

The Latvian mythology belongs to the Baltic mythology and has many similarities with Lithuanian mythology. It is based primarily on the very numerous archaic Latvian lyrics Daina, as well as other genres of Latvian folklore.

History

In the former Livonia ruled from the 13th century until the First World War, a Baltic German upper class, which hardly mingled with the indigenous people. The Latvian farmers and fishermen were tied to their state of serfs. The Latvian literature was gradually developed only since the Reformation ( early 16th century ) by the German authorities, from the German pastors who Latvian "Nonsense Songs", "peasant stories " and " superstition " at best, no respect bestowed, but more often hostile and violent towards survived, if they understood the halfway (see witch hunts ). Thus, the Latvian Daina, tales and traditions were passed on orally until the mid- 19th century. There are few earlier written records, however, show that at least the shape of the Daina had emerged in the 13th century and has since not changed.

The almost exclusively oral tradition resulted on the one hand, that the contents could be changed individually so much information about the Latvian mythology ultimately based on unsafe sources. On the other hand, the seven centuries of oppression and the strict separation able also had a very strong conservative effect - is far greater than that of the peoples whose elites was the way to worldly power open. The cultural identity of Latvians was hardly influenced by the upper classes and their developments. In particular, the Daina have not changed much. Although they have a huge variety; but the differences are usually small; often they only affect word order or different dialect forms. The core of a Daina is just by these variants more clearly. If you consider that it was forbidden to the Latvian serfs for centuries to leave the boundaries of "their" landlords, such a uniform core of countless widespread throughout Latvia songs is a pretty sure sign of their great age. In their customs Latvians resisted largely of Christianization; it is pronounced pagan and comparatively well preserved.

With the recording of Daina mid-19th century by Baron Krišjānis the independence movement and the nation-building of Latvians began; with the "Singing Revolution" 1989-1990, they were able also to put the Soviet rule in their land to an end. Already the German linguist Gotthard Friedrich Stender, which issued a Latvian- German dictionary in 1789, remarked on the Latvians: " No party or wedding, no locust or Harvest Festival, yes, no work, whether in the field or on the spinning wheel at home, done without the singing of songs ', and to this day the Latvian people has a strong love of singing. The Daina are taught in Latvia already in kindergarten and in school. They belong to the Latvian general knowledge and are still used today (for example, during long trips ) sang together impromptu both on special occasions as well as pastime.

Goddesses

• Saule - sun goddess
• Saules meitas - the sun daughters
• Laima - Fate
• Maternal nature spirits ( MATES ): Zemes mate (Mother Earth), Veja Mate ( Wind mother), Meža mate (forest mother), Juras Mate (Marine mother), Velu mate ( Mother of the ancestral spirits ), Lopu mate ( Mother of livestock), etc.

Not to the pre-Christian deities, but Christian saints who were reshaped in folklore include:

• Mara (St. Mary, Mother of God)
• DEKLA ( Thekla )

Gods

• Dievs - sky god
• Dieva Deli - Sons of God
• Pērkons - God of Thunder
• Mēness - moon god
• Jumis - Fertility God
• Ceroklis - Field God