Dievas

Dievs ( lett Dievs, lit. Dievas, pr. Deywis, deiws m. "God" ) is in the Baltic mythology, the god of heaven. When his sons Dieva Deli apply. After the Christianization of his name for God was used.

Nature

Dievs is described in the dainas as heavenly peasant prince, who farms on the Himmelberg a farm. His neighbor is the sun goddess Saule. In the folk songs his property is accurately described: Residential house, bathhouse, storage, barn and therefore lying fields and meadows. The heavenly gods family plowing, sowing, reaping and mowing the meadows. In addition Dievs is also regarded as a brewer and occasionally as a hunter. The activities in the bath room, at celebrations and weddings are popular topics.

If Dievs, wearing silver coat and girt with a sword, visited the people he rides down on his horse from " rocky " Himmelberg and then umreitet the cornfields to promote their fertility. He destroys weeds and directed rye stalks on. As a horse breeder, he sold the horse people and grooms in the stable the horses of his admirers:

" Dievs batted the bridle back in my stable, he groomed, he smoothed my brown steed. "

After work Dievs is invited by the farmers. If he enters a house, this is accompanied with a deep silence and a light appearance. The host welcomed him and shows him the place of the father's house and to host the God with beer.

Dievs was also the immutable laws of nature. Along with the goddess of fate, Laima, which is regarded as his daughter, he determined the lives of people, both good and evil.

Indo-European reference

Linguistically, the name is identical with Dievs Germanic * Teiwaz ( aisl. Týr ) and from the root with the Greek Zeus, the Roman Jupiter and Dyaus Pita Indian. However, it differs in being considerably from these deities. Obviously, the Indo-European sky god had suffered considerable reinterpretations in the various cultures.