Latvian mythology
These myths, for the most part, likely stem from Proto-Indo-European practices and the later folk traditions of the Latvian people and pre-Christian Baltic mythology.
Latvian mythology is used particularly as a tool for reconstructing and analysing the historical pagan beliefs and national identity of Latvia.
[1] These reports are considered secondary sources by researchers because since the authors were not Latvian, they did not speak the local languages and often were biased.
[1] An example of the trend is the epic poem Lāčplēsis by Andrejs Pumpurs, which features a pantheon of Latvian and Prussian gods and some the author has invented himself.
Similarly, works of Juris Alunāns and poet Miķelis Krogzemis feature pantheons of invented deities.
The most successful of the neopagan movements was Dievturi, established in the late 1920s, which claims that ancient Latvians were monotheistic and the various mythological beings are all aspects of one God.
[4] While the notion of needing to remove alien influences to reconstruct Latvian traditions was preserved into later times,[2] the attempts to create an Olympus-like pantheon of pseudo-gods eventually stopped as national romanticism was replaced by realism and came to be criticized in the first half of 20th century.
This approach has been criticized by modern researchers who have proposed that themes mentioned in other genres, such as fairy tales, legends, and records of folk beliefs and magic practices, might complement folk songs as each genre contains different themes and might provide only partial insight into mythology.
These groups were pantheistic, less uniform, less dogmatic, interested in the protection of nature and cultural heritage, and more open to the influence of traditions from neighboring nations.
For example, Pokaiņi Forest [lv] was announced to be an ancient sacral site by one of these groups in the late 1990s, and it attracts thousands of visitors each season.
Dievturi, which resumed operating in Latvia just before the restoration of independence in 1990, is the only officially recognized pagan religion and had around 600 followers as of 2001[update].
Given the decreasing influence of the movement, its name is sometimes applied in a broader sense to any modern practice related to folklore.
[4] There are various reconstructions of Latvian mythical space, but most researchers agree on the meaning of certain features related to the sky.
[2][7] The sea and other bodies of water, including rivers, especially Daugava, seem to mark the boundary between worlds of the living and the dead.
[8] The tree is related to celestial wedding mythos in which sun or her daughter is courted by Dieva dēli (sons of god), Auseklis (Venus) or Pērkons (Thunder).
In this he is similar to other spirits who kill people, including Veļi who were believed to sometimes come back to claim a life of a person they knew in their lifetime.
[12] The dead - called Veļi (also Iļģi, Dieviņi, Pauri) - were considered to be visiting their old homes during autumn from Miķeļi (September 29) to Mārtiņi (November 10).
[11] A Jesuit report from the end of 16th century suggests that historically a funeral procession was led by a person waving the axe to protect the deceased from Veļi coming to him too fast.
In some regions, pails of milk and water along with a clean towel would also be left so Veļi could wash themselves.
After Christianization it was believed that sorcerers were servants of evil called burvji; burtnieks (wizards) and raganas (witches) marry velni.
Witches are often reported to steal milk either by themselves or by employing toads and snakes, believed to be capable of sucking it from a cow's udder and then regurgitating it on command.
A demon, sometimes related to sorcerers but usually said to be the soul of a child condemned to haunt until the time he or she ought to have died, is Lietuvēns, who tortures people, cattle, and horses during the night and who is associated with sleep paralysis.
Grown velni are strong and occasionally have multiple heads, this is best portrayed in the famous fairy tale "Kurbads".
After a successful birth, married women would feast, with Laima being reserved a place of honor in the bathhouse as sign of gratitude.
[6] Dēkla is mainly mentioned in folklore from a single Catholic area of Courland, historically the District of Pilten.
Kārta is even more rarely mentioned in folklore, she is thought to execute the decisions Laima and Dēkla make, as suggested by her name.
There is, for example, a wide range of deities referred to as Mahte ("mother") – their number is variously estimated to be anywhere from 50 to 115.
[20] Mother and other kinship terms can be used merely to signify age and also to show respect (when referring to older people).
It was believed that visiting them at other times or defiling, even unknowingly, such a site in any way would bring great misfortune to the guilty party - blindness or death are common examples.
There were also animals, some known as dieva sunīši ('dogs of god'), whose killing would bring misfortune, these include stoats, wolf, frogs, ladybirds, etc.
