Baltic mythology facts for kids

Baltic mythology is a collection of old stories and beliefs from the Baltic people. These stories come from their ancient pagan religion. Even after people in the Baltic region became Christian, many of these myths and traditions continued in their folklore.

Where Do These Stories Come From?

Baltic mythology has roots in a very old belief system called Proto-Indo-European mythology. This was a religion shared by many ancient groups across Europe and Asia.

The Baltic region was one of the last places in Europe to become Christian. This change started around the 15th century and took about 100 years.

How We Know About Baltic Myths

No original books or writings from the pagan period tell us about Baltic myths. However, we still know a lot!

• Old writings from Roman and German travelers (from the 14th and 15th centuries) describe some of these beliefs.
• Later folklore (traditional stories, songs, and customs) kept many of the old ideas alive.
• Studying the etymology (origins of words) of Baltic languages helps us understand ancient concepts.
• Comparing Baltic myths to other ancient myths (called comparative mythology) also gives us clues.

Old Stories, New Meanings

Even though early writings were often made by missionaries who wanted to stop pagan beliefs, a lot of rich material survived in Baltic folklore. This folklore is very important for understanding ancient European history.

Scholars believe Baltic folklore is "conservative." This means it has kept many elements from the very old Proto-Indo-European religion.

Gods and Goddesses

A great example of this is the idea of the Divine Twins. These are two gods found in many ancient Indo-European myths. In Baltic mythology, they are known as the Dieva dēli (which means 'sons of god' in Latvian) and Dievo sūneliai (which also means 'sons of god' in Lithuanian).

According to folklore, these twin brothers are the children of Dievas. This name comes from the ancient Proto-Indo-European word for a sky god.

Two important goddesses are also linked to the brothers and their father:

• The personified Sun, called Saule (meaning 'sun' in Latvian).
• Saules meita (meaning 'Sun's daughter' in Latvian).

See also

• Latvian mythology
• Lithuanian mythology
• Prussian mythology
• Baltic neopaganism
  • Romuva (religion)