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Perkunas, (the Latvian Perkons, compare also Lith. perkunas, "thunder", perkunija, "thunder-storm", perkunúoti "to rattle", the Latvian, perkons, "thunder", Prussian percunis, "thunder"), in the Lithuanian mythology (and Baltic mythology ) the god of a thunder, a lightning, a rain.
1 Relations with mythology of other nations
Goes back to an image Indo-European the Thunderer having the related name with a basis *Per (k) (see in an item. Proto-Indo-European religion); the nearest parallels - slavic Perun (compare also Belarus Pyarun in which many features Perkunas is inherent), Old indian Parjanya, Hittite Pirva , probably, Albanian Perën-di, Thracian Περχων, etc.
From Baltic the name Mordovian Thunderer the Pur‘gine-paza, the Finnish and Lappish designation feature - Perkele. Typically, as one of names of the wife of the Thunderer – Perkunija, Perkune , formed from the same root, coincides with the Lithuanian designation of a thunder-storm and Russian toponymy Perynj - sanctuary of Perun on a height at Novgorod, other - Icelandic Fjprgyn, a name of mother of the Thunderer a Torah, Hercunia silva , Latino-Germ. Fergunna , Hittite peruna, "rock", other - Indic parvata, "mountain", etc., that specifies communication of a name of the Thunderer with mountain, a height. At the same time its name is frequently compared with Indo-European the name of an oak - compare an armour quercus from *perkwus, etc.
2 Roots
The Most ancient news - Russian translation of "Chronicle" of John Malala (2-nd half of 13 century) where it is spoken about worship „Перкоунови рекше громоу“, and „Livonian rhymed chronicle“ (ок. 1290) with a mention of idol Perkune. Special position borrows Item - Perkuns in a Prussian pantheon . Simon Grunau ("Chronicle", begining 16 century) In the description of a Prussian banner places Perkunas, represented in shape angry men of average years with the twisted black beard, topped with a flame, between young man Potrimps and old Patols . The same central position borrows Perkunas in the description of a sacred oak in sanctuary Romowe; before it burned unextinguishable fire - a symbol of the god. Perkunas sends a rain, a thunder and a lightning, Old Prussians appeal to it at prayers, it is served by special priests.
In the composition „Constitutiones Synodales“ (1530) Perkunas mention in the list of gods before the god of the hell Pikuls and it is identified with the Roman Jove, as well as in „ Sudovian book“ where Perkunas (Parkuns) it is mentioned in connection with ritual of celebration of a goat - animal Item At J.Maletsk and J.Lasitsk (16 century) Perkunas (Pargnum) - the god of thunders and storms. In a triad of Prussian gods Perkunas symbolizes the maximum rise of making forces (including vegetative, - compare communication Perkunas with summer, an oak), courage, success, and also the top world, the sky, a rain, a thunder, heavenly fire (lightning) as cosmological elements, as against Potrimps (the ground, a crop, cereals) and Patols (hell, death). As a heavenly (atmospheric) deity Prussian Perkunas, apparently, the assistant and the executor of will Dievas‘s – Okopirmas ‘s, but surpasses the maximum god on a urgency for the person and concreteness of mythological functions.
In Western-Baltic traditions of description Perkunas as malicious spirit, demon, idol meet in Christian compositions: in "Chronicle" Malala , J.Dlugosh's composition (15 century) where Perkunas it is identified with the Jove esteemed as a lightning, etc. The Main source of reconstruction of image Perkunas and the mythological plots connected to it - national songs. On songs about „heavenly wedding“ is reconstructed a variant of a myth where the sun changes Perkunas with a Menulis , for what Perkunas splits month a sword. According to other variants, month leaves the sun after wedding, and Perkunas punishes it; Perkunas (or the son of god Dievinš (Lat.) ) is present on wedding of dawn Aušra or the daughter of the sun; angry Perkunas on road to wedding breaks an oak of the sun; on trip on its wedding accompanies with the sun with приданым; Perkunas brings to an oak a gold belt, etc. Sometimes in these plots Perkunas god Dievas replaces or is mentioned together with thunder dancing (on wedding?), And also sons of Dievas - the motive parallel to myths about children or sons of Perkunas (compare also Perkuna to the aunt - Perkuna tete at Lasick – „aunt Perkune “, mother of a thunder and a lightning, washing the dusty sun appear before to let out it in the sky next day). It is mentioned four sons of Perkunas, that, apparently, it is connected with its seasonal periods (compare the Lithuanian formula: „Four Perkunases: east, western, southern and northern“, and it is quite often these Perkunases seven refer to as brothers), or (nine can correspond with days of week), and it is simple much (compare lith. „Perkunu yra daug“, that precisely corresponds other - other „Perunj estj mnogj“). Besides correlation to four parties of light and seasons Perkunas it is connected to Thursday, day of Perkunas (day of the Thunderer in many traditions: compare Polabian Peräune-dǻn, „day of Perun“, Lith. Perkuno diena, Correlation the Latvian, ceturdiena, "Thursday", with day of a thunder, in old sources - with the Jove), the middle of week, day of thunder-storms and rains, and also weddings. It agrees to the data of folklore, Perkunas wanted to marry on Thursday, but features this day has stolen its wife ( Vaiva , compare lits. vaiva, "rainbow", or, in reconstruction, Lemin; it is indicative, that some female employment of banning on Thursday to avoid intervention feature). Features (the Latvian, velns, Lith. velnias) in national songs - reduced and Christianization an image of the opponent of the Thunderer, the god of hell and death Vels , Velnias , Velinas . Perkunas expels for change the wife, and in some variants and children, itself remains in the sky or, on the contrary, Dievas lifts Perkunas from the ground on the sky. In the sky there are stones of Perkunas - the motive connected with Indo-European mythology - of the stone sky. The dwelling Perkunas on the ground is dated to a height, high or stone mountain: compare Lith. toponymy such as Perkunkalnis, "mountain of Perkunas", or Griausmo kalnas, „mountain of a thunder“. On mountain oak Perkunas‘s (compare etymological communication of name Perkunas with mountain and an oak, and also lits is sometimes mentioned. Perkuno ažuolas, the Latvian. Perkona ozols, „oak of Perkunas“ in a source of 1-st half of 19 century). In an oak it is hidden features, and Perkunas splits its lightning; in plots under an oak the snake jack (snakes - opponent of Perkunas) is located . Perkunas pursues thunders of the opponent - feature, in reconstruction – Vels ‘s, Conduct - picaroon, the thief of fertility and cattle. That is hidden in a tree, a stone, turns in various хтонических or demonic animals - a black cat, a dog, a pig, a goat, in zoomorphic representatives of three elements (air, the ground and water) - the pigeon, the lamb and a pike, to the cow (compare the Latvian representations about feature with the cow hoofs) and the person. Perkunas pursues the opponent on the sky (on stone mountains) on a chariot, stone, fiery (Lith. ugnies rătai), sometimes iron, red, harnessed in pair (less often the four, the three) horses (goats) red and white (black and white) colours, in haul or in the carriage. (Compare the Lithuanian deity of horses and chariots Ratainycia - at Lasick‘s Ratainicza, from Lith. ratai "chariot"; mythologized an image of a chariot - the Big She-bear.) It agrees SamogitiaDuchy of Samogitia was the western part of Lithuania This is a latinized version of the name. In the Middle Ages names like Samaiten, Samaitae, Zamaytae, Samogitia, Samattae, Samethi were used in German and Latin sources. It, together with other variants:ns to representations, Perkunas can act and as the horseman on a fiery horse. On heavenly chariot of Perkunas appears in shape of the gray-haired old man with the big beard (different colors, including copper), in the white and black clothes, holding a goat on a cord in one hand and a horn or an axe - in another. Weapon of Perkunas - an axe or sledgehammer, stones, a sword, beating lightnings, an onions and arrows, bullets, bat (club), birches (scourges, compare name Perkunas‘s Dievo rykšte, „a scourge of the god“, Diverikjzj, the Russian annals), a knife; it can be stone, iron, copper, fiery. Quarrel of Perkunas with the opponent can sometimes speak and theft at the Thunderer of the weapon, its shelter under stones. Perkunas itself acts as the creator of the weapon (Akmeninis kalvis, „the stone smith“) or it is helped by heavenly smith Televelis ( Kalvelis ). On some representations, lightnings are let out by heavenly millstones (compare the general Indo-European root *mel|d | for the Balto-Slavic words with value "lightning", „молот“ (sledgehammer), „молотьба“ (beating by sledgehammer) ). The opponent of Perkunas it is hidden in a hollow of a tree, a stone (attributes of Perkunas); natural boundaries and a lay of land arise during prosecution Perkunas‘s feature: compare toponymy such as "river of Perkunas", "mountain of Perkunas", "lake of Perkunas", on the one hand, and „a bog feature“, „a stone feature“, „lake feature“ - with another. The culmination moment of prosecution by the Thunderer of the opponent - a thunder-storm; she not only clears the ground of evil spirits and returns the stolen cattle, the weapon, etc., but also means returning to the ground of the fertility growing (instead of covert) riches. With interdictions and the instructions regulating behaviour during a thunder-storm, are connected interdict onomatopoeic names Perkuna‘s - Lith. Dundulis, Dundutis, Dudu senis, Tarškulis, Tarškutis, Blizgulis, etc. By descriptions of rituals in honour of Perkunas, the Thunderer took a taking priority place among the Baltic deities in sphere of a cult and was allocated with universal functions, first of all the carrier of fertility. Compare, for example, ritual of calling of a rain in Latvia (a latin source 1610), made on a hill in a grove, with sacrifice of animals of black color, a meal, conections with fire, and relatives Western-Slavic (compare. Dodola, Peperuda) and others Indo-European parallels testifying to the greatest development of the Indo-European cult and mythology of the Thunderer in the BalticBaltic can refer to: The Baltic Sea Council of the Baltic Sea States an intergovernmental organization Baltic sea countries countries with access to the Baltic Sea The term Baltic countries is sometimes used more or less synonymously for Northern Europe ( tradition.
