Potrimpo (also ''Potrimpus'', ''Autrimpo'', ''Natrimpe'') was a god of seas, earth, grain, and crops in the pagan

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages * Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originati ...

, and

Prussian mythology The Prussian mythology was a polytheistic religion of the Old Prussians, indigenous peoples of Prussia before the Prussian Crusade waged by the Teutonic Knights. It was closely related to other Baltic faiths, the Lithuanian and Latvian mytholo ...

. He was one of the three main gods worshiped by the Old Prussians. Most of what is known about this god is derived from unreliable 16th-century sources. He was first mentioned (as ''Natrimpe'') in a 1418 memorandum ''Collatio Espiscopi Varmiensis'' sent by the Bishop of Warmia to

Pope Martin V Pope Martin V ( la, Martinus V; it, Martino V; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Otto (or Oddone) Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. Hi ...

. The document reminded the Pope that the

Teutonic Knights The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...

successfully Christianized pagan Prussians, who previously worshipped "demons" Perkūnas, Potrimpo and

Peckols Peckols and Patollo (known under a multitude of different names) were gods in the pagan Prussian mythology who were worshiped by the Old Prussians. Most researchers believe that, despite varying names, Peckols and Patollo were probably the same ...

(and Patollo).

Simon Grunau Simon Grunau (c. 1470 – c. 1530) was the author of ''Preussische Chronik'',Full title: ''Cronika und beschreibung allerlüstlichenn, nützlichsten und waaren historien des namkundigenn landes zu Prewssen'' or ''Chronicle and description of the mos ...

claimed that Potrimpo was a god of grain and together with thunder god Perkūnas and death god Peckols formed a pagan trinity. He was depicted on the purported Flag of Widewuto as a young, merry man wearing a wreath of grain ears. Grunau further claimed that snakes, as creatures of Potrimpo, were worshipped and given milk (cf.

žaltys A žaltys (, literally: ''grass snake'') is a household spirit in Lithuanian mythology. As sacred animal of the sun goddess Saulė, it is a guardian of the home and a symbol of fertility. People used to keep it as a pet by the stove or other spe ...

). The '' Sudovian Book'' (1520–1530) listed Potrimpo (''Potrimpus'') as god of running water and Autrimpo (''Autrimpus'') as god of the seas. The ''Constitutiones Synodales'', a church ceremony book published in 1530, likened Potrimpo with Pollux and Autrimpo with Castor and

Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...

, from

Roman mythology Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans. One of a wide variety of genres of Roman folklore, ''Roman mythology'' may also refer to the modern study of these representat ...

. Later authors copied these descriptions, often merging Potrimpo and Autrimpo into one deity of earth and water.

Jan Sandecki Malecki Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Numb ...

claimed that Prussians would pray to Potrimpo, pour hot wax into water, and predict the future based on the shapes of wax figures. Maciej Stryjkowski wrote that there was a copper idol (a twisted

) to Potrimpo in the temple of Romuva. Simonas Daukantas described Potrimpo as the god of spring, happiness, abundance, cattle and grain. According to Kazimieras Būga, the name was derived from the root ''trimp-'', which is related to

Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...

verb ''trempti'' (to trample, to stomp). Following this research,

Vladimir Toporov Vladimir Nikolayevich Toporov (russian: Влади́мир Никола́евич Топоро́в; 5 July 1928 in Moscow5 December 2005 in Moscow) was a leading Russian philologist associated with the Tartu-Moscow semiotic school. His wife was ...

believed that initially there was a fertility god Trimps, who was later split into two deities. Further researchers speculated that the name could be related to fertility ritual – stomping to scare away evil spirits and to wake the earth in spring.

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite book, title=Lietuvių ir prūsų dievai, deivės, dvasios: nuo apeigos iki prietaro , first=Rimantas , last=Balsys , publisher= Klaipėdos universitetas , year=2010 , isbn=978-9955-18-462-1 , pages=280–285, language=lt {{cite book , first=Endre , last=Bojtár , title=Foreword to the Past: A Cultural History of the Baltic People , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5aoId7nA4bsC&pg=PA304 , publisher=CEU Press , year=1999 , page=304 , isbn=963-9116-42-4 {{cite book , first=Algirdas , last=Matulevičius , title=Baltų religijos ir mitologijos šaltiniai , url=http://www.sarmatija.lt/images/stories/Baltu%20religija.pdf , volume=I , page=475 , publisher=Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidykla , location=Vilnius , year=1996 , isbn=5-420-01353-3, language=lt {{cite book, title=Myth in Indo-European antiquity , first=Jaan , last=Puhvel , chapter=Indo-European Structure of Baltic Pantheon , chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gsTW-RedBx8C&pg=PA79 , page=79 , publisher=University of California Press , year=1974 , isbn=0-520-02378-1 Prussian gods Baltic gods Fertility gods Sea and river gods Agricultural gods Snake gods