Porevit

Porevit, Porovit or Borovit (, , , , , ) is a Slavonic god with unknown functions mentioned in only two sources: ''Gesta Danorum'' and in ''Knýtlinga saga''. The only historical information about this god is a description of a statue depicting him that had five faces and no weapons.

Sources

The first source to mention Porevit is the ''Gesta Danorum'' by Saxo Grammaticus. Saxo describes when, after Arkona was captured by the Danish king Valdemar I, its inhabitants made an agreement with him, which encourages the inhabitants of Charenza to make a similar agreement and surrender the city without a fight. Saxo describes that in this gord (stronghold) there were three temples dedicated to Rugiaevit, Porevit and Porenut. After the destruction of the temple and the idol of Rugiaevit by the Danes, Saxo writes:

The same information is then given by the ''Knýtlinga saga'', which lists Porevit in the distorted form ''Puruvit''.

Etymologies and interpretations

From ''*pora'' "strength"

The first part is usually connected with the word ''pora'' in its original, Proto-Slavic (''*pora'') meaning "push, thrust", "force, effort, full strength", "period of effort, hard work". In the context of this etymology, the name is read as ''Porevit'' or ''Porovit''. Supporters of the reading ''Porovit'' cite, for example, the Russian word порови́тый, ''porovityy''.

According to Jacek Banaszkiewicz, a Polish professor of medieval history, the three Charenza deities are not a "random" group of deities, but a group of deities that patronize areas fundamental to the existence of society. He considers Rugiaevit as the chief god, who patronizes war and the community, and Porevit and Porenut as divine twins, who complement the chief deity with their universal characteristics. Banaszkiewicz points out that a common feature of divine twins is the repetition of the first part of the name or the second part of the name; according to him, Porevit and Porenut share the first part (''pora''). He also points out that twins often have contradictory features; Porevit is considered a "positive" twin whose name should be understood as "Lord of strength, Lord who can cope with everything", while Porenut is considered a "negative" twin and translates his name as "Lord in need of support", reading the suffix ''-nut'' as ''-nud'' and connecting it with the Old Polish ''nuda'' and the German ''Nut'' meaning "need, compulsion". Banaszkiewicz also points to the fact that they both have five faces, two less than Rugiaevit, with Porenut having only four faces on his head, and the fifth one he holds with his hands on his chest, which according to him may indicate that his character's importance is diminished in relation to Porevit. It may also be important that the right hand supports the fifth face, while the left hand holds it by the forehead. Andrzej Szyjewski is also in favor of combining the first part of both Porevit and Porenut with the word ''pora''.

According to Roman Jakobson.

From ''*borъ'' "forest"

Less common readings of the name include ''Borovit'' "Lord of the forest". There is an assumption that both Saxo and the author of the ''Knýtlinga saga'' used one common, unpreserved source when describing the deities of Charenza. The Porevit/Porovit reading is supported by the fact that in Saxo's Latin, and Old Icelandic, the Slavic initial ⟨p⟩ was always rendered as ''p'', but it is possible that this theonym was deformed before it found its way into the ''Gesta Danorum'' and ''Saga''. The notation with ''p'' appears in only one manuscript (the Danish copy) of the ''Gesta Danorum'', which became the basis for the Paris edition of 1514, which became the basis for all later editions. However, Thomas Kantzow in 1538 gives the ''Borveit'' notation. Kantzon probably relied on an unpreserved manuscript kept in Pomerania or Rostock, where it originated. Additionally, David Chytraeus, who was a professor at the University of Rostock, gives the notation ''Barovit'' in his ''Chronicon Saxoniae'' which may indicate that there was a copy (or copies) that used a different notation system than the Danish manuscripts. It should also be noted, knowledge of the Paris edition is only demonstrated by Peter Albina of the late 16th century, who is the first to quote the ''Poreuit'' notation from that edition. All of this may indicate that records before the 16th century were based on different, non-existent manuscripts.

In German notations of Slavic names, ''b'' is often replaced by ''p'' and ⟨o⟩ written with ''u'', cf. German ''Pürschutz'', ''Burtschütz'' ← Old Sorbian ''*Borušici'', German ''Portitz'', ''Borticz'' ← Old Polabian ''*Borêtici''. Additionally, Slavic ''bor'' "(conifer) forest" in German records is rendered as ''-bure-'', ''-buru-'', ''-buri-'', cf. ''Zutibure'', ''Mesaburii'', ''Medeburu'' from the 10th/11st century, as well as ''Priburiwitz'' "Priborevic" (1215), ''Pritbur'' "Predbor" (1284).

In the Polabian theonymy, Pan-Slavic names of gods, e.g. because of taboo, were replaced by alternative names, common words, or given names, cf. god Yarovit and Serbian јаро̀вит, ''yarovit''. The notation ''Borveit''/''Barovit'' can be read as ''Borovit'', which would be indicated by words such as Czech ''borovitý'', Serbo-Croatian боро̀вит/''boròvit'', Slovene ''borovit'', as well as first and last names, e.g. Polish ''Borowity'', Old Polabian ''*Borovit'', Macedonian Боровит, ''Borovit''. However, unlike other Polabian theonyms, ''Borovit'' would not consist of the suffix ''*-ovitъ'', but of the adjective ''*borovъjь'' "of or pertaining to a conifer forest" and the suffix ''*-itъ''. ''Borovy'' is also a synonym for '' Leshy'' – the spirit of the forest in East Slavic folklore.

Turupit

''Knýtlinga saga'', which uses the same source as Saxo, also mentions a deity named ''Turupit'' (in variants ''Turupit'', ''Turtupit'', ''Turtuput'', ''Turupið''). This is generally thought to be a corruption of the ''Porenut'' (Perunits) form: the Old Icelandic notation ''Ruivit'' would correspond to the notation ''Rugiaevitus'' of Saxo, Old Icelandic ''Puruvit'' would correspond to the notation ''Porevit'' of Saxo, and ''Turupit'' would correspond to the notation ''Porenutius'' of Saxo. Attempts have also been made to read this theonym literally, e.g. as ''T(o)ropiec'' from ''*trepati'' "to flutter", or to regard it as a loan from Celtic ''Taranis'' "Celtic god of the storm" (allegedly to the Proto-Slavic ''*Taranъ'' "god of the storm").

However, according to Michał Łuczyński, ''Turupit'' could confirm the reading ''Borovit''. Latin ''d'' and ''b'', and ''b'' and ''t'' were sometimes interchanged, e.g., ''Liduit'' → ''Liubi'' "Liduit", ''Syeba'' → ''Sieta'' " Živa"; a copyist, therefore, as a result of a mistake, could render the Slavic ⟨b⟩ as ''d'' (''t''). The suffix ''*-vit'' in Icelandic was also written as ''-pit''.

References

Bibliography

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Slavic gods