The so-called ''Sudovian Book'' (german: Sudauer Büchlein, lt, Sūduvių knygelė) was an anonymous work about the customs, religion, and daily life of the

Old Prussians Old Prussians, Baltic Prussians or simply Prussians ( Old Prussian: ''prūsai''; german: Pruzzen or ''Prußen''; la, Pruteni; lv, prūši; lt, prūsai; pl, Prusowie; csb, Prësowié) were an indigenous tribe among the Baltic peoples that ...

from

Sambia Sambia (russian: Самбийский полуостров, lit=Sambian Peninsula, translit=Sambiysky poluostrov) or Samland (russian: Земландский полуостров, lit=Zemlandic Peninsula, translit=Zemlandsky poluostrov) or Kalini ...

. The manuscript was written in German in the 16th century. The original did not survive and the book is known from later copies, transcriptions and publications. Modern scholars disagree on the origin and value of the book. Despite doubts about its reliability, the book became popular and was frequently quoted in other history books. Much of the

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 mytho ...

is reconstructed based on this work or its derivatives. It is known from Peter von Dusburg that 1,600 and 1,500

Sudovians Yotvingians (also called: Sudovians, Jatvians, or Jatvingians; Yotvingian: ''Jotvingai''; lt, Jotvingiai, ; lv, Jātvingi; pl, Jaćwingowie, be, Яцвягі, ger, Sudauer) were a Western Baltic people who were closely tied to the Old Prus ...

were relocated to Sambia at the end of the 13th century. Their descendants still lived in the so-called Sudovian Corner and were known as determined believers in their pagan gods. Therefore,

Norbertas Vėlius Norbertas Vėlius (1 January 1938 in Gulbės, near Šilalė – 23 June 1996 in Vilnius, buried in the Antakalnis Cemetery) was a Lithuanian folklorist specializing in Lithuanian mythology Lithuanian mythology ( lt, Lietuvių mitologija) is ...

suggested that the work dealt not with Prussian, but with Sudovian gods and traditions.

Authorship

According to the Polish scholar Aleksander Brückner, the book originated from letters written around 1545 by Protestant priest Hieronymus Malecki using information from ''Constitutiones Synodales'' published in 1530. The letters were expanded and translated by Malecki's son, who published the ''Sudovian Book'' in 1561. Therefore, it contained no new or valuable information and could not be considered an independent source of the Prussian mythology. The German philologist Wilhelm Mannhardt believed that Malecki only prepared previously written anonymous manuscript for publication. According to Mannhardt, the book predated and was used as a source for ''Constitutiones Synodales''. He claimed that the book was written by Lutheran clergy – George of Polentz, Bishop of Sambia,

Erhard of Queis Erhard of Queis (, in Storkow, Brandenburg – 10 September 1529, in Preußisch Holland) was Bishop of Pomesania. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Reformation in Prussia. Life Details of Queis's youth are not available. He enrolle ...

, Bishop of Pomesania, and Paulus Speratus, preacher of Albert, Duke of Prussia, and later Bishop of Pomesania. During the 1520s, they visited different parishes, collected information about pagan beliefs, and memorialized the findings in the ''Sudovian Book'', which was then summarized in the ''Constitutiones Synodales''. Lithuanian historian claimed that both the ''Sudovian Book'' and ''Constitutiones Synodales'' were parts of a larger more extensive work. She noted that these works written in the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

style – the author described but did not condemn the pagan beliefs and rituals, which was improbable if the works were prepared by members of the Christian clergy seeking to eradicate paganism. Therefore, authors cannot be ascertained.

Content

The book included a list of Prussian gods, sorted in a generally descending order from sky to earth to underworld: Ockopirmus (chief god of sky and stars), Swayxtix (god of light), Auschauts (god of the sick), Autrimpus (god of sea),

Potrimpus Potrimpo (also ''Potrimpus'', ''Autrimpo'', ''Natrimpe'') was a god of seas, earth, grain, and crops in the pagan Baltic, and Prussian mythology. He was one of the three main gods worshiped by the Old Prussians. Most of what is known about this go ...

(god of running water), Bardoayts (god of boats), Pergrubrius (god of plants), Pilnitis (god of abundance), Parkuns (god of thunder and rain), Peckols (god of hell and darkness), Pockols (flying spirit or devil), Puschkayts (god of earth) and his servants Barstucke (little people) and Markopole. The book also discussed in detail traditional weddings, funerals, and honoring of the dead. In particular, the book described a ritual sacrifice of a goat by a priest (called ''Wourschaity'') in great detail.

Notes

References

{{reflist, refs= {{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=PA315 , publisher=CEU Press , year=1999 , page=315 , isbn=963-9116-42-4 {{cite journal , url=https://etalpykla.lituanistikadb.lt/object/LT-LDB-0001:J.04~2018~1556116444562/J.04~2018~1556116444562.pdf , title=Sūduvių knygelė – vakarų baltų religijos ir kultūros šaltinis. I dalis: formalioji analizė , first=Rolandas , last=Kregždys , journal=Lituanistica , year=2009 , volume=3–4 , issue=79–80 , pages=179–187 , issn=0235-716X , language=lt {{cite encyclopedia, title=Sūduvių knygelė , encyclopedia=Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija , volume=4 , location=Vilnius , publisher=Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas , year=2009 , pages=355–356 , isbn=978-5-420-01470-7, language=lt {{cite journal, first=William R. , last=Schmalstieg , title=Review. Baltų religijos ir mitologijos šaltiniai 2 , journal=Archivum Lithuanicum , volume=5 , year=2003 , issn= 1392-737X, url=http://www.elibrary.lt/resursai/Leidiniai/Archivum_Lithuanicum/2003/al_03_06.pdf , language=lt , pages=364–365 16th-century books German chronicles Prussian mythology Baltic culture