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Widewuto (also ''Viduutus'', ''Vidvutus'', ''Witowudi'', ''Waidewut'', ''Vaidevutis'') was a legendary king of the pagan Prussians who ruled along with his elder brother, the high priest (''
Kriwe-Kriwajto ''Kriwe Kriwaito'' ( lv, krīvu krīvs, lt, krivių krivaitis) or simply ''Kriwe'' ( lv, krīvs, lt, krivis) was the chief priest in the Baltic mythology. Known primarily from the dubious 16th-century writings of Simon Grunau, the concept of ''k ...
'') Bruteno in the 6th century AD. They are known from writings of 16th-century chroniclers , Simon Grunau, and
Lucas David Lucas (or Lukas) David (1503 - April 1583) was a German historian, who from ca. 1550 on compiled extensive volumes on Prussian history. Life David was born in Allenstein (Olsztyn), Royal Prussia, Poland, to Gerhard Dönhoff. He studied at th ...
. Though the legend lacks historical credibility, it became popular with medieval historians. It is unclear whether the legend was authentically
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was '' de facto'' dissolved by an ...
n (i.e. recorded from
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 mythol ...
) or was created by Grunau (possibly inspired by Biblical
Moses Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu ( Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pr ...
and
Aaron According to Abrahamic religions, Aaron ''′aharon'', ar, هارون, Hārūn, Greek ( Septuagint): Ἀαρών; often called Aaron the priest ()., group="note" ( or ; ''’Ahărōn'') was a prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of ...
), though Lithuanian researchers tend to support its authenticity.


Names

Widewuto's name is found in literature in different forms: Veijdenutus, Vydevutis, Vidowuto, Viduutus, Waidewut, Wejdewut, Wenedut, Widewuto, Widewutte, Widiwutus, Wydowudo, Wydowudus, Widowuto, Wydowuto, Widowutus, Witoud, Witoudo, Witouito, Witowudus, Witowuto, Wotowudo, Vaidevutis (modern Lithuanian emendation). As for his brother Bruteno, his name is also written in many ways: Brudeno, Bruteno, Brutenus, Brutheno, Brutteno.
Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
ian scholar Siarhiej Sanko interprets their names as "Widow's Son" and "Brother".SAŃKO, Siarhiej, and Aliaksej Shota. "PODSTAWOWE SKŁADNIKI BIAŁORUSKIEJ NARRACJI SAKRALNEJ W PERSPEKTYWIE PORÓWNAWCZEJ." Politeja, no. 22 (2012): 179-811. Accessed March 3, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24920134.


Legends

According to the legend, Widewuto and Bruteno were kings of the
Cimbri The Cimbri (Greek Κίμβροι, ''Kímbroi''; Latin ''Cimbri'') were an ancient tribe in Europe. Ancient authors described them variously as a Celtic people (or Gaulish), Germanic people, or even Cimmerian. Several ancient sources indicate tha ...
, a tribe in
Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...
. Driven out by the
Goths The Goths ( got, 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰, translit=''Gutþiuda''; la, Gothi, grc-gre, Γότθοι, Gótthoi) were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europ ...
from their homeland, the Cimbri arrived to Ulmiganea, an area inhabited by rather primitive people who had no agriculture or cities. Widewuto and Bruteno civilized the region and named it
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was '' de facto'' dissolved by an ...
after Bruteno (Pruteno).
Gintaras Beresnevičius Gintaras Beresnevičius (July 8, 1961 in Kaunas – August 6, 2006 in Vilnius) was a Lithuanian historian of religions specializing in Baltic mythology. He together with Norbertas Vėlius is considered to be the best specialist in Lithuanian m ...
noted that such arrival has a lot in common with the origin legend of the
Lombards The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 an ...
. Widewuto ruled wisely and issued laws regulating family life (for example, men could have three wives; burning of gravely sick relatives was allowed; infidelity was punished by death), public life (for example, slavery was prohibited; distinguished warriors with a horse were raised to nobility), and punishments for criminal activity. Bruteno was the high priest (''
Kriwe-Kriwajto ''Kriwe Kriwaito'' ( lv, krīvu krīvs, lt, krivių krivaitis) or simply ''Kriwe'' ( lv, krīvs, lt, krivis) was the chief priest in the Baltic mythology. Known primarily from the dubious 16th-century writings of Simon Grunau, the concept of ''k ...
'') in charge of religious life. Widewuto had twelve sons, whose names were memorialized in the districts of Prussia. For example,
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
was named after eldest son Litvas, Sudovia after Sudo, etc. At the age of 116, Widewuto burned himself together with Bruteno in a religious ceremony at the temple of Romuva. After their deaths the brothers were worshiped as god Wurskaito.


Flag

Widewuto had a white flag, measuring five by three
ell An ell (from Proto-Germanic *''alinō'', cognate with Latin ''ulna'') is a northwestern European unit of measurement, originally understood as a cubit (the combined length of the forearm and extended hand). The word literally means "arm", an ...
s. The flag had portraits of three Prussian gods, which Grunau reproduced in his work. On the left, there was the god of the underworld, Peckols – an old man with white beard and white scarf on his head. Middle-aged and fiery-haired Perkūnas, god of sky, storm, and thunder, was in the middle. The god of sea, earth, and crops, Patrimpas, was portrayed as a young beardless man wearing a wreath of grain ears. The flag also displayed mysterious symbols. Several linguists have unsuccessfully attempted to decipher the writing hoping to discover an ancient Prussian writing system.


References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite journal, first=Gintaras , last=Beresnevičius , author-link=Gintaras Beresnevičius , url=http://www.ceeol.com/aspx/getdocument.aspx?logid=5&id=f0cfcad8-0754-4f36-9cc9-d09de68a6d1b , title=Prūsijos amfiktionijos steigtis prūsų legendose ir germaniškasis kontekstas , journal=Tautosakos darbai , issue= XXXI , year=2006 , pages=190–191 , issn=1392-2831, 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=PA210 , publisher=CEU Press , year=1999 , pages=210–211 , isbn=963-9116-42-4 {{cite encyclopedia, title=Old Prussians , encyclopedia=
Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles ...
, volume=9 , first=James , last=Hastings , author-link=James Hastings , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HT0TAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA488 , pages=487–488 , publisher=T. & T. Clark , year=1917 , oclc=3065458
{{cite encyclopedia, title=Videvutis , encyclopedia=Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija , volume=4 , location=Vilnius , publisher=Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas , year=2009 , pages=714–716 , isbn=5-420-01470-X, language=lt {{cite encyclopedia, title=Ulmiganija , encyclopedia=Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija , volume=4 , location=Vilnius , publisher=Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas , year=2009 , page=594 , isbn=5-420-01470-X, language=lt {{cite book, title=Myth in Indo-European antiquity , first=Jaan , last=Puhvel , chapter=Indo-European Structure of Baltic Pantheon , 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


Further reading

* Beresnevičius G.
Die Religionsreform des Brutenis
. In: ''Res Balticae'', Nr. 03, 1997. pp. 153-164. Legendary rulers Old Prussian people 6th-century rulers in Europe